About Silpha atrata Linnaeus, 1758
Phosphuga is a European genus of carrion beetle, with only one known member species: Phosphuga atrata, also called Silpha atrata Linnaeus, 1758. Adult beetles of this species grow up to 15 mm long, and have an elongated neck they use to reach inside snail shells, where they spray a digestive fluid onto their prey. This beetle feeds on live snails, insects, and earthworms, in addition to carrion. Newly moulted adult beetles are brownish in color, while older adults are black. The species' larvae are black and flattened, and also feed on snails; larvae pupate underground. Adult Phosphuga atrata are flightless, and lack flight muscles. Though this species is widely distributed, it is seldom encountered, because it hunts at night and hides during the day, most often under bark. When disturbed, individuals excrete a yellow fluid and retract their head under their thoracic shield. The known range of this species includes Europe (including the UK), European Russia, Siberia, the Russian Far East, the Kuril Islands, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, North and South Korea, Japan, Kashmir (India), and Heilongjiang and other regions of China; it has also been introduced to Iceland.
