Birch bug
| Birch bug | ||||||||||
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Birch bug ( Kleidocerys resedae resedae ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Kleidocerys resedae | ||||||||||
| ( Panzer , 1797) |
The birch bug ( Kleidocerys resedae ) is a bug (Heteroptera) belonging to the family of ground bugs (Lygaeidae ). The German name refers to the preferred place of residence on birches ( Betula ), where the animals can often be observed in large numbers. In many cases it occurs in such large quantities that it can be smelled even from a great distance. If the animals are disturbed, they often chirp very audibly.
Subspecies
- Kleidocerys resedae fuscomaculatus Barber, 1953
- Kleidocerys resedae geminatus (Say, 1832)
- Kleidocerys resedae resedae (carapace, 1797)
distribution and habitat
The birch bug is widespread in the Holarctic . The subspecies Kleidocerys resedae resedae occurs in northern and central Europe to the northern edge of the Mediterranean region. To the east, its area extends to Siberia and finally via Inner Asia to China. The bug is common everywhere in Germany and Austria. In North America, Kleidocerys resedae geminatus and Kleidocerys resedae fuscomaculatus occur.
features
The species is broadly oval in shape and colored reddish brown. The body length of the insects is between 4.5 and 6 millimeters. The head, the pronotum and the scutellum are covered with numerous black to brown pits. The transverse grooves of the pronotum are lined with black. The clavus of the half-ceilings (hemielytres) adjacent to the label has three rows of points. The corium and membrane of the forewings are light and transparent like glass. The reddish legs are comparatively short. The antennae are four-part.
Way of life
The bugs prefer to live on birch trees, but are also found on other deciduous trees such as alder ( Alnus ) or mountain ash ( Sorbus ), sometimes also on herbaceous plants . The adult animals and their larvae suckle the seeds of the fruit clusters at all stages of maturity. Occasionally, they also sting small insects and their eggs. In the Alps from a height of 2000 meters above sea level. NN to observe a food crop change on rhododendrons .
During the first cool nights, the adult animals seek sheltered places and hiding places in wooden crevices, under bark or in dry litter for wintering. The adults appear in spring, often at the end of March. After a phase of extensive spreading flights and mating activity, the females lay the eggs individually or in groups on the immature fruit stands of the food plants between May and June. The larvae grow up by August. They often form conspicuous schools with high numbers of individuals.
Both when mating and when alarmed, the bedbugs of both sexes emit clearly audible chirps. The tones are produced by rubbing together a row of teeth, a vein on the underside of the hind wings and an edge on the back of the rear chest section.
Occasionally, the bedbugs invade apartments to hibernate. At room temperature they are mobile and fly to the light or to the window. When caught, they secrete a defensive secretion that can be annoying due to its penetrating smell. As sap suckers, the animals in the living area are harmless and cannot cause any damage. They perish after a few days.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kleidocerys resedae in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
literature
- E. Security guard : watch bugs - get to know . J. Neumann - Neudamm, Melsungen 1989, ISBN 3-7888-0554-4 .
- E. Wagner: Heteroptera Hemiptera. - In: Brohmer, P., P. Ehrmann & G. Ulmer (eds.): Die Tierwelt Mitteleuropas. IV, 3 (Xa). - Leipzig 1959, 173 pp.
- E. Wachmann, Albert Melber, Jürgen Deckert: Bugs Volume 3: Aradidae, Lygaeidae, Piesmatidae, Berytidae, Pyrrhocoridae, Alydidae, Coreidae, Rhopalidae, Stenocephalidae , Goecke & Evers, Keltern 2007, ISBN 978-3-937783-29-1 .
Web links
- Fauna Europaea: Taxonomy (English)