Elaphrus cupreus

Copper -colored sandpiper

The copper -colored sandpiper or bronze -colored beetle Rasch ( Elaphrus cupreus ) is a beetle of the family of ground beetles ( Carabidae ). The quick, bronze-colored beetle reaches a body length from seven to nine millimeters and falls through the pit -like depressions on the wing covers on.

The species is classified in the red list of endangered species in Germany and in the states of Baden -Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony- Anhalt as not at risk.

Remarks about the name

The species was described by Duftschmid 1812 in the 2nd part of its fauna Austriae first time. Duftschmid begins the short Latin inscription with the words Cupreo - aeneus, .... The species name cupreus (lat. copper color ) thus refers to the body color.

The genus name Elaphrus ( AltGr. Ελαφρός elaphrós, fast) comes from Fabricius. The genus initially covered a wider range of beetles and called on German Rasch beetles. The locomotion of Elaphrus cupreus is not particularly fast.

The genus Elaphrus is represented in Europe with 4 subgenera and twelve species. Worldwide there are about forty species, which are distributed in five subgenera.

Features

The shape of the body resembles a tiger beetles, head, pronotum and elytra are clearly set off against each other.

The head is between the eyes narrower than the pronotum, the eyes are, however, hemispherical laterally and its outer edge protrudes beyond the outer edge of the throat plate clearly. The sensors are elfgliedrig, filiform, relatively short for beetles and thicken slightly outward. They are hairy from the outer end of the fourth link from. The upper lip is short, with a number of bristle- bearing pores points on the front edge ( visible in Figure 1 at higher resolution ). The upper jaw are pointed and slightly serrated on the inner edge of the base. The beetle has two pairs of jaws button, the front two, the rear four members (Fig. 3, right, light and dark blue). The labial palpi (Fig. 3, right green ) are tripartite. The end member of the two-tier pine key is spindle-shaped, the other two buttons are forward truncated and cylindrical. The chin is tridentate, the middle tooth is split ( Fig. 3, right yellow).

The pronotum is narrowed in front and behind, rounded on the sides. Compared to similar Elaphrus uliginosus he is more curved and very fine margins ( Fig. 2). The elytra are considerably wider than the pronotum with well developed shoulders. Widen initially, are in the middle at the widest and in the back half they are rounded in common semicircular. They have four rows of staggered large bluish eye patch. These are each surrounded by a circular wall. In addition to the seam between the ocelli smooth, glossy surfaces ( mirror spots). The four middle mirror spots are approximately equal.

On the metallic greenish body bottom belonging to the beetles is clear. The rear hips (Fig. 4, right green ) are wide of the lower breast (Fig. 4, right yellow). Inside they touch and are plate-like extended, so that the first Hinteleibssternit (Fig. 4, right red ) is only visible laterally. The leg ring of the hind legs (Fig. 4, right dark blue) is expanded ovate. The epimers of the middle chest (Fig. 7, bottom red) reach the Hüfthöhlen in which the means hips (Fig. 7, bottom yellow) are inflected. The Vorderhüfthöhlen are closed. Unlike Elaphrus riparius the bottom of the front chest is hairy not long white.

All legs have a five-membered Tarsus ( Tarsenformel 5-5-5 ) and played at the end of the rail two thorns. In the front legs not reached the outer Enddorn (Fig. 6, A red) to the front edge of the front rails. Before inwardness this mandrel ends a recess on the underside of the front rail, which is surrounded by a system of bristles and teeth (Figure 6C). It is used for cleaning the sensor. When copper -colored sandpiper the rails and the tarsi are reddish steel blue.

Occurrence

The copper -colored sandpiper occur to Northern Europe Southern Europe from the north over Central Europe. In the east, the range extends to Siberia. They live especially in moist areas, such as on muddy shores, in swampy forests and in peat bogs, especially in the lowlands, rare in the mountains. They can be found hiding under rocks and foliage.

Way of life

The animals feed on small insects and their larvae. The adults overwinter buried in the ground.