Creophilus erythrocephalus at Brogo, NSW

Devil's coach horse at Brogo, NSW

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Identification history

	Creophilus erythrocephalus	11 Dec 2018	RogerF
	Creophilus erythrocephalus	11 Dec 2018	MaxCampbell

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Author's notes

My ID suggestion ref: "Insects of south eastern Australia" (Roger Farrow). Photo and description on page 213. This beetle must have been attracted in to the house lights. After I had taken a few photos, I opened the door and it unfurled it's wings and flew strongly outside

2 comments

RogerF wrote:

12 Dec 2018

Its also attracted to the odour from rotting meat in compost bins (that is if you put meat scraps there) where it feeds on fly maggots

MaxCampbell wrote:

12 Dec 2018

Hi Roger - Jackie's away on botanical field work this week, so I'm certainly not admitting to maggots in the compost bucket! - but seriously - I did read your notes on the feeding proclivity of this species and could not come up with any in house source of rotting meat. I noticed the beetle on Monday morning wandering around on the floor; I think it must have come in to the lights. It did raise its abdomen a couple of times (like it's English namesake) while I followed it around with my lens, but emitted no foul odour. that I could discern. The neat little portmanteau like elytra and furled wings system seems to work very well. When I offered it an open door, it flew straight out with considerable dispatch and a minimum of fuss.

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