Common Burying Beetle vs Halictid Stylops

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Burying Beetle Halictid Stylops
Scientific Name Nicrophorus vespillo Stylops nassonowi
Order Coleoptera Strepsiptera
Family Silphidae Stylopidae
Size 12-22 mm 1.5-3.0 mm (males)
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Carrion Feeders Parasites
Regions Europe Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Common Burying Beetle

A large orange-and-black beetle that buries small animal carcasses for its larvae. Uses chemical cues to locate corpses from great distances. Shows remarkable parental care with both parents tending larvae.

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Did You Know?

Can bury a dead mouse completely underground in just a few hours by excavating soil from beneath the carcass.

Halictid Stylops

A twisted-wing parasite that targets sweat bees in the family Halictidae. Parasitized bees show altered behavior and suppressed reproduction.

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Did You Know?

Parasitized bees are effectively castrated and their behavior changes so dramatically the phenomenon is called parasitic castration.