Blood droppings
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Common bloodhopper ( Cercopis vulnerata ) |
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| Leach , 1815 |
Blood droppings (Cercopidae), engl. froghoppers , are a family of the round-headed leafhoppers (Cicadomorpha) from the superfamily of the Cercopoidea. These insects are markedly black and red - hence the name - in contrast to the brownish and straw-colored foam cicadas (Aphrophoridae), their sister group . Another distinguishing feature is that the larvae of foam cicadas live in self-made foam covers, the so-called cuckoo's saliva .
Blood calads are recruited in Central Europe from two genera Cercopis and Haematoloma with a total of five species. On the Balkan Peninsula, another genus of the blood-hoppers with the species Triecphorella geniculatus is added for Europe . Species of the Cercopidae are native to almost all zoogeographical regions. In the Palearctic , the blood-hoppers are represented by only twelve species, but in the tropics they are very species-rich, although not all species outside Central Europe have this black-red color.
The most common type of blood-hoppers, the common blood-hippopotamus, was named Insect of the Year 2009 in Germany.
general description
The blood-hoppers get their name from the bright red drawing of the black front wing- covers ( elytra ) of the adult beetle-like animals, whereby the extent of the red coloration can vary between and within the species. The insects are very rarely colored completely black. The conspicuous coloration of the blood-hoppers together with their "carefree" behavior suggest that they contain chemical ingredients that make them inedible, at least for some insectivores. In comparison to other correspondingly colored taxa in Central Europe, the frequency of the blood-hoppers is so great that a so-called Bates'sche mimicry as an imitator of protected taxa seems unlikely.
Blood droppings can be about 6.7 to almost 10.5 millimeters long, depending on the species. The body shape is usually elongated or broad-elongated oval in outline. The elytra are leathery, covered with pits and, with the exception of the pine- blooded plantain ( Haematoloma dorsata ), hairless. Blood cicadas , although often confused with beetles ( Coleoptera ), are easily recognizable as cicadas by their roof-like wing posture. The membranous hind wings lie under the forewings.
The legs, which are completely black with the exception of Cercopis intermedia, are characteristically shaped. The rails of the rear pair of legs ( tibia ) are round and relatively short in cross-section. The rails have one or two strong thorns (see arrows in the basic construction plan) and a wreath of thorns on the base. In contrast to the sluggish larvae, the legs of the adult blood-hoppers give them good jumping power. The mighty thorns on their hind legs benefit them when jumping, as they give the jump legs support on the surface.
When viewed from above, the head of the blood-hoppers is usually much narrower than the pronotum and has two point eyes ( ocelli ), a pair of compound eyes and a pair of short, bristle-shaped antennae . The forehead plate ( clypeus ) (head area between the ocelles) is vaulted like a bubble when viewed from the front and the side and contains the suction pump. Like all cicadas, blood hoppers also have a proboscis for feeding. The lower lip ( labium ) of the animals is designed as a slide for the spikes made up of the mandibles and maxillae . Inside the laciniae (part of the maxilla) there is a channel through which suction can take place, as well as a saliva channel through which saliva is conducted into the feeding site. In all Schnabelkerfen parts of the oral cavity are transformed into a suction pump.
Way of life
Common to all blood cicadas are the sucking diet and the mostly low host plant specificity. The larvae live in foam nests in the ground or in the litter , where they also hibernate. All blood cicadas make up one generation per year. They mostly prefer thermally favored open biotopes, such as vineyards and meadows, where the adult animals mostly suckle on grasses and herbs .
nutrition
As with all cicadas, the blood cicadas are nourished by piercing and sucking out certain parts of the plant, like a straw. Cicadas depend on food that is already liquid. While the adult blood cicadas suckle with ascending sap ( xylem ) especially on the ducts of above-ground parts of plants , their larvae feed on the sap of the roots or the basal parts of their host plants. In contrast to the phloem juice, the xylem juice is significantly poorer in nutrients, which is why a lot of it has to be absorbed. As a result, a great deal of liquid is separated out again. Most species of cicada are restricted to certain nutrient plants. Blood cicadas, on the other hand, are usually polyphagous to oligophagous , which means that they are not very particular about their food and use several plant genera or families.
Reproduction and advertising behavior
The males of the blood cicadas, like all male cicadas and sometimes the females, are able to produce rhythmic chants. These are generated by special drum organs (tymbal organs) which are located on the sides of the 1st abdominal segment. By pulling a strong sing muscle, the membrane of the drum organs is set in vibration. The noise is generated by indenting (muscle pull) and jumping back (inherent elasticity). In the males of the common blood-hippopotamus, a vibration of the abdomen can be observed during the song, which is accompanied by very fast wing beats. The flapping of the wings may amplify the singing interpreted as advertising. A single call takes about five seconds. Another part of the males' advertising is to trick the female's forewing tips with her front legs.
Mating is initiated by the male by anchoring his genital fittings to that of the female. It sits diagonally next to the female during the entire copulation and holds on to the side. This creates a V-position that is typical of blood-hoppers and other representatives of the Cicadoidea. Mating periods of up to five hours have been observed in the common blood-plant. The female lays the eggs close to the ground, in cracks in the ground with roots or in the litter on the respective host plants. The larva hatches from the egg.
Development of the larvae
Blood cicadas undergo an incomplete transformation from the egg via the larva directly (without the pupal stage) to the full insect ( imago ). They are hemimetabolic . The development of the larvae takes place over five stages, whereby with increasing age the facilities for the organs of the adult animal (wings, genital fittings) form and enlarge. The various stages merge into one another via molting. The back of the larvae is highly arched in a semicircular cross-section, the belly is concave. The head is strongly bulged in front of the antennae and eyes and overall round. The larvae live hidden in small burrows or under stones on the roots of herbaceous plants, encased in a foam nest. The larvae have a respiratory cavity on their abdomen that has evolved from the folds of the abdominal rings. The respiratory orifices (stigmata), the points where the trachea meet on the surface of the body, are located in the respiratory cavity . The trachea form a system of breathing tubes that run through the entire body of an insect and is the equivalent of our lungs . The foam is generated by rhythmically pumping in air bubbles from the respiratory cavity into a protein-containing liquid, which the larvae secrete from the anus. The consistency of the foam can only be maintained because the animals excrete mucous substances ( glycosaminoglycans, formerly mucopolysaccharides ) and proteins from special excretory organs in the intestine ( Malpighian vessels ) . The larvae overwinter in these foam nests. The foam protects the larvae sitting in it from enemies, but primarily receives the moisture and temperature necessary for further development.
Description of the Central European species
Common bloodhopper
The common bloodhopper ( Cercopis vulnerata ) is a European species and very common here. Your area boundary is in the north of Central Europe. The common bloodhopper was named Insect of the Year 2009.
The common blood-hippopotamus reaches body lengths of 8.9 to 10.5 millimeters, making it one of the largest of the species described here. The cicada can be recognized by the deeply bulged red wing band in front of the end of the forewings. The cicada prefers moderately dry to moderately wet locations in sunny to partially shaded locations. They settled mostly poor grasslands , meadows , clearings, displacement and grave edges, Hochstaudenfluren and sparse forests. There you can find the adult animals in lower elevations from the beginning of May to mid-July, in higher elevations from June to the end of August. The animals live mainly on tall herbs and grasses, for example oats ( Arrhenatherum elatius ), great nettles ( Urtica dioica ) or lupins ( Lupinus ). The species forms one generation a year. The cicadas live up to an altitude of 1880 meters.
Conjunctivitis
The Cercopis sanguinolenta was originally widespread in Eastern Europe (Mediterranean region, Asia Minor), but has settled in islands in southern Central Europe in places with less heat. It occurs in southern Switzerland and in eastern Austria. In Germany it only lives in a few isolated locations and is considered severely endangered according to the Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany .
The cicada species is between 7.7 and 9.5 millimeters in size. In this species, the red wing band in front of the tip of the forewing is clearly flatter than in the common blood plant. Their body outline is oblong-oval. The connexive sections of the abdomen are single-colored red and have a more or less large black central spot. The cicada lives in sunny to partially shaded, moist to dry locations, mostly in tall meadows, dry lawns, fallow vineyards , in perennial meadows and on the edges of forests on grasses and herbs such as oat ( Arrhenatherrum elatius ), meadow sage ( Salvia pratensis ), pinnate pinnae ( Brachypodium ) or small meadow rue ( Thalictrum minus ). Here you can find the adults of this species from the beginning of May to the end of July. The animals live up to altitudes of 1880 meters.
Vineyard blood sugarcade
The vineyard bloodhopper ( Cercopis arcuata ) is common in southern Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the central and eastern Mediterranean region. There are three historical reports from Germany. It is considered extinct here according to the Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. It is also known from the warmer regions of southern and eastern Austria, France and the Czech Republic .
The Weinbergsblutzikade reaches body lengths of 7.5 to 9 millimeters. Their body outline is broad-oval. It is very similar to the connective blood plant, but it lacks the black center point on the connexive sections. The cicada lives in thermally favored meadows, vineyards, light pine and oak forests as well as on the edges of forests. The adult animals can be found there from the beginning of May to the beginning of July. Your nutritional plants are likely to be grasses and herbs. The animals can be found at altitudes of up to 700 meters.
Cercopis intermedia
Cercopis intermedia is a type of blood carcass without a German name, the name Rotknie-Blutzikade is used by some authors. In Germany and Switzerland, it has not yet been proven, although older, as yet not verified information is available. German names have only existed for a few years for the species occurring in Germany. The species occurs in Western Europe (excluding the British Isles ), in the Mediterranean area including North Africa , Southern Russia, Asia Minor and the Middle East . It may also be native to southwest central Europe.
This species of cicada reaches body lengths between 8.2 and 9.7 millimeters. The body outline is more or less elongated-oval. In contrast to the other species with black legs described here, the "knees" (tibia- femur- joint) of this species are colored red. Little is known about their biology. The adults appear between the beginning of April and June.
