When life gives you carcasses: first record of necrophagy by Coriomeris hirticornis on European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

Mario Alamo; Juan C. Cepeda Espinosa

doi:10.13133/2284-4880/1676

When life gives you carcasses: first record of necrophagy by Coriomeris hirticornis on European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

Authors

Mario Alamo Asociación Iberozoa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7410-8511
Juan C. Cepeda Espinosa Asociación Iberozoa https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6995-7881

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13133/2284-4880/1676

Keywords:

Leaf-footed bug, Carrion feeding, Trophic interactions, Mediterranean ecosystems, Opportunistic scavenging, Phytophagous insects, Resource scarcity

Abstract

This study reports the first observation of necrophagy in the phytophagous leaf-footed bug Coriomeris hirticornis (Fabricius, 1794). Two individuals were observed feeding on the carcass of a European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L., 1758) in a peri-urban meadow near Madrid, Spain. This finding underscores the adaptive dietary flexibility of Coriomeris hirticornis under extreme environmental conditions, providing new insights into its ecological role and trophic interactions within Mediterranean ecosystems.

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Author Biographies

Mario Alamo, Asociación Iberozoa

Coordinator, Entomology Section

Juan C. Cepeda Espinosa, Asociación Iberozoa

Entomology Section

a specimen of Coriomeris hirticornis (Hemiptera: Coreidae) eating on a dry carcass of European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) at Cerro Milano (Madrid, Spain). Photo: Juan C. Cepeda Espinosa. From Cepeda Espinosa & Alamo, this issue.

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Published

2024-12-10

How to Cite

Alamo, M. and Cepeda Espinosa, J. C. (2024) “When life gives you carcasses: first record of necrophagy by Coriomeris hirticornis on European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (Hemiptera: Coreidae)”, Fragmenta entomologica, 56(2), pp. 123–128. doi: 10.13133/2284-4880/1676.