'' entering a snail shell to feed Most of the genus' historically recognized diversity occurs in Europe, with many proposed species having eventually been synonymized with the widespread
S.carinata. For much of the 20th century, the genus was little studied taxonomically. However, starting with the work of
Wolfgang Schawaller, a number of distinct species were newly described or revalidated in recent decades from eastern Asia and Africa, so it may well be that additional unrecognized species exist. As of 2025, the described species are: •
Silpha alpestris Kraatz, 1876 •
Silpha businskyorum Háva, J.Schneider & Růžička, 1999 •
Silpha capicola Péringuey, 1888 (=
S.peringueyi, S.punctulata) •
Silpha carinata Herbst, 1783 (=
S.armeniaca, S.atropurpurea, S.austriaca, S.bilineata, S.blattiformis, S.carpathica, S.croatica, S.griesbachiana, S.italica, S.jeanneli, S.recta, S.rufocincta, S.tatrica, S.trilineata) •
Silpha chelinda Sommer, Růžička & Barclay, 2025 •
Silpha francoisi Dierkens, 2020 •
Silpha khumbuensis Schawaller, 1982 •
Silpha koreana Cho & Kwon, 1999 •
Silpha lata Portevin, 1920 •
Silpha longicornis Portevin, 1926 (=
S.imitator, S.yamatona) •
Silpha martensi Emetz & Schawaller, 1975 •
Silpha melanura Hope, 1831 (=
S.nakanei) •
Silpha nepalica Emetz & Schawaller, 1975 •
Silpha obscura Linnaeus, 1758 (=
S.orientalis, S.validior) •
Silpha olivieri Bedel, 1887 •
Silpha perforata Gebler, 1832 •
Silpha puncticollis Lucas, 1846 •
Silpha punctulata Gmelin, 1790 •
Silpha qinlinga Schawaller, 1996 •
Silpha schawalleri Háva, J.Schneider & Růžička, 1999 •
Silpha tristis Illiger, 1798 •
Silpha tyrolensis Laicharting, 1781 The Black Snail Beetle
Phosphuga atrata was initially included in the present genus, and the supposed species
S.fusca, S.nitida, S.paedemontana, S.punctata and
S.shakotana are assigned to it today. As
Silpha is the type genus of its
tribe Silphini and the entire
carrion beetle subfamily Silphinae, other related beetles were occasionally placed here, e.g.
Ablattaria laevigata. Even the
darkling beetle Asida maura,
Glischrochilus quadripunctatus (a
sap beetle, family Nitidulidae),
Kateretes pedicularius (a short-winged flower beetle, family
Kateretidae),
Peltis ferruginea of family
Peltidae, or
Megalodacne indica and
Triplax russica of the
Erotylidae (pleasing fungus beetles), were at first placed in
Silpha, although they all properly belong to the
Cucujiformia, an entirely distinct
infraorder than the carrion beetles. In addition, some prehistoric
Silpha species have been named from fossil remains. The genus is attested as much as 25 million years ago at the end of the
Oligocene, while an even older record around 35 million years ago is of more uncertain affiliations. The fossil species, sorted by decreasing age, are: • †
Silpha beutenmuelleri Wickham, 1914 (disputed) –
Priabonian • †
Silpha stratuum Germar, 1837 –
Chattian • †
Silpha obsoleta Heer, 1847 –
Serravallian • †
Silpha tricostata Heer, 1862 – Serravallian Living species are attested by remains from the mid-
Pleistocene onwards. ==References==