Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Creophilus erythrocephalus

Devil's Coach-horse

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult	81KB
Image:	Detail of head and mouthparts	65KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Devil's Coach-horse, Red-headed Beetle

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group (RR only); N.Group - absent; Land, under dead mammals

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Biocontrol of maggots

KEY FEATURES: Black bettle with orange head, to xxBL. HEAD orange with black eyes and black spot on forehead; jaws slender and long. THORAX wingcovers short, wings typically hidden. ABDOMEN black, segmented. LEGS black.

Enlarged Image of 'Creophilus erythrocephalus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Creophilus erythrocephalus
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Coleoptera; STAPHYLINIDAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Feeds on maggots associated with dead mammals.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: 3 specimens+photo, 8/2003, under dead mammal, Coll.+ID Maja Poeschko.

References:
Special Reference: Insects of Australia, p.624.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB03b, zM03b, zD03b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List