Nicrophorus tomentosus
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Nicrophorus tomentosus |
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| Nicrophorus tomentosus | ||||||||||||
| Weber , 1801 |
Nicrophorus tomentosus is a kind of gravedigger ( Nicrophorus ) from the family of carrion beetles (Silphidae). It iswidespreadeast of the Rocky Mountains in North America.
features
The beetles grow to be 12 to 17 millimeters long. The wings ( elytres ) and pronotum are glossy black in color and have yellow-orange stripes on the wings and yellow stripes below the downwardly curved edges. On the pronotum and on the underside of the breast section, a hair of golden hairs is formed, which gave the beetle the American name "Gold-necked Carrion Beetle". A sexual dimorphism does not exist.
Occurrence
The beetles occur in the Nearctic in much of North America east of the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States . It lives mainly in pasture areas and open forests.
Way of life
Like all grave diggers, this type of carrion lives and in this live fly larvae. They are nocturnal and hide during the day. When disturbed, the beetle throws itself on its back and hums with its wings like a bumblebee. The bee-like coloring and the noise deter many potential predators.
The beetles use the carcasses of small mammals and birds to lay their eggs. To do this, they bury the carcass together and mate in it. Then they remove hair or feathers and form small balls from the meat in which the female lays the eggs. The parent animals stay with the larvae until pupation , which often takes place in side tunnels, and then fly out to look for new carcasses.
literature
- Lorus Milne, Margery Milne: Field Guide to Insects and Spiders. National Audubon Society, Chantacleer Press, 1980; P. 550. ISBN 0-394-50763-0 .