Phosphuga

Phosphuga is a European genus of carrion beetle, whose sole member is the species Phosphuga atrata. The beetle is up to 15mm long and has an elongated neck, which is used to reach into snail shells, which it sprays with a digestive fluid. The beetle feeds on live snails, insects and earthworms, as well as on carrion. Newly-moulted beetles are brownish in color, older ones are black. The larvae are black and flattened and feed on snails as well. They pupate in the ground.

Phosphuga
young P. atrata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Silphidae
Subfamily:
Silphinae
Genus:
Phosphuga

Leach, 1817
Species:
P. atrata
Binomial name
Phosphuga atrata
Synonyms
  • Silpha atrata Linnaeus, 1758
  • Silpha punctata De Geer, 1774
  • Silpha paedemontana Fabricius, 1775
  • Silpha fusca Herbst, 1793
  • Phosphuga atrata subrotundata Leach, 1817
  • Silpha nitida Faldermann, 1835
  • Phosphuga cassidea Kraatz, 1876
  • Peltis subparalella Reitter, 1884
  • Peltis (Phosphuga) atrata var. rostrata Reitter, 1888
  • Silpha shakotana Kôno, 1929

Although they are widely distributed, they are seldom found, because they hunt at night and hide during the day, often under bark. When disturbed, they excrete a yellow fluid and retract their head under the shield.

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