Bilberry Roller vs Common Burying Beetle

Ancylis myrtillana compared with Nicrophorus vespillo

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bilberry Roller	Common Burying Beetle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Tortricidae	Staphylinidae
Genus	Ancylis	Nicrophorus
Species	Ancylis myrtillana	Nicrophorus vespillo

Evolutionary Relationship

Bilberry Roller and Common Burying Beetle share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Bilberry Roller

LC — Least Concern

Common Burying Beetle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bilberry Roller	Common Burying Beetle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bilberry Roller

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Burying Beetle

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) and Europe (4 countries).

Bilberry Roller

The Bilberry Roller (Ancylis myrtillana) is a species in the genus Ancylis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Common Burying Beetle

<em>Nicrophorus vespillo</em>, commonly known as the common burying beetle, is a species found across the Palearctic region, with documented occurrences in countries including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It typically inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands, where it often exploits arid and semi-arid landscapes. The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting a currently stable global population. The common burying beetle belongs to the genus <em>Nicrophorus</em> and is best known for its remarkable behavior of locating and burying small vertebrate carcasses as a food source for developing larvae, a trait that places it among the ecologically important decomposers in its range. Biological traits such as average lifespan, body length, and weight of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Population trends are considered stable across its broad distribution, and the species has not been identified as facing immediate conservation threats at a global scale.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden