Beetles Identification Guide

Distribution: Cosmopolitan but more predominant in the tropics. In Canada
the species has been recorded from Nova Scotia west to British Columbia. It
probably can survive winter conditions in this country only in heated premises.
Economic importance: This species is a well-known pest of copra and materials
of animal origin. In India it is also recorded as a serious pest of cashew nuts
(Sengupta et al., 1984). The species can also survive on the remains of other
insects. According to Ashman (1962), members of N. rufipes can subsist on a
diet of copra alone, but their development is slow; their diet is almost certainly
supplemented by predation on other insects. In Canada the species is of little
concern, although it sometimes escapes in great numbers from ships carrying
copra (Barr 1962).
Necrobia violacea (Linnaeus)
Diagnosis: The species differs from N. rufipes, among others, in having piceous
or black legs.
Sexual dimorphism: Sexes are externally similar.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan. The species occurs throughout the temperate regions
of Canada.
Economic importance: This species is found occasionally in association with stored
products; it probably survives mainly on the remains of other insects.
Selected References
Ashman, F. 1962. Factors affecting the abundance of the copra beetle, Necrobia
rufipes (Deg.) (Col., Cleridae). Bull. Entomol. Res. 53:671—680.
Simmons, P.; Ellington, G.W. l925. The ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes De Geer. J.
Agric. Res. 30:845—863.
CRYPTOPHAGIDAE silken fungus beetles
This family of small beetles includes about 50 species in Canada. They are
found most commonly in and under the following: bark, rotten wood, vegetable
debris, nests of social Hymenoptera, birds, and small mammals, fungi, and moldy
materials. Adults and larvae apparently feed mainly on spores and hyphae of mold.
Many species of cryptophagids are found regularly in buildings or are
associated with stored products. They have no direct effect on the products,
as they feed on mold. Their presence is indicative of poor storage conditions
and of moldy materials.
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