Burying beetles or sexton beetles, genus Nicrophorus, are the best-known members of the family Silphidae. Most of these beetles are black with red markings on the elytra (forewings). Burying beetles are true to their name—they bury the carcasses of small vertebrates such as birds and rodents as a food source for their larvae. They are unusual among insects in that both the male and female parents take care of the brood. They are carnivores.
Nicrophorinae is a subfamily of burying beetles or carrion beetles.
Nicrophorus apo is a species of burying beetle found in Mindanao in the Philippines. The species was first described scientifically by Ross H. Arnett, Jr. in 1950, and is named after Mount Apo.
Nicrophorus argutor is a species of burying beetle found in Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.
Nicrophorus investigator is a burying beetle described by Swedish naturalist Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1824.
Nicrophorus germanicus is a burying beetle described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Males are larger than females and can reach a body length of 27 mm.
Nicrophorus nepalensisHope,, commonly known as burying beetle, is widespread across tropical and subtropical countries in Asia. It belongs to the order Coleoptera and the family Silphidae, and is part of the nepalensis species-group, which is the second largest species group within the genus Nicrophorus. N. nepalensis differs from some other beetles in that it exhibits biparental care. Its role as a decomposer is crucial in the energy cycle and energy transformation in the ecosystem.
Nicrophorus vespillo is a burying beetle described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is has a paleartic distribution and is commonly found across Europe and Asia, extending from Western Europe to Mongolia.
Nicrophorus carolina is a burying beetle described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. Its specific name has commonly been misspelled as carolinus.
Nicrophorus chilensis is a burying beetle described by Philippi in 1871.
Nicrophorus concolor is a burying beetle described by Kraatz in 1877.
Nicrophorus defodiens is a burying beetle described by Mannerheim in 1846.
Nicrophorus satanas is a burying beetle described by Edmund Reitter in 1893.
Nicrophorus przewalskii is a burying beetle described by Semenov-Tian-Shanskij in 1894.
Nicrophorus pliozaenicus is an extinct species of burying beetle described by Erasmus Gersdorf in 1969.
Nicrophorus marginatus is a burying beetle described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1801.
Nicrophorus lunatus is a burying beetle described by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim in 1842.
Nicrophorus cadaverinus is not currently a valid species name, although the name has been applied independently to three different Nicrophorus species, each of which had already been described an alternate name:
Nicrophorus chryseus may be a species of burying beetle described by Mazokhin-Porshnyakov in 1953. It is not yet verified that this species is unique from other species of Nicrophorus.
Nicrophorus funerarius may be a species of burying beetle described by Weigel in 1808. It is not yet verified that this species is unique from other species of Nicrophorus.
