Beetle, American Burying

                                                     

Beetle, American Burying
Species:Nicrophorus Americanus              Federal Listing: Endangered; July 13, 1989              Status:Declining

This interesting insect feeds primarily on carrion. Dead bodies of small vertebrates are buried by the beetles and later serve as food for hatching larvae. The young beetles receive a great deal of parental care, which is critical for their survival.

Controversy has surrounded the American burying beetle since its listing as an endangered species. Its decline has been attributed to a variety of factors, including disappearance of old-growth deciduous forests, rural electrification, decreasing populations of the small mammals and birds necessary for successful rearing of its larvae, and competition with vertebrate scavengers for these theories. Many argue the beetle is much more widespread than recent studies suggest.

These large, black-and-orange beetles were once found in 32 states and Canada but are now known only in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Rhode Island. Specimens have been documented in nine Arkansas counties, with the largest numbers in Fort Chaffee and the Ouachita National Forest. Fire, flooding, pesticide applications and changing agricultural practices threaten the species.

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