next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects ------=_Part_1924_22250197.1219928692835 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline 2008/8/26 David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com> > Dear All, Aug 26, 2008 > Today while hauling firewood, I found a large attractive Carrion Beetle > (Necrophila americana (L)) in a pile of Populus grandidentata that was cut, > split and piled in 2007. It was quite at ease with having been exposed, > sitting with antennae splayed foreward and not moving at all and remained > equally calm when I moved it to a post top. More than 5 minutes later it > moved away and presumably flew. > Most predators require movement of their prey to initiate an attach (hence your mother telling you never to run from a threatening dog). That carrion beetle was not very likely "at ease with having been exposed", rather it was likely "scared poopless" (I figure that term will get past the filters!) for fear of being detected. Of course both descriptions assign emotion to an insect that likely has none. > I have previously seen this species only once, on freshly split dead > Populus tremuloides (Sept 24, 2004) about 150 paces SE. This is a relatively common carrion beetle, somewhat more so in open habitats, but found in the forests as well. An image can be found at http://bugguide.net/images/raw/LZELQZELRZ9L7ZRH0RRH0R9LMRYZ0RHH7ZRH2RQHERYZSRRHERVLYLDZYL9LRZDL7ZCLIZTLMZ.jpg > And on Aug 17, 2008 I found *Nicrophorus pustulatus* Herschel (another > large Barrion Beetle) in a nearby pile of White Ash firewood that was cut > live Jan 2008. Now this one is uncommonly caught, though I'm not so sure it's because of rarity. My student's work this summer found it four times more often in hemlock dominated woods compared with deciduous woods. Most who catch it do so at lights. By the way, there's an interesting slip-of-the-keyboard above..."Barrion Beetle". Although *Ni. pustulatus* is a Carrion Beetle, more specifically, it is a Burying Beetle. > Like gold and everything else, Carrion Beetles are where you find them but > I wonder if they are there as hunters or for shelter. > *Ne. americana* is diurnal, *Ni. pustulatus* is nocturnal, so where you found the latter is more likely to be its shelter. Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. ------=_Part_1924_22250197.1219928692835 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline <div dir="ltr"><br><br> <div class="gmail_quote">2008/8/26 David & Alison Webster <span dir="ltr"><dwebster@glinx.com></span><br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Dear All, Aug 26, 2008<br> Today while hauling firewood, I found a large attractive Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana (L)) in a pile of Populus grandidentata that was cut, split and piled in 2007. It was quite at ease with having been exposed, sitting with antennae splayed foreward and not moving at all and remained equally calm when I moved it to a post top. More than 5 minutes later it moved away and presumably flew.<br> </blockquote> <div> </div> <div>Most predators require movement of their prey to initiate an attach (hence your mother telling you never to run from a threatening dog). That carrion beetle was not very likely "at ease with having been exposed", rather it was likely "scared poopless" (I figure that term will get past the filters!) for fear of being detected. Of course both descriptions assign emotion to an insect that likely has none.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"> I have previously seen this species only once, on freshly split dead Populus tremuloides (Sept 24, 2004) about 150 paces SE.</blockquote> <div> </div> <div> <div> </div> <div>This is a relatively common carrion beetle, somewhat more so in open habitats, but found in the forests as well. An image can be found at http://bugguide.net/images/raw/LZELQZELRZ9L7ZRH0RRH0R9LMRYZ0RHH7ZRH2RQHERYZSRRHERVLYLDZYL9LRZDL7ZCLIZTLMZ.jpg</div> <div> </div></div> <div> </div> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">And on Aug 17, 2008 I found <em>Nicrophorus pustulatus</em> Herschel (another large Barrion Beetle) in a nearby pile of White Ash firewood that was cut live Jan 2008.</blockquote> <div> </div> <div>Now this one is uncommonly caught, though I'm not so sure it's because of rarity. My student's work this summer found it four times more often in hemlock dominated woods compared with deciduous woods. Most who catch it do so at lights. By the way, there's an interesting slip-of-the-keyboard above..."Barrion Beetle". Although <em>Ni. pustulatus</em> is a Carrion Beetle, more specifically, it is a Burying Beetle.</div> <div> </div> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Like gold and everything else, Carrion Beetles are where you find them but I wonder if they are there as hunters or for shelter.<br> </blockquote> <div><em>Ne. americana</em> is diurnal, <em>Ni. pustulatus</em> is nocturnal, so where you found the latter is more likely to be its shelter.</div> <div> </div></div>Randy<br>_________________________________<br>RF Lauff<br>Way in the boonies of<br>Antigonish County, NS.<br></div> ------=_Part_1924_22250197.1219928692835--
next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects