Bog beetle cicada
| Bog beetle cicada | ||||||||||||
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Female of the bog beetle cicada ( Ommatidiotus dissimilis ), short-winged form |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ommatidiotus dissimilis | ||||||||||||
| ( Fallén , 1806) |
The bog beetle cicada ( Ommatidiotus dissimilis ) is a cicada species within the family of Caliscelidae in the suborder of the pointed head cicadas (Fulgoromorpha). It is a character species of the rain and intermediate bogs and feeds on vaginal cottongrass ( Eriophorum vaginatum ). Because of its close ecological connection to the bog habitat, it is known as a tyrphobiont . It is the only species of this genus that is also found in Northern Europe.
description
The bog beetle cicada is a cicada with a rather conspicuous color. However, this only applies on closer inspection, because the pattern and colors result in excellent camouflage in raised bogs on the peat moss cushions . The wings are straw-colored to whitish, with orange stripes. Males and females differ ( sexual dimorphism ). In the male, the wing sides and the underside of the body are colored black and they are significantly smaller than the females. They are mostly short-winged ( brachypter ), long-winged ( macroptere ) forms are rare ( wing dimorphism ). Their body length is 2.7 to 4.7 millimeters for short-winged forms and 4.8 to 5.6 millimeters for long-winged forms. Even with short-winged animals, the front wings still protrude beyond the abdomen.
The sperm-transferring organ ( aedeagus ) of the males is built asymmetrically. The mirror-image morphs are obviously represented roughly equally. The cicada species shows a high degree of variability in the head shape of the males and, to a lesser extent, in the coloration. Apparently the length of the head increases from north to south and from west to east. Other similar species of the genus in Europe are Ommatidiotus inconspicuus , Ommatidiotus concinnus and Ommatidiotus longiceps . However, the genus is in need of revision.
Way of life
nutrition
The cicada feeds on plant juices ( phytosug ), which it ingests with its specially built mouthparts. It sucks on the ducts with strongly sugary juice ( phloem ). It is probably first-degree monophag, that is, it feeds on only one type of plant, possibly exclusively on vaginal cottongrass ( Eriophorum vaginatum ), but possibly also on the heather family .
Reproduction and development
The bog beetle cicada, like all cicadas, is hemimetabolic . The larvae develop directly. The larvae and the adult animals basically have the same body structure. With increasing age, the systems for the wings and genital fittings grow and grow. They go through five larval stages up to the adult animal, which merge into one another by moulting . They form only one generation a year and overwinter in the egg stage. The adults can be found between July and October.
distribution and habitat
The bog beetle cicada is common in Eurosiberia. It occurs in rain and intermediate moors. In Germany the species has its main distribution in the area of the rain bogs of northwest Germany and the Alpine foothills . It seems to be missing in the low mountain range .
Hazard and protection
The cicada species is not specially protected. In Germany, however, it is considered a severely endangered species due to the decline and impairment of its habitats (hazard category 2).
Sources and further reading
swell
- ^ R. Remane, E. Wachmann : Cicadas - get to know, observe - Naturbuch Verlag, Augsburg, 1993. ISBN 3-89440-044-7
- ^ WE Holzinger, I. Kammerlander, H. Nickel: The Auchenorrhyncha of Central Europe - Die Zikaden Mitteleuropas. Volume 1: Fulgoromorpha, Cicadomorpha excl. Cicadellidae. - Brill, Leiden 2003, ISBN 90-04-12895-6 .
- ^ R. Biedermann, R. Niedringhaus: The cicadas of Germany - identification tables for all kinds. Fründ, Scheeßel 2004, ISBN 3-00-012806-9 .
- ^ H. Nickel: The leafhoppers and planthoppers of Germany (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha): Patterns and strategies in a highly diverse group of phytophagous insects. Pensoft, Sofia / Moscow 2003, ISBN 954-642-169-3 .
- ↑ Red List of Cicadas in Germany (PDF 3.0 MB, published in: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 )
literature
- E. Freese, R. Biedermann: Typhobionte and tyrphophilic cicadas (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha) in the raised bog remains of the Weser-Ems region (Germany, Lower Saxony). (PDF; 295 kB) In: Contributions to the cicada. Hall 8.2005, pp. 5-28, ISSN 1434-2065 .
