Coraebus rubi

Big Brombeerprachtkäfer on Brombeerblatt

The Great blackberry jewel beetles (also frequent Bindiger Filzfußprachtkäfer, Coraebus rubi ) is a beetle in the family Buprestidae and the subfamily of Agrilinae.

The genus Coraebus, but mainly Coroebus, is named after a victor in the Olympic Games with names Κόροιβος Coroebus. The species name rubi (Latin ) expresses that the type can be found on the plant genus Rubus ( blackberries), which explains the German name.

Characteristics of the beetle

The roller-shaped body reaches a length of 7.5 millimeter to ten millimeters. He is black, bronze forebody often, the elytra metallic bluish tint.

The head is viewed from above, much wider than long. The mouthparts with the powerful mandibles facing down. The four-membered pine probe ends with an egg-shaped end member, the end member of the tripartite lip button is large and club-shaped. The large eyes are on the side of the head. Your rear edge is parallel to and at a short distance to the margin of the pronotum. The short eleven-membered sensors are sawn from the fourth member. They are mutually inflected removed in significant sensor caves before the eyes. The middle antennal segments are wider than long.

The pronotum is much wider than long. Its posterior margin is curved in front of the tag attached to the outside, right and left of it inside. The pronotum is simple ( not double ) margins. Side in front of the base it is flat and wrinkled. In the outer corners of the base is a short, significant upward curved keel formed ( Fig. 4). The front chest is on the lower body side behind the head not extended forward ( without chin bandage ).

The elytra are long, slightly expanded behind the middle, then tapering evenly. They are dense and uniform scale-like punctured and without dot stripe. The hair is wavy five whitish transverse bands, of which the first two often merge into a binding and which are often very weak. The heart-shaped labels is ungekielt (Fig. 1), wrinkled and dull.

The legs are delicate and can be readily add to the body. The five-membered tarsi are short, the first Tarsenglied not very long. All Tarsenglieder except the claw member are lobed.

Biology

The beetles like to sit in the hot sun open on blackberry leaves. They are not very active. When they are disturbed, they move to the legs and can be rolled to the floor. From a collecting trip in Spain is reported " very volatile in the morning, eating after 17 clock on the leaves, easy to catch ."

The larvae develop in the roots of brambles. Pupation occurs near the root collar. Since the nature also occurs on roses, it is variously referred to as a rose pest.

Dissemination

The species is widely used as a typical Palaearctic species from the Iberian Peninsula to Syria and the northern part of India. In Europe it is found in the south, where the area of ​​distribution extends to North Africa. They also can be found in Central and Eastern Europe. You lack in the North ( UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Baltic States )

In Germany we find the beetle in the southern provinces. Whether the way in Saxony-Anhalt is naturalized, other findings must demonstrate. In South Tyrol, the species is scattered and rare.