Necrobia

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Necrobia: /nɛˈkroʊbiə/

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Summary

Necrobia is a genus of predatory beetles known for its carrion-feeding habits, particularly the red-legged ham beetle (N. rufipes), which is a significant pest affecting stored products and museum specimens.

Physical Characteristics

Adults are shiny metallic green or greenish blue, 3.5–7.0 millimeters long, convex, with straight sides and a surface marked with punctures. Legs and antennae are red, with dark clubs.

Identification Tips

Look for the distinctive red legs and antennae on a shiny metallic body. The adults are 3-6 mm in length, with convex shapes and visible punctures on the surface.

Habitat

Commonly found in environments where dead animal matter is present, including homes, museums, and retail food storage areas.

Distribution

Cosmopolitan distribution, particularly throughout North America; originally of Palaearctic origin.

Diet

Adults feed on dried fish, skins, bones of dead animals, and are predatory on the larvae of Calliphora (blow flies) and Dermestidae.

Life Cycle

The life cycle takes about 6 weeks or longer, depending on food type and physical conditions. Larvae pass through three or four instars before pupation occurs in a spun cocoon.

Reproduction

Eggs are laid on the food material, and larvae develop through several stages feeding on the same materials as adults.

Ecosystem Role

Decomposers that contribute to the decomposition process of organic materials.

Economic Impact

Significant pests of dried and salt fish; known to damage museum specimens and stored products like copra. N. rufipes was well-documented as a threat to agriculture by 1925.

Cultural Significance

Has been recorded in Egyptian mummies, linking it to historical conservation issues in archaeology.

Collecting Methods

• Hand collection from areas of infestation
• Trapping with baits (e.g., dried animal matter)

Preservation Methods

• Drying specimens
• Freezing specimens to mitigate any infestation

Similar Taxa

• Korynetes caeruleus
• Necrobia violacea
• Necrobia ruficollis

Misconceptions

May be confused with Korynetes caeruleus, another steely-blue beetle in the same family. While similar in appearance, they have different ecological roles.

Tags

• Necrobia
• red-legged ham beetle
• carrion feeder
• pest
• entomology