Carrion beetle,Escravelho

Description:

Species description ■Head Black, anteriorly elongated into a small snout Black antennae, reaching pronotum posterior margin, their scapa as long as the next three following segments together ■Thorax Black pronotum, with hemispherically shaped anterior margin Elytra are completely black, with 3 carenas, rounded at their apical end. Black legs Specific variations 4 varieties have been defined: •Phosphuga atrata var. paedemontana Leach,1817 •Phosphuga atrata var. subrotundata Steph. •Phosphuga atrata var. nitida Fald. •Phosphuga atrata var. subparallela Reitt. •Phosphuga atrata var. rostrata Reitt. 2 subspecies are defined: •Phosphuga atrata ssp. subrotundata Leach,1817: specifical to Ireland, with a more cylindrical body and more hemisphaerical pronotum anterior margin •Phosphuga atrata ssp. atrata Leach,1817, which is the form observed in Continental Europe and Great Britain Sexual dimorphism The first 4 segments of males fore and mid tarsae are widened.

Habitat:

In the ecology section, it was showed that T. sinuatus F. was rare at high elevation. That can be generalized at European scale. This species is thus rare in Austria and missing from Andorra. It is widespread in the other parts of Continental Europe, including the mediterranean coastline. As the other carrion beetles, it is not distributed in mediterranean islands. In British Isles, T. sinuatus F. is recorded from Great Britain, but missing from whole Ireland. Feeding regime It is a necrophagous species. If the decomposition process is separated into 4 stages (fresh state, rippenning, active decomposition, advanced decomposition), T. sinuatus F. is observed at every of them. T. sinuatus F. is sometimes observed in birds nests, like Tengmalm's owl (Aegolius funereus L.), where it is attracted by dejections Ecological interactions Parasitism T. sinuatus F. is an intermediary host for Staphylocystis furcata Stieda[339], a shrew parasite, also found on other carrion beetles, Carabidae or Buprestidae. Ecology: bibliographical overwiew Habitats from which the species was recorded T. sinuatus F. is not extensively studied. It was observed in peatbogs Ecological data: regional trends Habitats T. sinuatus F. was mostly observed in grasslands. It misses from pastures, which may indicate a sensitivity to cattle presence. Hedgerows are colonized and secondarily woodlands.

Notes:

T. sinuatus F. is a widespread species. Therefore it is not protected. spotted in my backyard in a cat food feader