Carrion Beetles

Family Silphidae

Nicrophorus sayi. Photo:Stephanie Boucher

Carrion beetles are mostly large (over 10 mm) and often black with bright orange or reddish marks. They have a soft and somewhat flattened body. Adults of many species are also called burying beetles, because they will bury dead animals and lay eggs on the carrion. The larvae then feed on the buried animal. Usually the larvae feed on the carrion, but sometimes they feed on the fly larvae present on the carrion, and a few species are phytophagous (plant-eating). The adults are scavengers and/or predaceous.

Distribution of Nicrophorus sayi in Canada