A burying beetle was seen for the first time by an observer in Tuntutuliak.
Observation by Roland White:
If it not had stung or bitten, I would not have seen it. First time we had seen this kind of beetle in this region. About the size of a horse fly, is black with orange designs on the back. Looking into beetles, I think it's a burying beetle family. Most likely a Nicrophorus orbicollis.
Comments from LEO editors:
The insect does indeed appear to be a species of burying beetle (genus Nicrophorus), identified by the orange markings on the wing cover. Burying beetles feed on carrion and also require carrion for successful reproduction. A mating pair of beetles will bury a carcass and preserve it with bodily secretions before laying their eggs inside of it. The preserved carcass provides a very nutrient-rich environment for the initial life stages of their hatched larvae. The eating and burying of carrion make these insects a very important ecological nutrient recycler. Burying beetles are found in bogs, forests, and grasslands with soil suitable for burying carcasses. Various species of burying beetles are found through out the US, Alaska, and Canada. Source: American Burying Beetle
In the summer of 2018, LEO received an observation about a burying beetle found on McDonald Spit, Alaska. Jessie Moan from the UAF Cooperative Extension consulted on the post and said that there are at least three species of Nicrophorus found throughout Alaska. She thought that the individual found on McDonald Spit was either N. defodiens or N. vespilloides. Elizabeth Lindley
