Black Burying Beetle vs Yellow Dance Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Burying Beetle Yellow Dance Fly
Scientific Name Nicrophorus humator Empis stercorea
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Silphidae Empididae
Size 18-26mm 6-8 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Hedgerows
Diet Carrion Feeders Predators
Regions Europe Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Black Burying Beetle

A large all-black burying beetle with orange-tipped antennae. It buries animal carcasses for its larvae.

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Did You Know?

One of the largest burying beetles in Europe and can inter a mouse-sized carcass in just a few hours.

Yellow Dance Fly

A medium-sized dance fly with a yellowish body commonly found on spring flowers. Males present prey items as mating gifts. An important pollinator of spring flowers.

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Did You Know?

Important early-season pollinators that visit spring flowers while also hunting small insects on them.