Nicrophorus americanus

Nicrophorus americanus
adult female

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Staphyliniformia
Family: Silphidae
Genus: Nicrophorus
Species:
N. americanus
Binomial name
Nicrophorus americanus
(Olivier, 1790)
Synonyms
  • Silpha (Nicrophorus) orientalis Herbst, 1784 (Unav.)
  • Necrophorus [sic] grandis Fabricius, 1792
  • Nicrophorus virginicus Frölich, 1792

Nicrophorus americanus, also known as the American burying beetle or giant carrion beetle, is a critically endangered species of beetle endemic to North America. It belongs to the order Coleoptera and the family Silphidae. The carrion beetle in North America is carnivorous, feeds on carrion and requires carrion to breed. It is also a member of one of the few genera of beetle to exhibit parental care. The decline of the American burying beetle has been attributed to habitat loss, alteration, and degradation, and they now occur in less than 10% of their historic range.