Nicrophorus interruptus Stephens, 1830

A very widespread Palaearctic species extending from Europe and North Africa (Algeria & Morocco) to Iran, Turkey and Caucasia to Eastern Siberia and parts of Western China. The species occurs throughout Europe from lowlands to middle mountain altitudes (recorded above 1600 m in Turkey) from Portugal to Greece, including many of the Mediterranean islands, and north to the UK, Denmark and a few southern provinces of Norway and Sweden; it is generally common in southern and central regions but otherwise rather local. In the UK it is locally common in south eastern England but otherwise very local and scarce in the West Country, Wales and further north to the Scottish border, where it is likely to have suffered a recent decline. The species is often recorded from open sites on light sandy or chalky soils but more generally it may occur at carrion in almost any situation from woodland, parkland, moorland and coastal dunes to shaded woodland and wetland margins. Adults occur throughout the year although they breed later than most members of the genus, usually in late summer, and the main overwintering stage is the pre-pupa; they are active from May until September or October and peak in abundance during July or August. Adults are strongly attracted to carrion, and upon arrival a single male or female will defend it against others of the same sex until a suitable partner arrives, at which time they will mate and begin to bury the host material. If necessary they will remove parts of the carcass before crawling beneath it and excavating until it is buried, they will then form it into a food ball by removing fur or feathers and molding it into a ball before spreading preserving excretions across the surface. The female will then lay eggs, either on top of the food ball or in the soil nearby, and both adults will remain until the larvae emerge and make their way to the host material. Although older larvae are able to feed directly they rarely do so, instead they are fed regurgitated fluids by the adults who will remain to feed and protect them from predators through all three instars. In the absence of adults many, if not all, the larvae will die off in the first instar. Pupation occurs within the brood chamber and at this time the adults will either die-off or leave. In the present species the pre-pupal stage generally overwinters and pupation occurs in the spring. Adults are mostly nocturnal although they will sometimes arrive at carrion during the day and remain beneath until the evening when mating or burying commences, they are strong fliers and are attracted to light traps, and as well as carrion they sometimes occur in decaying fungi or other putrescent material. By far the best way to record the species is by using carrion-baited traps and here the use of fish or decaying chicken has often been successful, they may also be attracted to various types of dung, though not herbivore dung, e.g. we found the species at night among fox droppings in a shaded woodland in South Buckinghamshire during August 2018.