Saperda carcharias

Big Pappelbock ( Saperda carcharias )

The Great Pappelbock ( Saperda carcharias ) or roller block is a beetle of the family of longhorn beetles ( Cerambycidae ).

Description

Large poplar blocks are 20 to 23 millimeters long. The chitin armor is colored black by the very dense pubescence of the beetle acts but overall yellow gray. Bumps on the wing covers have small black dots from the hair peeping. On the back half of the elytra there is in the hair a wide horizontal stripes, which is brighter than the rest of the body. The body outline is stretched longitudinally, the front lugs of the elytra are wider than the thorax. To the rear end of the elytra are considerably narrower. The thread-like antennae are very long, the male even longer than the body. Both the sensor and the final legs are alternately dyed gray and light brown.

Occurrence

The animals are widespread in Central Europe mainly in the plain. They inhabit different habitats, but the incidence of poplars is mandatory.

Way of life

The diurnal animals sit during the day mostly on the leaves or stems of trees. After sunset they swarm around in the crown area of their trees. Their diet consists of leaves of poplars and willows. By rubbing of hind legs and elytra, the beetles are able to create chirping noises.

In autumn, the female lays the eggs in the wood of young trees. It gnaws at the base of the transverse grooves in the bark of the tree, in each of which a single egg is laid. The following spring the larva hatches, which can reach up to four inches in length.

It feeds on the wood. They penetrate deep into the wood and drilled 15 to 25 centimeters long corridors. One recognizes the infection by the rodent chips, which are pushed through an opening to the outside. If the tree is cut, the holes can be seen in the wood. After two years, the larvae pupate under the bark. A few weeks later slips of finished beetle.