This jet black species, which is often known as the "cellar
beetle", is most often found in, you guessed it, cellars but also
outhouses and stables. The beetle pictured above is one of three species
found in the British Isles. It might be easily mistaken for a ground
beetle but it has none of the sensory bristles which are found on the
ground beetles and a further distinction is that the hind feet have
only four segments. Ground beetles have five segments on each foot.
Both adult and larval churchyard beetles feed on decaying vegetable
material which they find on their nocturnal ramblings.
As with most of the family the wing cases are fused
together because there are no longer any wings to protect, so the elytra
protect the body instead. If the beetle is alarmed or disturbed it emits
a foul smell as a defensive measure.
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