[NatureNS] Strange beetle

References: <6.2.1.2.0.20060829195217.01e4c900@pop1.ns.sympatico.ca> <44F57EE1.2090300@glinx.com> <C4CE98CB-409D-4243-AEE6-087AA1CF4A1E@ns.sympatico.ca> <6.2.1.2.0.20060901232246.01e2a8b8@pop1.ns.sympatico.ca> <23D10FBD-7EA2-459C-AF71-236FD612483B@ns.sympatico.ca> <44F9832D.5000601@glinx.com> <007a01c6cfa8$3ec5e5d0$baa2e018@KenMacAulay>
From: Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 14:16:31 -0300
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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Hi Ken,

On 3-Sep-06, at 7:28 PM, Ken MacAulay wrote:

> Last Evening I saw a beetle I'd never seen before fly to my screen  
> door persistently (must have liked the smell of supper cooking).   
> It was black with two orange marks on its carapace but when flying  
> its abdomen was yellow & black like an elongated bee.  I have  
> tentatively identified it as nicrophorus sayi, red & black beetle,  
> from the bug guide site. http://bugguide.net/node/view/51096
> When I examined it closely, it appeared to have dozens of tiny  
> light brown mites crawling on it, mostly on the underside.  Would  
> these be parasites or does it carry its young in this manner?  The  
> specimen picture on the Bugguide site actually appears  to have a  
> similar "mite" just behind its head.  Can anybody advise how common  
> these are and whether it was carrying babies?  It finally got by  
> our screen door and in to the house, but was quickly ejected to the  
> screams of my wife and her visiting sister!
> Chris, any comments.
> Ken MacAulay
> Port Mouton, NS

The creatures on the Nicrophorus beetle (there are seven species of  
Nicrophorus in Nova Scotia including N. sayi)  are not young beetles  
(I don't believe there are any beetles which carry their young in  
this fashion), or parasites, but rather are so-called "phoretic"  
mites. Thy may well be mesostigmatids and - going way out on a limb -  
they might be in the family Macrochelidae.

This functional group of mites (phoresy indicating transportation of  
one organism by another) are actually engaged in a symbiotic  
relationship with carrion beetles. The mites are specialized  
predators on fly eggs. The carrion beetles find decomposing material  
using specialized chemoreceptors on their antennae. Antennal segments  
8-11 are expanded and the surfaces of these are covered with such  
chemoreceptors. The mites are simply hitching a ride on the beetles.

As soon as the beetles find carrion and land, the phoretic mites  
disembark and begin to seek out and eat fly eggs. This is of great  
assistance to the beetles who "bury" their food source (they are also  
called  "sexton" or "burying" beetles) on which they lay their own  
eggs. Fly larvae are their major competitors and the phoretic mites  
are their allies in reducing the number of maggots.

Cheers!

Chris
_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. 
_.
Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada  B3H 3A6
(902) 424-6435   Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. 
_.


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<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Ken,<DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On =
3-Sep-06, at 7:28 PM, Ken MacAulay wrote:</DIV><BR =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Last Evening I saw a beetle I'd never seen before =
fly to my screen door persistently (must have liked the smell of supper =
cooking).<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>It was black =
with two orange marks on its carapace but when flying its abdomen was =
yellow &amp; black like an elongated bee.<SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>I have tentatively identified =
it as nicrophorus sayi, red &amp; black beetle, from the bug guide site. =
<A =
href=3D"http://bugguide.net/node/view/51096">http://bugguide.net/node/view=
/51096</A></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">When I examined it closely, it =
appeared to have dozens of tiny light brown mites crawling on it, mostly =
on the underside.<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Would =
these be parasites or does it carry its young in this manner?<SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>The specimen picture on the =
Bugguide site actually appears<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 =
</SPAN>to have a similar "mite" just behind its head.<SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Can anybody advise how common =
these are and whether it was carrying babies?<SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>It finally got by our screen =
door and in to the house, but was quickly ejected to the screams of my =
wife and her visiting sister!</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Chris, any =
comments.</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Ken MacAulay</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Port Mouton, NS<SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0</SPAN></DIV> =
</BLOCKQUOTE><BR></DIV><DIV><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span">The =
creatures on the <I>Nicrophorus</I> beetle (there are seven species of =
<I>Nicrophorus</I> in Nova Scotia including <I>N. sayi</I>)=A0 are not =
young beetles (I=A0don't believe there are any beetles which carry their =
young in this=A0fashion), or parasites, but rather are so-called =
"phoretic" mites. Thy may well be mesostigmatids and - going way out on =
a limb - they=A0might be in the family =
Macrochelidae.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR></DIV><DIV>This functional group of =
mites (phoresy indicating=A0transportation of one organism by another) =
are actually engaged in a=A0symbiotic relationship with carrion beetles. =
The mites are specialized=A0predators on fly eggs. The carrion beetles =
find decomposing material=A0using specialized chemoreceptors on their =
antennae. Antennal=A0segments 8-11 are expanded and the surfaces of =
these are covered with=