Selatosomus aeneus

Splendor beetle ( Selatosomus aeneus )

The splendor beetle ( Selatosomus aeneus ) is a beetle of the family of beetles and the subfamily of Ctenicerinae. The coloring of the upper surface is metallic blue, green or copper, often the pronotum is colored differently than the elytra. The for beetle relatively wide beetles is ten to sixteen millimeters long.

The common type is performed only in the Red Lists of Rhineland- Palatinate and classified there as not at risk.

Remarks about the name

The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758 under the scientific name Elater aeneus first time. The short description begins: Elater Thorace elytrisque caerulescenti - Aeneid (Latin beetles with body and wing coverts bluish copper color ). This explains the species name aeneus (lat. copper color ).

The genus Selatosomus was established by the British Stephens 1830. The genus name Selatosōmus ( AltGr. Σέλας, σέλατος Selas, sélatos, shine and σώμα soma body ) expresses that shines the body metallic. Stephens writes: The typical species of this genus are eminently distinguished by the splendor and brilliancy of Their coloring, the surface glabrous and richtly adorned with lively metallic hues ( en.: The typical species of this genus are excellent by the splendor and brilliance of their staining, hairless and decorated with vibrant metallic hues surface excellent).

The genus Selatosomus is represented in Europe with ten species in two subgenera. Selatosomus aeneus belongs to the subgenus Selatosomus There are more than seventy species that are distributed over five subgenera.

Description of the beetle

When splendor beetle as representatives of the subfamily Ctenicerinae run the face strips that spring on the steering sensor input from the eyes, obliquely forward, then toward the middle and end before they reach the center of the head (Fig. 5). The front chest has grown from the head to the Vorderhüfthöhlen with the undersides of the pronotum ( Vorderbrustepisternen ). The Verwachsungsnaht is not recessed to receive the probe and lowered only to the inside by one line (one Prosternalnaht, Figure 1). Compared to the genus Ctenicera that gives the name of the subfamily, the completion of the front chest toward the head ( Prosternallappen, chin guard ) is more extended forward and down and round, not truncate (Fig. 1, marked in orange ). He conceals the mouthparts to the upper jaw when the beetles slightly lowers his head down. Back to front chest is pulled into a long point that snap into a corresponding pit in the middle chest and snap out again can ( clearly seen in Figure 3). This is typical of the family quick mechanism allows the beetles from the supine to the air too fast.

The legs are bright reddish to almost black and not strong as in all beetles. The tarsi are all five-membered. The claws are not toothed or serrated.

The rear hip that connects back to the rear chest is hollowed out for the partial accommodation of the rear leg. The part which lies to the rear chest on the same level are called leg ceiling. The legs ceilings narrowing to the splendor beetle outwardly strong, so that the shiny side of the legs caves, which are located at the level of the abdomen, in the plan view is clearly visible (Fig. 2 and 4).

Upper hand, the splendor beetle in contrast to Selatosomus cruciatus no drawing and is curved. It appears bald with the naked eye, has in any case on the pronotum a predominantly backward or predominantly forward -lying hairs.

The head is small, less wide than the pronotum in front, and the mouthparts show at rest not down, but forward ( prognathous ). The eleven-membered sensors do not reach the posterior angles of the pronotum. The second member is short, the third elongated, neither extended. The following links are easily extended to the inside ( cut ), but their extension is not outside an acute angle. The fourth link is longer than the third, but significantly longer than the fifth.

However, the pronotum is laterally clear margins, at the center front not. He is as wide or wider than long, narrowed from the middle to the front gradually. It has a long rear angles are only slightly curved outwards and truncated at the end. They are clear and long keeled, the keel away forward slightly from the margin of the pronotum.

The elytra are only slightly wider than the prothorax and more than twice as long as wide. You are fine ( unlike Selatosomus melancholicus ) and without interruptions furrowed ( unlike Selatosomus rugosus ). They are more curved than in Selatosomus globin- collis.

Occurrence

The animals arrive in Europe and Siberia, mainly in coniferous and deciduous forests, but also in fields and meadows before.

Way of life

The evening active beetle looking mostly on the ground for food, because they can not fly very well. During the day they usually stay on the ground under stones. Like all beetles also has the gloss Spring beetle a hook-like appendage and a small recess on the underside of the thorax. By pressing the extension into the trough of the beetles rockets into the air and can then straighten up again when he fell on his back.

The female can lay up to 300 eggs in the soil, from which then hatch the bright yellow larvae. They live in soil and feed on roots, but also of beetle larvae. The larvae are called wireworms. They pupate after five years in the soil. The beetles that hatch in the fall, then overwinter in the soil until they crawl out of the ground in spring.

Nutrition

The larvae feed on both roots as well as of small worms and insects. The beetles feed on purely vegetable, especially like they feed on flowers.