Common Burying Beetle vs Sharp's Rove Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Common Burying Beetle | Sharp's Rove Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nicrophorus vespillo | Philonthus sharpi |
| Order | Coleoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Silphidae | Staphylinidae |
| Size | 12-22 mm | 7-10 mm |
| Habitat | Underground | Woodlands |
| Diet | Carrion Feeders | Detritivores |
| Regions | Europe | Japan, Korea, Eastern China |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
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.
Did You Know?
Can bury a dead mouse completely underground in just a few hours by excavating soil from beneath the carcass.
Sharp's Rove Beetle
A medium-sized, metallic-sheened rove beetle named after the eminent coleopterist David Sharp. It is found in woodland and forest habitats where it hunts among leaf litter.
Did You Know?
Named after David Sharp, the Victorian entomologist who described over 3,000 staphylinid species and wrote the definitive 19th-century monograph on rove beetles.