Creophilus | |
---|---|
Creophilus variegatus from Peru. Male and female. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Family: | Staphylinidae |
Subfamily: | Staphylininae |
Genus: | Creophilus Leach, 1819 |
Creophilus is a genus of beetles of the Staphylinidae family, subfamily Staphylininae. It includes some of the largest rove beetle species, up to 30 mm long. Almost all species live primarily on carrion and feed on maggots, and so are of interest to forensic entomologists estimating the age of a corpse. [1] The European species C. maxillosus (Linnaeus, 1758) was described in the Systema Naturae , and has been widely studied, but some other species in the genus are little known. [1]
Creophilus was revised in 2011, and two new species described. Several others (C. insularis, C. villipennis and C. violaceus) were synonymised with C. flavipennis. [1]
Johan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is considered one of the most important entomologists of the 18th century, having named nearly 10,000 species of animals, and established the basis for the modern insect classification.
Pentatomidae is a family of insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, generally called shield bugs or stink bugs. Pentatomidae is the largest family in the superfamily Pentatomoidea, and contains around 900 genera and over 4700 species. As hemipterans, the pentatomids have piercing sucking mouthparts, and most are phytophagous, including several species which are severe pests on agricultural crops. However, some species, particularly in the subfamily Asopinae, are predatory and may be considered beneficial.
The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With over 66,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is the largest family in the beetle order, and one of the largest families of organisms. It is an ancient group, with fossilized rove beetles known from the Triassic, 200 million years ago, and possibly even earlier if the genus Leehermania proves to be a member of this family. They are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of beetles, and commonly encountered in terrestrial ecosystems.
Papilio is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae, as well as the only representative of the tribe Papilionini. The word papilio is Latin for butterfly.
Buprestis is a genus of beetles in the tribe Buprestini, the jewel beetles. As of 2011 there were 78 described species distributed across most of the world's biogeographic realms except parts of Africa and Antarctica.
The white-shouldered house moth is a species of gelechioid moth. It belongs to the subfamily Oecophorinae of the concealer moth family (Oecophoridae), just like the brown house moth. Though several presumed congeners of E. sarcitrella were described, its genus Endrosis is currently understood to be monotypic.
Chrysolina is a large genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Chrysomelinae. Most species are distributed in Europe, Asia and Africa with a small number of species inhabiting North America and introduced species in Australia.
Oecophora bractella is a species of gelechioid moth. It belongs to the subfamily Oecophorinae of the concealer moth family (Oecophoridae). As the type species of its genus Oecophora, its affiliations and phylogeny determine the delimitation of that family and subfamily.
Creophilus maxillosus, the hairy rove beetle, is a species of rove beetle.
Chrysomela is a genus of leaf beetles found almost throughout the world, but not in Australia. It contains around 40 species, including 7 in eastern and northern Europe. It also includes at least 17 species in North America, including the cottonwood leaf beetle Chrysomela scripta.
Paederus is a genus of small beetles of the family Staphylinidae. With 622 valid species assigned by 1987 to the subtribe Paederina, and with all but 148 within Paederus itself, the genus is large. Due to toxins in the hemolymph of some species within this genus, it has given its name to paederus dermatitis, a characteristic skin irritation that occurs if one of the insects is crushed against skin. That name, Paederus dermatitis, is a poor choice because, decades earlier, the affliction had been called dermatitis linearis, a name that works in all languages, not just English, because of its Latin origin; the name Paederus dermatitis is also inappropriate because it has shown to be caused by (a) only a few species of the genus Paederus, but (b) also a few species that belong to closely related genera within the subtribe Paederina. A scholarly paper in 2002 suggested that a Paederus species could have been responsible for some of the ten Plagues of Egypt described in the Bible's Book of Exodus.
Drusilla is a genus of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 2 described species in Drusilla.
Staphylinini is a tribe of large rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 20 genera and 120 described species in Staphylinini.
Ontholestes is a genus of large rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 20 described species in Ontholestes.
Phloeonomus is a genus of ocellate rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are about eight described species in Phloeonomus.
Creophilus oculatus or devil's coach horse is a species of large carrion-feeding rove beetle endemic to New Zealand.