Nicrophorus vespilloides (Herbst, 1783)
This is a large and brightly coloured insect and one of four species that are very similarly marked. N. vespilloides is the only one to have all black antennae. Being one of the burying beetles, its diet is carrion which it buries in the ground to provide a food source for the young once they hatch. Burying is usually done by both male and female, excavating underneath the corpse and covering it with the resulting soil. Eggs are then laid in a chamber by the female.
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Nottinghamshire (VC56) distribution of Nicrophorus vespilloides
 
 
 
 
The records for the Nottinghamshire distribution map are currently provided by the following contributors - Trevor and Dilys Pendleton. Martin Warne. M L Denton (2002 Sherwood Forest Coleoptera survey). Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Pauline Bradford. Michael Walker. Stuart Warrington. The National Trust (Clumber Park invertebrate records). NBGRC. Natural England - Birklands and Bilhaugh SSSI & Birklands West and Ollerton Corner SSSI, Nottinghamshire Saproxylic invertebrate survey, Natural England Field Unit, April-October 2018. David Shaw. Clumber Park SSSI Saproxylic Invertebrate Survey - A report to Natural England by EMEC Ecology 2019. Tom Shields. Brian Wetton.

You can contribute your own records to help us gain an accurate status of this species in Nottinghamshire. Send an Excel spreadsheet of your records via the 'contact us' link at the top of the homepage.

Updated November 2022
copyright © Trevor and Dilys Pendleton (www.eakringbirds.com) . .
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