Image of Necrophorus vespilloides

Description:

Slo.: (?) grobar - Habitat: A small opening in mixed, old predominantly Picea abies mountain forest, calcareous ground, almost flat terrain, quite humid place, half-shade, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 2-4 deg C, elevation 1.380 m (4.500 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Comment: Three beetles found around a fox (?) excrement. On some pictures one can see mites Poecilochirus necrophori, which are not parasites but live in symbiosis with the beetle. This is a very interesting beetle. Read references! - Ref.: (1) http://www.kerbtier.de/cgi-bin/enFSearch.cgi?Fam=Silphidae (2) http://www.natur-lexikon.com/Texte/MZ/001/00078-Totengraeber/MZ00078-Totengraeber.html (3) http://www.natur-in-nrw.de/HTML/Tiere/Insekten/Kaefer/Staphylinoidea/TK-3091.html