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Carrion beetle

Ptomaphila lacrymosa

Description:

Very flat (similar to some cockroaches) and about 24mm long. This species has tubercules on elytra. Black with tan colouring at margins. Beaded antennae with distinctive yellow tips.

Habitat:

This one was attracted to very bright night lights at a local used car yard.

Notes:

Apparently these rest by day in shaded places and become active at night. They seek out carrion by scent. To assist in their activities around a corpse they are gifted with a flexible abdomen. Described as 'vultures' of the beetle world it's a rotten job but something has to do it. Although they perform a grizzly task they represent no threat to human health. Thanks to Stephen Thorpe for identity. The same species seen 18 months earlier http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/807... ..and here they are in action on a rat corpse 8-) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KMSdjb0fvhA/Sb...

1 Species ID Suggestions

stho002
stho002 10 years ago
Carrion beetle
Ptomaphila lacrymosa


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11 Comments

bayucca
bayucca 10 years ago

Welcome, Mark! I always was a louzy football kicker, but I still have good eyes to kick you on and sometimes we need these additional challenges ;-)...

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 10 years ago

Thanks for kicking us on bayucca. Your 'inverts sense' is in good working order. :)

bayucca
bayucca 10 years ago

Good job, folks...

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 10 years ago

Thanks Lauren. Great work to get to Silphids. You got it in Flickr. I think I would have been bashing my head on a brick wall until I had more lumps than this beetle.

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Ptomaphilia lacrymosa Silphidae
://www.flickr.com/photos/25401497@N02/4528890945/lightbox/
http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/silphinae...

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Looks like this Silphid....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25401497@N0...

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 10 years ago

Uh oh... thanks so much Stephen. I was looking in all the wrong places. This should be a good read.

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Wow. Bayucca made me look closer too. Could it be one of those weird flat Silphids? The tarsi and antennae kind of fit.

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 10 years ago

Thanks bayucca. I will look at this again from square one. Leuba had one 18 months ago (when we were even greener) so we need to re-check old notes. Stay tuned...

bayucca
bayucca 10 years ago

Looking at yours and compare with Helea sp. I am a little bit confused. Not that I dare to challenge your ID from far away, but I am sceptic about the genus. I did not find any matching Lampyridae, that was my first sight guess...
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Pie-dish-...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/centralaust...
What do you think?

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Love these Tenebs! Great photos!

Mark Ridgway
Spotted by
Mark Ridgway

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Spotted on Sep 2, 2013
Submitted on Sep 3, 2013

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