Creophilus maxillosus (Linnaeus)

Aballay, Fernando H., Chani-Posse, Mariana R., Ayón, María Rosana, Maldonado, María Belén & Centeno, Néstor D., 2014, An illustrated key to and diagnoses of the species of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) associated with decaying carcasses in Argentina, Zootaxa 3860 (2), pp. 101-124 : 113

Creophilus maxillosus (Linnaeus)

( Figs. 10 , 41 )

Diagnosis (only referred to general habitus, modified from Clarke 2011). Creophilus maxillosus can be distinguished by the following characters: antennal segments 1–6 brownish-black, 7–11 greyish-black; apex of antennal segment 11 slightly to moderately emarginate medially; pronotum moderately to distinctly narrowed posteriorly, hind angles indistinct; integument, including elytra, uniformly black; vestiture on hind margins of head, anterior pronotal declivities, and pterothorax mostly black; elytra with white vestiture arranged into welldemarcated (but variable) central transverse fascia; vestiture on dorsal surface of abdomen white, arranged into definite pattern, concentrated on terga 5 and 6, with 7–10 usually partly whitish. Creophilus maxillosus is distinct from all other Creophilus species due to the definite whitish-grey elytral fascia, and dorsal pattern of body vestiture. Length 13.0– 18.5 mm.

Distribution. Widespread throughout the northern hemisphere; apparently absent from austral regions (except as adventive), South East Asia, and the East Indies ( Clarke 2011).

Bionomics. Creophilus maxillosus is probably the best-studied rove beetle species ( Clarke 2011). The most complete list of literature on this species is given by Herman (2001) and updated by Clarke (2011). It has been found on carrion of all kinds where adults feed on maggots, in various kinds of both natural and synanthropic habitats ( Newton et al. 2000). In the “area of Cuyo ( Argentina)” it was mostly found in natural habitats (Aballay, pers. com.). According to Clarke (2011) who has summarized the extensive information on this species from the forensic literature, adults of Creophilus maxillosus arrive early at a carcass during the ‘bloat’ and ‘decay’ stages, remaining there up to 13 days post-mortem (see also Matuszewski et al. 2010; Matuszewski 2012; Prado e Castro et al. 2013; Dekeirsschieter et al. 2013). Matuszewski (2012) has recently proposed this species to estimate an interval preceding its appearance on a cadaver, called the preappearance interval (PAI).

Figures

FIGURE 1 – 12. Habitus: 1, Atheta sp.; 2, Aleochara bonariensis Lynch; 3, A. puberula Klug; 4, A. signaticollis Fairmaire; 5, Anotylus Thomson; 6, Eulissus chalybaeus Mannerheim; 7, Neohypnus sp.; 8, Platydracus chrysotrichopterus Scheerpeltz; 9, Platydracus scabrosus (Curtis); 10; Creophilus maxillosus (Linnaeus); 11. Creophilus variegatus Mannerheim; 12, Belonuchus rufipennis (Fabricius).

FIGURE 33 – 41. Prosternum: 33, Eulissus chalybaeus; 34, Creophilus maxillosus; 35, Anotylus sp; 40, Platydracus chrysotrichopterus, 41, Creophilus maxillosus. Pronotal hypomeron: 36, Philonthus longicornis; 37, Oligotergus ogloblini. Ligula: 38, Creophilus maxillosus; 39, Xenopygus analis. Abbreviations: Lg, ligula; IL, inferior line; Pp, plate of pronotum; SL, superior line.