Nicrophorus satanas is a burying beetle

Burying beetle

Burying beetles or sexton beetles are the best-known members of the family Silphidae . Burying beetles are true to their name. Most of these beetles are black with red markings on the elytra . They bury the carcasses of small vertebrates such as birds and rodents as a food source for their larvae...

 described by Edmund Reitter

Edmund Reitter

Edmund Reitter was a Austrian entomologist , writer and a collector.Edmund Reitter was above all well-known as an expert on the beetles of the Palaearctic....

 in 1893.

General Characteristics

Nicrophorus satanas is a burying beetle commonly found in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

. They can measure between 2.5 - 3.8 cm. They have thick bodies with red markings on them.

Relatives

Nicrophorus satanas has relatives in the same genus which include:Nicrophorus germanicus

Nicrophorus germanicus

Nicrophorus germanicus is a burying beetle described by Linnaeus in 1758.-References:http://collections2.eeb.uconn.edu/nicroweb/PDFs/Sikes_et_al_2002.pdf...

, Nicrophorus vespilloides

Nicrophorus vespilloides

Nicrophorus vespilloides is a burying beetle described by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1783.Besides the many interesting behaviors this beetle exhibits, it is of interest because in North America it is restricted to Sphagnum bogs and marshes, whereas in Europe and throughout the Palearctic it...

, Nicrophorus americanus

Nicrophorus americanus

Nicrophorus americanus, also known as the American burying beetle or giant carrion beetle, is a critically endangered species of beetle endemic to North America. It belongs to the order Coleoptera and the family Silphidae. The carrion beetle in North America is carnivorous, feeds on carrion and...

, Nicrophorus orbicollis

Nicrophorus orbicollis

Nicrophorus orbicollis is a nearctic burying beetle first described by Thomas Say in 1825. It is a member of the genus Nicrophorus or sexton beetles, comprising the most common beetles in the family Silphidae. This species is a decomposer feeding on carcasses of small dead animals. N...

, Nicrophorus tomentosus

Nicrophorus tomentosus

Gold-necked carrion beetle, Nicrophorus tomentosus, is a species of burying beetle that was described by Friedrich Weber in 1801. The beetle belongs to the Silphidae family whom are carrion beetles. The beetles have sensitive antennae that contain olfactory organs. Thus, the beetle can locate dead...

, Nicrophorus sayi

Nicrophorus sayi

Nicrophorus sayi is a burying beetle described by Laporte in 1840.-References:http://collections2.eeb.uconn.edu/nicroweb/PDFs/Sikes_et_al_2002.pdf...

, Nicrophorus pustulatus

Nicrophorus pustulatus

Nicrophorus pustulatus is a burying beetle described by John Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1807.-References:http://collections2.eeb.uconn.edu/nicroweb/PDFs/Sikes_et_al_2002.pdf...

, Nicrophorus marginatus

Nicrophorus marginatus

For the species misidentified by Gistel in 1857 and declared a new species under the name Nicrophorus marginatus, but later corrected, see Nicrophorus tomentosusNicrophorus marginatus is a burying beetle described by Fabricius in 1801....

, Nicrophorus obscurus

Nicrophorus obscurus

Nicrophorus obscurus is a burying beetle described by William Kirby in 1837.-References:http://collections2.eeb.uconn.edu/nicroweb/PDFs/Sikes_et_al_2002.pdf...

, and Nicrophorus defodiens

Nicrophorus defodiens

Nicrophorus defodiens is a burying beetle described by Mannerheim in 1846.-References:http://collections2.eeb.uconn.edu/nicroweb/PDFs/Sikes_et_al_2002.pdf...

.