Firebug

Common Firebug ( Pyrrhocoris apterus )

The common Firebug ( Pyrrhocoris apterus ) belongs to the fire bugs ( Pyrrhocoridae ) and is adjacent to pyrrhocoris marginatus the only species of the family, which is found in Central Europe. Often these Wanzenart is considered a bug and therefore popularly referred to as cobbler or fire beetle. The animals live socially, so they are often found in their preferred habitats in large numbers.

Features

The common Feuerwanze reaches a body length from 9 to 11.5 mm and has a striking black and red color. The pronotum is red on the edge, in the middle he is wearing an almost rectangular, black spot. The wings of most animals are shortened, which, as the specific epithet ( " apterus " of gr ἄπτερος Apteros: wingless ) suggesting. Occasionally, but you can fully observe winged, flight -capable individuals, especially males. The Hemielytren have a red color, the clavus and the more or less existing approach of the membrane is colored black. In addition, there is a large, circular black spot in the middle of Hemielytren and another small near the wing root. The tag ( scutellum ) is black. The abdomen is on the edge dyed red, black in the middle. The legs, feelers and head are black.

The nymphs can be recognized by their predominantly red-colored abdomen, on which are several small black spots along the back only. The Hemielytren are developed only as an approach and fully colored black.

Occurrence

The animals are used in large parts of the Palaearctic region, but they are missing in the north of the British Isles and Scandinavia. The distribution area extends east across Central Asia to the West Siberia, in the north of China and Pakistan. In Germany they are missing in parts of the north-western coastline (Emsland to North Friesland). The nature rises in the Alps up to an altitude of about 1,000 meters. She comes particularly to sunlit places on the ground under Linden (Tilia ) and herbaceous mallow such as hibiscus (Hibiscus ), marshmallow ( Althaea ) and mallow ( Malva ) ago.

Way of life

Animals suck the falling seeds of the plants described above. Presumably their host plant spectrum is but bigger and they also feed on other trees, such as Ordinary of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). The animals probably suck the water absorption in addition to stems and leaves of herbaceous plants and occasionally on insect eggs, dead insects and vertebrates. Even Cannibalism is documented.

The common Feuerwanze often occurs in aggregations with different stages of development. One can often find hundreds of animals in sunny places or at the base of the trunk of Linden. The aggregations are held together by pheromones by the segregation of defensive secretions to solve this but rapidly on.

Credentials

• Ekkehard guard, Albert Melber, Jürgen Deckert: bugs Volume 3: Aradidae, Lygaeidae, Piesmatidae, Berytidae, Pyrrhocoridae, Alydidae, Coreidae, Rhopalidae, Stenocephalidae, Goecke & Evers, pressing, 2007, ISBN 978-3-937783-29-1