Necrophila americana
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The American carrion beetle (Necrophila americana, formerly Silpha americana) is a North American beetle of the family Silphidae. It lays its eggs in, and its larvae consume, raw flesh (particularly that of dead animals) and fungi. The larvae and adults also consume fly larvae and the larvae of other carrion beetles that compete for the same food sources as their larvae. They prefer to live in marshy and woody habitats. Necrophila americana emerge from their larval state in the early summer. A cuckoo bumble bee, Bombus ashtoni, displays close mimicry with the American carrion beetle. They are important in forensic studies because of their tendency to thrive on large carcasses.
Necrophila americana are distinctive in that they have a relatively large, broadly rounded, and flattened body with a yellow pronotum. It is the only North American silphid with a mostly yellow pronotum, and it is the only species of Necrophila found in North America, as all other species are found in Asia. There is sexual dimorphism, with the males having rounded elytral apices and females having their apices more prolonged. They typically range from 12 to 22 millimeters long. The larvae can... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Carrion Beetle sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 396th most-seen of the 978 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Carrion Beetle in Chicago on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Carrion Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate American Carrion Beetle sightings, Chicago ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Washington (United States, about 10%), Baltimore (United States, about 10%) and Montreal (Canada, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Carrion Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (22 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
