Black snail beetle
Phosphuga atrata
Its highly specialized, narrow head and neck allow it to reach deep inside snail shells to liquefy and consume the inhabitant.
- Scientific name
- Phosphuga atrata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Staphylinidae › Phosphuga
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Damp woodlands, deciduous forests, hedgerows, and parks under stones, leaf litter, and loose tree bark.
- Diet
- Carnivorous, feeding almost exclusively on snails and slugs by spraying them with digestive enzymes.
- Range
- Europe, Northern Asia, United Kingdom
- Size
- 10 to 15 mm in length
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Loss of damp woodland habitats, removal of dead wood and leaf litter, and widespread pesticide use.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. This beetle is defensive only when handled, releasing a foul-smelling digestive fluid. Observe them safely on the forest floor or under loose bark. If handled, wash hands with soap and water to remove any secretions.
Phosphuga atrata is a European carrion beetle that feeds on live snails, insects and earthworms, as well as on carrion. The beetle is up to 15mm long and has an elongated neck, which is used to reach into snail shells, which it sprays with a digestive fluid. Young beetles are brownish in color, older ones are black. The larvae are black and flattened and feed on snails as well. They pupate in the ground.
Photo: anonymous, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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