Necrophila americana (Linnaeus, 1758)

Mullins, Patricia L., Riley, Edward G. & Oswald, John D., 2013, Identification, distribution, and adult phenology of the carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Texas, Zootaxa 3666 (2), pp. 221-251 : 225-226

Necrophila americana (Linnaeus, 1758)

Figs. 3 , 18 , 31 , 44

Silpha americana Linnaeus 1758: 360 (see Peck and Miller (1993) for synonymy).

Diagnosis. Body length 20–25 mm, broadly oval, brown to black, pronotum yellow with large median black macula, elytra black with faint “gun metal” luster. Head with small eyes, short row of long erect hairs present behind each eye. Pronotum widest at base, disc without pubescence. Elytra with apices conjointly rounded to projecting medially; disc weakly tricostate, intervals uniformly rugose; epipleuron broad and horizontal, with distinct aeneous luster and short golden hairs. Hind femur of male unmodified.

Range. Nova Scotia south to Florida, west to Manitoba and Texas (Anderson & Peck 1985, Peck & Kaulbars 1987).

Texas distribution. See Fig. 44 . This species is almost entirely confined to the Texan and Austroriparian biotic provinces of eastern Texas, with a single record from the Kansan province (Motley County in the Texas Panhandle). It occurs in the following Texas vegetational areas: pineywoods, gulf prairies and marshes, post oak savannah, blackland prairies, cross timbers and prairies, and rolling plains. Confirmed counties (21): Anderson, Brazos, Cass, Cherokee, Denton, Fort Bend, Houston, Jasper, Lamar, Leon, Montgomery, Motley, Nacogdoches, Panola, Polk, Sabine, San Jacinto, Tyler, Walker, Wharton, Wood. Collections: EGRC, JAC, PLM, SFAC, SHSU, TAMU, TTU, UTIC.

Seasonality in Texas. See Fig. 31 . Adults of this species have been collected in Texas in almost every month of the year. The adult seasonality profile of this species (based on 99 occurrence records: Appendix I) is weakly bimodal, with a large peak in the spring and a much lower peak in the fall.

Biological Notes. Anderson and Peck (1985) report that adults are mainly diurnal and found largely in mesic, open and forested areas. This species is typically found in woodland areas in Kansas (Lingafelter 1995).

Data from examined labels. Collecting methods: UV light trap, pit-fall trap, hanging carrion trap, carrion trap, bait trap, Malaise trap, flight intercept trap, ground level flight intercept trap. Habitat records: Equisetum bog [Malaise], pine [Malaise], pine forest [Malaise], grassland [Malaise], pine/hardwood forest [flight intercept trap], beech–magnolia [flight intercept trap], on flowers, Quercus lyrata swamp eating tree sap. Carrion records: gar, armadillo, opossum, deer, tiger [dead zoo specimen], shad, snake, turtle, cat and chicken. This species is found in the humid eastern pine and hardwood forest areas of Texas, which agrees with Anderson and Peck (1985). Cole (1942), Schubeck (1969, 1983), Anderson (1982), and Watson and Carlton (2005) provide details on the natural history of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Details of Texas Silphidae. 1. Nicrophorus pustulatus, presence of epistomal suture; 2. Nicrophorinae, antenna; 3. Necrophila americana, absence of epistomal suture; 4. Silphinae, antenna; 5. Necrodes surinamensis, pronotum; 6. Oiceoptoma inaequale, pronotum.

FIGURES 18 – 23. Habitus of Texas Silphidae. 18, Necrophila americana; 19, Necrodes surinamensis; 20, Oiceoptoma inaequale; 21, O. noveboracense; 22, O. rugulosum; 23, Thanatophilus truncatus. All scale bars = 10 mm.

FIGURES 31 – 36. Adult seasonality profiles based on occurrence records for Texas Silphidae, Silphinae. 31, Necrophila americana; 32, Necrodes surinamensis; 33, Oiceoptoma inaequale; 34, O. noveboracense; 35, O. rugulosum; 36, Thanatophilus truncatus. For an explanation of occurrence record calculations, see Methods.

FIGURES 44 – 49. Distribution maps for Texas Silphidae, Silphinae. 44, Necrophila americana; 45, Necrodes surinamensis; 46, Oiceoptoma inaequale; 47, O. noveboracense; 48, O. rugulosum; 49, Thanatophilus truncatus.