Biological characterization and life cycle of Necrobia rufipe(Coleoptera: Cleridae)

Abstract

The biological parameters of Necrobia rufipes (DeGeer, 1775) are estimated under controlled temperature and relative humidity. The adults, collected from industrial canine food at a supermarket in Campina Grande, state of Paraíba, Brazil, were taken to the Laboratory of Insect Systematics and Bioecology at the Uni-versidade Estadual da Paraíba, in order to ascertain the matrix creation. The individuals were placed in boxes with hermetic sealing, each containing 20 adults, and were fed a diet of 1.8 g of fish flour, a slice of bacon, and four dog food pellets. A total of 160 eggs were individualized in the plastic recipient in a base of paper filter, covered with voil tissue, and secured with an elastic cord. The containers were placed in a B.O.D. camera at temperatures of 20, 24, 28, and 32 °C and relative humidity of 70%. The larvae received a diet composed of 0.45 g of fish flour, a slice of bacon, and dog food pellet. The development of phases was monitored daily. The life cycle from egg to adult was completed in four temperatures and encompassed four larval instars. The development speed at all stage phases was affected by temperature. Higher thermal conditions increase development speed and consequently reduce the duration of the immature and adult stages. The development of N. rufipes was completed at 20 and 32 °C, two temperatures that are not considered optimal for insect development. The fact that N. rufipes is a pest of storage grains, however, may explain why this insect is able to tolerate and develop under suboptimal temperatures.