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Keyword: Beetle | | | Seite 1 von 21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 | | | |
| Rove beetles | | Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) are members of the order Beetles. There are about 1,554 species in Germany and about, 47,000 globally. Some examples are: Bledius spectabilis, devil's coach-horse beetle, Ontholestes tessellatus, Oxyporus rufus, Paederus littoralis, Staphylinus caesareus, Tachyporus hypnorum, Velleius dilatatus and Anthophagus caraboides. The oldest fossil findings suggest that the rove beetle has been in existence for at least 220 million years.
The shape of the rove beetle’s body is very untypical of beetles’ Its body is usually elongated, and the wing covers are shortened, so that the abdomen is unprotected. The advantage of this is that the beetles have greater mobility when entering smallest cavities. The wings are enfolded by the wing covers. The body length of the rove beetle, (depending on type), ranges from 0.5 to 50 mm and the body is usually black or brown in colour. Occasionally species with a metallic blue-violet or blue colour can be encountered. Other species are very hairy. Most rove beetles are good fliers, and often swarm on warm evenings. While larger species of rove beetle search for food in the night, smaller species are active by day.
Rove beetles can be found in litter and humus in diverse habitats. In the species that live in the deeper layers of soil the eyes are poorly developed and they can not fly. Certain species of rove beetles are found in or on the edge of wetlands, other species, in deserts, mountains or near the polar regions. Most, however, live in the tropics.
The dietary habits of rove beetle larvae are generally the same as the adults. While most rove beetles are predatory some species eat fungi, or putrescent animals and plants. The larvae of some species live as parasites? on the pupaeof flies. There are species of rove beetle, which only inhabit birds' nests, mammals' nests, ants' nests, termites' nests or those of wasps. In ants' nests, rove beetles hunt for their hosts, eat carrion or decimate the hatching ants. Even as migrant guests they are to find amongst hunting ants’ armies where it occurs that they ‘ride’ ants instead of walking. Rove beetle have defence glands, the secretions of which can cause blistering and rashes in humans.
Some species of rove beetle can cause damage to strawberries or fruit trees. However, the rove beetle is enormously valuable for the soil and its remineralisation. Furthermore they eat many insects which are regarded as pests in agriculture and forestry. | | |
| | Willow flea beetle | The willow flea beetle (Crepidodera aurata) belongs to the genus Crepidodera in the order beetles (Coleoptera), the superfamily Chrysomeloidea, the family leaf and flea beetles (Chrysomelidae), and the subfamily Galerucinae (Alticinae). Scientific synonyms for Crepidodera aurata are Disonycha spp. and chalcoides aurata. The willow flea beetle is common in Europe and Asia. This species can be found in every kind of environment , and is not endangered.
Crepidodera aurata reach body lengths of 2.5-3.5 mm. Its elongated and oval shaped body has a metallic sheen. The entire upper surface...
... are visible on the forewings (elytres). The brown legs to the ankle are much thicker in the upper section of the rear pair, with which the willow flea can jump very far (up to hundred times its own body length).
The life expectancy of the adult beetle is 8-9 months. They are usually found in the countryside, moist forests, forest edges, wet meadows, marshes, meadows and heathland are their preferred habitats. They can also be encountered in natural gardens and parks.
The willow flea beetle is active during the day from May-October (after overwintering). During this time it is mainly seen on willows and poplars, whose leaves it eats. The willow flea beetle nibbles roundish holes into the leaves.
At age 7-8 months, the willow flea beetle is sexually mature. In June/August the beetles mate. The fertilized females lay their eggs on the leaves of the forage plants of their larvae. The eggs are yellowish and spindle-shaped.
The larvae hatch in summer. They are 5-6 mm long, black and resemble a small slug. The larvae live socia...
...sh and spindle-shaped.
The larvae hatch in summer. They are 5-6 mm long, black and resemble a small slug. The larvae live sociably on the same host plants (such as willow and poplar trees of the genus Salix or genus Populus) just like the adult beetles and often eat the leaves with the venes of the leaves remaining only. In late summer, the three-month development from egg to adult beetle is complete. The adult beetles overwinter under piles of leaves or in other protected places near the ground.
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| | | Leaf beetles | | Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) are a large family in the beetle order. In Germany, there are over 470 different species and there are 50,000 species around the world. There are many different kinds of Leaf beetle: Flea beetles, Seed beetles, Tortoise beetles, Chrysomenlinae (Colorado potato beetle, Chrysomela populi, Chrysolina fastuosa), Clythrinae, Criocerinae (Cereal leaf beetle, Common asparagus beetle, Scarlet lily beetle), Cryptocephalinae, Donaciinae (Donacia semicuprea) and Galerucinae (Agelastica alni, Xanthogaleruca luteola). | | |
| | Darkling beetles | Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae), also called darkening beetles are a family of beetles which include approximately 20,000 species worldwide, 70 of which are found in Central Europe. Some examples are: the mealworm beetle, superworm, Blaps mortisaga, Blaps lethifera, Onymacris plana, Namib Desert beetle, Pedinus femoralis, Opatrum sabulosum, Phaleria cadaverina, Diaperis boleti, Scaphidema metallicum, Confused flour beetle, Alphitobius diaperinus, Gnathocerus cornutus and Uloma culinaris.
