This beetle can be easily identified by its distinctive orange-red on shiny black coloration. One colored mark covers the frons, an upper frontal head plate, and a similarly colored plate exists just behind the head. Both contrast sharply with the black body color. Wings are black with two pairs of scalloped red spots and the tips on the antennae are orange. The sexes can be distinguished by a distinctively shaped orange-red facial mark below the frons.
Males have a large rectangular mark, while females have a smaller triangular mark.
Burying beetles often carry swarms of orange-colored mites on their body. They help keep beetles and carcasses clean of microbes and fly eggs. American burying beetles are active from late April through September. Most reproductive activity and carcass burial occur in June and July. Reproduction depends on the availability of carrion.