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For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
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Photo#489652
lots of red-legged ham beetles - Necrobia rufipes

lots of red-legged ham beetles - Necrobia rufipes
Anthony Chabot Park, Oakland, Alameda County, California, USA
January 23, 2011
Size: 8mm
More cow carcass beetles, on a cow bone. There were by far more red-legged ham beetles on the cow than any other kind of beetle. The day I first found the cow was warm and they were flying around by the hundreds (thousands?) ... sort of like flies but much more fun because they were beetles.

I know these beetles are a big pest but it was a treat to see so many of them at once (in a situation where they weren't causing anyone any problems).

Also there are some nitidulids in this photo, like the one here.

Can anyone help me differenti
Can anyone help me differentiate between Necrobia rufipes and Necrobia violaceca? I found multiple of these metallic green beetles in San Luis Obispo, California on a sheep carrion (specifically exposed neck bone) that I am studying during a late stage of decomposition. Thank you in advance for the help!

 
rufipes vs violaceca
N. rufipes has red legs, N. violaceca has dark/black legs.

Compare these two (rufipes on left; violaceca on right):


 
Ok thank you, definitely N. r
Ok thank you, definitely N. rufipes. Now from basic research it sounds like carcass-associated Clerids occupy the carcass because of their predacious behavior but do you know if they feed on bone as well?

 
bones
According to the N. rufipes info page, these clerids do feed on bones (in addition to a lot of other things).