Zeuzera pyrina
Blausieb ( Zeuzera pyrina )
The Blausieb or chestnut borer ( Zeuzera pyrina ) is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of wood borers ( Cossidae ).
- 3.1 Flight times and caterpillars
- 3.2 food of the caterpillars
- 5.1 Notes and references
- 5.2 Literature
Features
The female reaches a wingspan of 35 to 60 millimeters, while the males are only about 16 millimeters on average. The wings have a white base color are arranged more or less regularly on the dark blue iridescent dots. On the thorax two rows of three shimmering blue - points are visible. In the male the antennae are combed only half on both sides, in addition, they are thready. The females have only filamentary probe.
The caterpillars are about 50 mm long. They are yellow in color and have a dark brown head and neck shield. In the body they wear dark brown warts point from which very fine, short bristles grow.
Subspecies
- Zeuzera pyrina biebingeri W. & A. Speidel, 1986
- Zeuzera pyrina pyrina (Linnaeus 1761)
Occurrence
The animals are found throughout Europe and inhabit very different habitats. One finds this kind in orchards, forest edges, parks, gardens, and relatively young avenues and tree nurseries.
Way of life
Flight times and caterpillars
The nocturnal moths fly from early June to late August, the caterpillar lives from August to June of the next year.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on the wood of various deciduous trees, where they were found in 150 hardwoods. They often feed on beech ( Fagus sylvatica), cultivated apple (Malus domestica), buckthorn ( Frangula alnus ), common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum). But they are also found frequently in mistletoe (Viscum album). Generally, young plants and small branches are preferred.
Development
After mating, the females lay their ovipositor through the eggs one deep in the cortical columns of forage crops. The resulting hatching caterpillars are found from August to April. They bite holes and bore into young trunks and branches. Most often, the tree dies by what can cause great damage in orchards. The older they get, the thicker the branches have to be, but the caterpillars always adhere to young shoots. At the end of their development, the caterpillar lives in a 30 cm long and about an inch wide passageway extending generally downward. Is the puppet chamber that is lined with a very loose weave at its end. In this chamber, they hibernate, the head is always down. Only in the spring they pupate. The doll is very mobile and, with the aid of spines on the abdomen end up and down the burrow move. To Hatch it creeps upward and pierces one made from chips and spun yarns plug at the opening. Their development takes two to three years.