Cercyon (Cercyon) nigriceps, is a species of water scavenger beetle with cosmopolitan distribution from Palaearctic, Nearctic, Afrotropical, Oriental and Neotropical regional countries.
Description Body oval with slightly convex and shiny dorsum without microsculpture. Head is black whereas clypeus is linear, and truncate anteriorly. Head and pronotum with fine and dense punctuations. Maxillary palpi are yellowish to brownish yellow in color with darker ultimate segment. Antennae yellowish to brownish. Pronotum transverse and brownish, where the anterior side and lateral margins are brownish yellow or yellow. Scutellum brownish, with very finely and sparsely punctuations. Elytra yellow or brownish yellow in color with nine complete deep and one short punctate stria. Elytal intervals are shallow and with fine, regular punctations. Ventrum dark brown or black. Proventrite is tectiform, and finely carinate medially. Epipleura is flat, and horizontal. Metasternal pentagon is flat, and shiny, with very dense shallow punctuations. Legs are yellowish or brownish yellow with much paler tarsi.
Adults are frequently found from horse dung, cow dung and other mammalian excreta as well as in rotting plants.
Distribution It is found in following countries: Austria, Azores, Belarus, Britain, Canary Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Madeira, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine, Canada, USA, Jamaica, Lesser Antilles (Tobago), Panama, Paraguay, Argentina, Botswana, Gambia, Madagascar, Mascarene islands, Namibia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines.
Synonyms Due to the large geographical range and difficulty in identification, several taxonomical descriptions and revisions have been recorded.
Dermestes nigriceps Marsham, 1802 Sphaeridium melanocephalus var. nigriceps Marsham, 1802 Dermestes atricapillus Marsham, 1802 Dermestes melanocephalus var. atricapillus (Marsham, 1802) Cercyon atricapillum (Marsham, 1802) Cercyon nigriceps var. atricapillum (Marsham, 1802) Dermestes laevis Marsham, 1802 Cercyon laeve (Marsham, 1802) Dermestes inustus Marsham, 1802 Cercyon inustum (Marsham, 1802) Sphaeridium centrimaculatum Sturm, 1807 Cercyon centrimaculatum (Sturm, 1807) Cambrus centromaculatus Sturm, 1807 Cercyon (s. str.) nigriceps var. centrimaculatum (Sturm, 1807) Cercyon nigriceps ab. centromaculatus (Sturm, 1807) Cercyon atriceps Stephens, 1829 Cercyon nigriceps var. atriceps Stephens, 1839 Cercyon ustulatum Stephens, 1829 Cercyon bimaculatum Stephens, 1829 Cercyon testaceum Stephens, 1829 Cercyon nubilipenne Stephens, 1835 Cercyon troglodytes Dejean, 1836 Cercyon pulchellum Heer, 1841 Cercyon mundum Melsheimer, 1844 Cercyon vicinale Walker, 1859 Cercyon nigriceps Motschulsky, 1863 Cercyon nigriceps ab. simplex Delahon, 1913 Cercyon atricapillus (Marsham, 1802) Cercyon nigriceps (Marsham, 1802)
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