Deck wing

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Cover wing (also wing cover ) is a collective term for different types of thickened and hardened forewings of many insects . A greater degree of sclerosis increases the strength. So that this does not lead to excessively rigid and brittle wings, a stronger chitinization usually takes place.

Walking leaf (here female of Phyllium philippinicum ) with winged wings formed as tegmina
Warning on the wings of the common ram
( Clytus arietis )

Deck wing types

Depending on the type and distribution of the thickened areas, different types of cover wing are distinguished:

  • Elytra are always vein loose, often greatly thickened forewings of beetles (Coleoptera), earwigs (Dermaptera) and other insects. In the case of beetles, the side edge is also turned over and forms the so-called epipleures.
  • Hemielytren are the forewings of the bedbugs (Heteroptera), thickened by two thirds in the basal part . Your back third is membranous.
  • Pseudoelytres are the forewings of some insects, which are only slightly thicker than the hind wings.

Epipleurs

The bent lateral stripes of the wing covers and the pronotum of beetles are referred to as epipleurs, also known as false epipleurs or pseudopleurs . The term is also used for the epipleurite, the joint pieces lying under the wings, which were created as pieces separated from the pleure above.

Function of the deck wing

All types of wing panels have the function of protecting the abdomen and - if present - the sensitive rear wings from mechanical influences. Since they are always pigmented, they often contribute significantly to the appearance of the insect in question. This means that they can be an important part of camouflage (e.g. with the Walking Leaves ) as well as carriers of warning signals (e.g. with the ladybirds ) or part of the warning costume (e.g. with the common ram ).

Location in flight

Prepared Congo rose beetle
( Pachnoda marginata peregrina )
with wings unfolded from under the wings

At rest, the wing covers the abdomen or, depending on the length, at least parts of it.

In flight, they are folded forward at an angle so that the rear pair of wings that enable flying can be unfolded. Only in the rose beetles (Cetoniinae) are the cover wings placed over the abdomen after the hind wings have unfolded. The rear wings remain fully unfolded and functional thanks to special recesses on the edge of the cover wings, which are closed when flying.

Shape and size

Cover wings can be hairy, bristled, thorny, smooth or sculptured. They don't always cover the entire abdomen:

  • The tegmina of many ghost horrors, cockroaches, short-nose and long-feeler terrors are also greatly shortened and often only cover the base of the hind wings.

photos

literature

  • Erwin Hentschel, Günther Wagner: Zoological dictionary. 4th edition. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 1990, ISBN 3-334-00348-5 .
  • Christoph Seiler, Sven Bradler, Rainer Koch: Phasmids - care and breeding of ghosts, stick insects and walking leaves in the terrarium . bede, Ruhmannsfelden 2000, ISBN 3-933646-89-8 .
  • K. Günther, H.-J. Hannemann, F. Hieke, E. Königsmann, H. Schuman: Urania animal kingdom - insects. Urania-Verlag, Leipzig / Jena 1994, ISBN 3-332-00498-0 .
  • Michael Chinery: Parey's Book of Insects. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-440-09969-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinz Freude , Karl Wilhelm Harde , Gustav Adolf Lohse (ed.): Die Käfer Mitteleuropas (=  Käfer Mitteleuropas . Volume 1 : Introduction to Beetle Science ). 1st edition. Goecke & Evers, Krefeld 1965, ISBN 3-8274-0675-7 . P. 186
  2. ↑ Stefan von Kehler: Entomological Dictionary Berlin 1963 p. 200
  3. ^ Karl Wilhelm Harde, František Severa: Der Kosmos-Käferführer. Franck´sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 1988, ISBN 3-440-06959-1 .