Necrobia

Latreille, 1797

Ham Beetles

Species Guides

Necrobia ruficollis(ham beetle)
Necrobia rufipes(red-legged ham beetle)
Necrobia violacea(blacklegged ham beetle)

Necrobia is a of checkered beetles in the Cleridae, commonly known as ham . Unlike most clerids, which are predatory, Necrobia are carrion-feeders and significant pests of stored animal products. The genus has a distribution and includes species frequently encountered on dried meat, fish, and museum specimens.

Necrobia rufipes by (c) Henrik Kibak, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Henrik Kibak. Used under a CC-BY license.

Necrobia violacea by (c) Mario Bassini, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Mario Bassini. Used under a CC-BY license.

Necrobia violacea by (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Katja Schulz. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Necrobia: /nɛˈkroʊbiə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Necrobia are distinguished from other Cleridae by their small size (4–7 mm), metallic blue or green coloration, and association with dried animal matter rather than live prey. N. rufipes has characteristic red legs and , while N. violacea is uniformly metallic blue. The differs from predatory clerids by its scavenging habits and from Dermestidae by its more elongate body form and smoother .

Images

Habitat

Stored products and dried organic substrates, particularly protein-rich materials including dried or smoked fish, cured meats, dried black soldier fly larvae products, and museum specimens. Also found on carrion in advanced stages of desiccation.

Distribution

; reported from North America, Europe (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), Africa (Kenya), and other regions worldwide.

Diet

Dried animal products including dried or smoked fish, cured meats, dried black soldier fly larvae, and other protein-rich substrates. and larvae feed on carrion in late stages of decomposition.

Host Associations

Hermetia illucens - consumerdried black soldier fly larvae
dried fish - consumersmoked or dried fish products
meat products - consumercured and dried meats

Behavior

Co-occurs with other storage pests such as Tribolium castaneum on dried black soldier fly larvae products. are active on the surface of infested materials and are attracted to protein-rich substrates.

Ecological Role

Decomposer of dried animal matter; significant pest in food storage and museum contexts causing qualitative and quantitative economic losses. Potential for pathogenic microbes including Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

Human Relevance

Major pest of stored animal products including dried fish, cured meats, and insect-based protein products. Problematic in museums and taxidermy businesses due to damage to dried specimens. Emerging pest in the black soldier fly larvae value chain.

Similar Taxa

DermestidaeAlso feed on dried animal products, but have more rounded bodies, clubbed , and often patterned or hairy ; Necrobia has more elongate form and smooth metallic elytra.
TrogidaeAlso occur on dried carrion, but are larger, rough-textured, and cryptically colored rather than metallic; Trogidae play dead when disturbed.

More Details

Mitochondrial genome

N. rufipes has a complete mitochondrial of 15,255 with typical coleopteran features: 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 21 tRNA genes, and an AT-rich region.

Gut microbiome

N. rufipes gut microbiome is dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, with Klebsiella (14.2%), Synechococcus (11.4%), and Escherichia (11.3%) as most abundant . The has lower representation but higher Shannon diversity compared to Tribolium castaneum.