Necrobia rufipes De Geer, 1775

Chapman, Eric G., Leavengood, John M. & Dupuis, Julian R., 2025, The Cleridae and Thanerocleridae of eastern North America, with illustrated keys, updated distributions, and special emphasis on the Kentucky fauna, Zootaxa 5639 (1), pp. 1-88 : 47

Necrobia rufipes De Geer, 1775 ; Cleridae : Korynetinae (no tribal assignment)

Illustrations: Plate 3-B. Key to clerid genera, couplet 9-A, D, couplet 10-B; Necrobia key, couplet 1-B

Distribution: Transcontinental in North America and occurs south to Chile, Brazil and Argentina. The GBIF data for North America show a fairly even distribution of dots across the U.S. into SW Canada with a couple disjunct records in AK. Another Palaearctic native now known from all continents except Antarctica.

Kentucky counties (Map 17): Boone (25), Calloway (2), Carter (1), Clark (2), Fayette (18), Jefferson (11), Letcher (1), Madison (2), Muhlenberg (2), Nelson (5), Ohio (2), Wayne (1). Kentucky specimens were from localities scattered across the state.

Years: 1892 (1), 1932 (5), 1937 (3), 1939 (1), 1940 (25), 1943 (4), 1945 (6), 1946 (3), 1947 (2), 1954 (2), 1960 (3), 1965 (2), 1981 (1), 1994 (4), 2002 (2), 2007 (5), 2013 (2), 2014 (1)

Months: January (2), February (3), April (7), May (17), June (3), July (27), August (9), October (4)

Collections (72): BugGuide (1), CEWC (9), JMLC (2), UKIC (60)

Collection methods: Malaise trap (2)

Natural History: This species is most-commonly known as the red-legged ham beetle (ESA official common name) but has had other common names depending on the industry or geographical region: ham beetle by the USDA in early 1990s, paper worm by the meat industry and copra bug in the Pacific Islands ( Leavengood 2008b). It has been associated with a wide variety of rotting animal carcasses or dry animal and plant products where it preys on the insects that feed on carrion or the pests of these dried products ( Mallis, 1997). Known prey include the cheese skipper ( Piophila casei (L.)), blowfly ( Calliphoridae ) and the hide beetle ( Dermestes maculatus DeGeer ; Dermestidae ) larvae, however, it will also feed on the dried animal products it occurs in ( Simmons & Ellington 1925). It can be a pest of silk, grain, copra and other dried foods ( Knull 1951). In the absence of other nutrient sources, it can become cannibalistic ( Leavengood 2008b). Dorshorst & Young (2008) reported collections from lights, a variety of animal carcasses (deer, salmon, skunk), and from a dermestid colony maintained to clean vertebrate skeletons at the University of Wisconsin. Papp (1959) noted that it has been found in the skull of an Egyptian mummy and stated that over 1,200 papers have been published about its life history and economic importance.

Mimicry: Thought to be a chrysomelid mimic (Menier 1985)

Chemical lures: Methyl cyclopentenolone and squalene (Savoldelli et al. 2020).