Attagenus punctatus
| Attagenus punctatus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attagenus punctatus , female |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Attagenus punctatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Scopoli , 1772) |
Attagenus punctatus is a beetle from the family of the bacon beetle . The species name "punctatus" ( Latin ) means dotted and refers to the white spots on the pronotum and the wing covers . The genus name Attagenus from ancient Gr. ατταγήν attagēn, hazel grouse. The genus is represented in Europe with 44 species . The beetle reaches a length of 3.5 to 5.5 millimeters.
Characteristics of the beetle
The body is elongated oval and arched in cross section. It is black and only slightly shiny because of the fine, semi-protruding hair. Tarsi and antennae are sometimes lighter. The pronotum and elytra are covered with numerous patches of white scale hair. The spots can be very prominent, but can also become indistinct on older specimens due to wear and tear. Usually there is one spot each in the posterior corner of the pronotum, five spots are in a row parallel to the suture of the wing-cover and further spots are approximately equally densely distributed on the sides of the wing-covers. Some descriptors also gave the beetle the specific epithet "vigintipunctata", i.e. 20-dotted.
The head is pointing down. On the underside, it is not drawn into the pronotum, but is free. The antennae are eleven links, the last three links form a club. In the males the last antennae is only slightly larger than the two preceding antennae elements together, in the female it is significantly shorter (Fig. 1 and 2). In addition to the rounded compound eyes, there is also a button-shaped ocellus on the forehead . The jaw probes are four-part, the lip probes are three-part.
The pronotum is bell-shaped, its base is double-arched. The side edge of the pronotum is completely canted.
The front hips protrude from the front chest like a cone. They don't touch. The rear hips have a longitudinal recess into which the hind legs can be inserted. The tarsi are all five-part.
biology
The larva develops in hollow trees that are exposed to the sun. They probably feed on the remains of dead insects there. The beetles eat pollen and can be found on flowering shrubs in deciduous forests, gardens and parks, especially hawthorn , from April to July . This is also where mating takes place.
The life cycle usually lasts one year, but under unfavorable conditions it can be extended to two years. Both larvae and adult beetles overwinter . Pupation takes place after the 5th molt in August, the imago hatches about 20 days later.
distribution
The species is distributed from southern Europe to southern northern Europe, but is usually rare. In Central Europe it is widespread in the south and center, in the north it is rare and is absent in certain areas. To the east, the distribution area extends to the Caucasus.
literature
- Heinz Joy, Karl Wilhelm Harde, Gustav Adolf Lohse: The beetles of Central Europe . tape 6 : Diversicornia . Spectrum, Heidelberg 1979, ISBN 3-87263-027-X .
- Klaus Koch : The Beetles of Central Europe Ecology . 1st edition. tape 2 . Goecke & Evers, Krefeld 1989, ISBN 3-87263-040-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Attagenus punctatus in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved January 12, 2011
- ↑ Sigmund Schenkling: Explanation of the scientific beetle names (species)
- ↑ Attagenus at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved February 12, 2013
- ^ Polish website on Attagenus punctatus
