Somersault
| Somersault | ||||||||||||
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Eucinetus US |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Eucinetidae | ||||||||||||
| Lacordaire , 1857 |
The somersault beetles (Eucinetidae) represent a family of the beetles (Coleoptera).
features
The representatives of this group reach body sizes between three and four millimeters. The body is egg-shaped, strongly arched and colored red-brown to black. The wing covers show noticeable stripes. In this they resemble the sting beetles (Mordellidae), and just like these, their escape reaction consists of "tumbling" movements. The antennae are eleven-limbed, the legs five-limbed.
Way of life
The beetles feed on rotting plant parts and live mainly on sandy and loess soils under such plant remains.
Systematics
In Europe, the somersault family is represented by eight species from three genera.
Genus Eucilodes
- Eucilodes caucasicus (Reitter, 1885)
Genus Eucinetus
- Eucinetus haemorrhoidalis (Germar, 1818)
Genus Nycteus
- Nycteus bicolor (Reitter, 1887)
- Nycteus hopffgarteni (Reitter, 1885)
- Nycteus meridionalis Laporte de Castelnau, 1836
- Nycteus oertzeni (Reitter, 1887)
- Nycteus prospector (Vit, 1985)
- Nycteus wollastoni (Vit, 1985)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eucinetidae. Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed on July 20, 2007 .
literature
- Jiří Zahradník : Beetles of Central and Northwestern Europe. An identification book for biologists and nature lovers. Parey, Hamburg et al. 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1 .
- Edmund Reitter : Fauna Germanica - The beetles of the German Empire. Volume 3 p. 247, KG Lutz, Stuttgart 1911
Web links
Commons : Eucinetidae - collection of images, videos and audio files