Darkling beetles are 1 to 100 mm in length. Their body shape varies. They are easily confused with beetles from other families. They range in shape from broad, oval and round to long and flat. The beetle can be completely black in colour, black-brown, brown or reddish-yellow. Some species have dots. While the neck shield is mostly the same breadth, the wing covers vary, in some species they are fused together and the second pair of wings is shorten...
...e wing covers vary, in some species they are fused together and the second pair of wings is shortened. The antennae comprise 11 parts. Some species have defence glands at the end of their abdomen with which they can exude malodorous secretions. The beetle larvae are long, round and yellowish in color.
Darkling beetles prefer hot and sandy habitats (deserts, steppes (large areas of flat unforested grassland). They are tyically encountered in dead wood, bark, straw, hay, leaves, tree fungi , abandoned nests, and even in buildings.
Both adult and darkling beetle larvae are herbivores or omnivores. They often live in in the company of other darkling beetles and feed on rotting plants, seeds, mushrooms or dead insects. Darkling beetles can cause major damage at food warehouses (Larvae of Meal worm beetles). | | |
| | Longhorn beetles | | Longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as longicorns or long-horned beetles, are a family within the order beetles (Coleoptera). There are about 26,000 species worldwide, nearly 200 of which occur in Europe. Some examples of longhorn beetle species are: Aegosoma scabricorne, Ergates faber, Tragosma depsarium, Necydalis major, Necydalis ulmi, great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo), capricorn beetle (Cerambyx scopolii), Cerambyx miles, musk beetle (Aromia moschata), rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina), Purpuricenus kaehleri, Iberodorcadion fuliginator, Lamia textor and Phytoecia nigricornis. The largest known longhorn beetle, the Brazilian titanus giganteus, can reach a body length of 170 mm. In Europe, the Ergates faber is the largest species with a length of up to 60 mm.
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| | Beetles’ body shapes are very diverse as a result of adaption to environment. They can be long, lean, short and stocky as well as flat and sometimes streamlined. The structure of the beetle’s surface is an important criterion for classification. The surface can be smooth, ridged, shiny, grooved or with cavities and bumps. Beetles are sometimes bizarrely shaped as a means of camouflage.
Another important distinguishing feature is the color of the beetle, which varies as greatly as the body shape. While most beetle species are dark or brownish in color, there are species whose surface has a luminous pattern or metallic sheen. | | |
| | Leptura quadrifasciata | | Leptura quadrifasciata is a beetle belonging to the family of longhorn beetles. It is a member of the subfamily Lepturinae. The name is derived from the striking color of the beetle (yellow-orange bands). The beetle is found in Europe, the Caucasus and Siberia. | | |
| | The adult Leaf beetle is between 1 and 18 mm in length. The body is domed and ovoid in shape and the coloring varies, from multicoloured to shiny and metallic. The surface of the leaf beetle is smooth. All leaf beetles have wings. The wings are only rarely shortened. The Leaf beetle has a roundish head and a proboscis. The antennae are usually shorter than the torso. Leaf beetles have round eyes and feed on leaves. | | |
| | Geotrupes stercorarius | | Geotrupes stercorarius belongs to the family of earth-boring dung beetles. It is found in Europe, Asia and Canada.
Geotrupes stercorarius reach lengths of 16 mm to 25 mm. The face of the beetle is black or black-blue, and the underside is blue, blue-green or blueviolet. The beetles are slightly hairy. Their wing covers each have 7 long rows of weak spots. The beetle can make noises. with its rear hips.
The beetle prefers to live in forests. The adults fly at night close to the ground making a loud humming sound. In the spring males and females dig a 40 cm long underground tunnel for mating, which leads into several chambers, which can be reached through tem... | | |
| Water scavenger beetles reach body lengths of 4-9 mm. Their bodies are oval-shaped, with a very flat underside. They have a slightly metallic sheen, are deep black in colour and shimmer slightly bronze when seen in light.
Adults have short, club-shaped antennae. The...
...e antennae often have dark ends. On the wing covers (elytra) are 10 stripes of fine, puncture-like points. These stripes, which are lengthwise and become furrow shaped at the rear end, are the main distinguishing feature of the water scavenger beetle. Additional rows from irregular posited series of points appear in the space between the rows from regular posited points. The legs of the beetle are yellowish, yellow-brown or rust-colored. The tarsi appear reddish brown to dark brown in colour.
The hind legs have long hairs that aid in swimming. The water scavenger beetle prefers to live in and on smaller bodies of waters with sufficient sunlight. They are often found (as adults or larvae) floating on the surface of salt water or brackish water (mixture of river and sea water). The adults eat rotten plant debris....
...head first and trap air to breath under their wing covers (elytra) and "row" themselves along by alternating the hind legs, wiggling from side to side as they swim. Their eyesight is not very developed. Therefore, it is possible for the beetles to land on? reflective surfaces (wet or shiny car roofs, windows, etc.) having confused them with open waters.
After mating, the oviposition of the females happens in cocoons near the surface of water where the eggs are glued to water plants. A... | | |
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| Frequent Queries: | | blue and orange beetle (32) | | metallic blue insect (16) | | metallic blue beetle (14) | | shiny blue insect (12) | | leaf larvae (7) | | blue beetle insect (7) | | blue orange beetle (5) |
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