Pine tree feline
The pine tree fungal tree ( Haematoloma dorsata ) is an example of the spread of insects in a historically short time (area expansion). It immigrated from the Mediterranean to Central Europe and Germany in the 1930s (1935, on the Middle Rhine near Bonn) and has spread continuously to the north and east (since 2002 in Saxony-Anhalt). The northern limit of their occurrence currently runs from the East Frisian Islands (since 1987 on Borkum) via the Weser - Ems area (since 1969) and Hesse to western Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The species was first detected in Carinthia in 1996 , which is still the only place where it was found in Austria .
The Kiefernblutzikade is approximately between 6.7 and 7.5 millimeters in size. The species is dense and finely hairy on the wing covers. The cicada can be distinguished from the other species described here by the red leading edge of the wing, which can only be black in very dark specimens. The red color can vary in intensity depending on age, from bright red in the youth stage to dark red in older animals. In a very rare color morph, the entire elytra are colored red. The cicada prefers light forests in fresh to dry locations, mostly on limestone or sandy soils. The larvae live in the soil litter, on the basal parts of the shoots of grass, predominantly snake-smack ( Deschampsia flexuosa ). After the adult molt in the grass vegetation on the forest floor, the adult animals go to the tree layer, where they suckle on pine needles between the end of April and the end of July. Mating also takes place there. The animals go back to the grass layer to lay their eggs. The cicadas live up to an altitude of 700 meters.
Phylogeny and systematics of the Cercopidae
According to current opinion, the Cercopoidea are next to the Membracoidea and the Cicadoidea a superfamily of the round-headed leafhoppers (Cicadomorpha). The superfamily has around 3000 species worldwide. It includes the families Cercopidae, Aphrodinae, Epiphygidae, Clastopteridae and Machaerotidae (see figure on the right). A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily of the cercopoidea based on the determination of the ribosomal 18S-r DNA , 28S-rDNA and histones 3 confirms the monophyly of the superfamily. Furthermore, the Cercopidae family has been identified as a monophyletic group, while the Aphrophoridae are likely a Paraphylum . It is certain that all larvae of the representatives of the families live in foam nests with the exception of the tropical Machaerotidae, whose larvae exist in water-filled, self-made chalky tubes.
There are over 1500 species of blood-hoppers worldwide. The number of species in the Paleotropic and Nearctic cannot be researched at the moment. In the Neotropic there are over 400 known species in the Cercopidae family, and new species are currently being discovered and described. In Australia, the number of species of bloodlines described is at least nine. There are no blood-hoppers in New Zealand. In Europe there are 6 species in 3 genera, of which 5 species occur in 2 genera in Central Europe and 4 species in 2 genera in Germany. Another species is Cercopis sabaudiana Lallemand, but this is only known from a single female from the Cottian Alps near Exilles in 1949 and is therefore rather doubtful. The following 12 species are described in the Palearctic:
- Vineyard blood sugarcade Cercopis arcuata ( Fever , 1844)
- Cercopis distincta ( Melchiar , 1896)
- Red-knee plant hoppers Cercopis intermedia cherry tree , 1868
- Cercopis musiva ( Haupt , 1917)
- Cercopis numida Guérin-Méneville , 1844
- Bindenblutzikade Cercopis sanguinolenta ( Scopoli , 1763)
- Cercopis septemmaculata ( Melchiar , 1903)
- Common bloodhopper Cercopis vulnerata Rossi , 1807
- Eoscartopsis assimilis ( Uhler , 1896)
- Gynopygoplax plutonica ( Butler , 1874)
- Pine tree plant hematoloma dorsata ( Ahrens , 1812)
- Hemitriecphorella enigmatica nom. n.
- Paphnutius ostentus ( Distant , 1916)
- Paphnutius rufifrons ( Jacobi , 1921)
- Paracercopis fusca ( Melchiar , 1902)
- Paracercopis seminigra ( Melchiar , 1902)
- Triecphorella geniculata ( Horváth , 1882)
Here is a selection of other types:
- Aeneolamia contigua ( Walker , 1851)
- Okiscarta kotoensis ( Kato , 1928) (Synonym Cosmoscarta kotoensis)
- Mahanarva costaricensis ( Distant , 1879)
- Phymatostetha deschampsi Lethierry , 1892
- Prosapia bicincta ( Say , 1830)
- Prosapia plagiata ( Distant , 1878)
- Zulia vilior ( Fowler , 1897)
Economic and cultural importance
From the Netherlands and the Mediterranean region, local suction damage to pines in afforestation by the pine tree fever has been reported. Otherwise, blood clots are completely harmless to humans and, apart from the example mentioned, are not of economic interest in Europe. In contrast, several species of the Mahanarva genus in South and Central America cause sucking damage to pasture grasses and especially to sugar cane . In West and Central Africa , Locris rubens (Erichson) causes significant agricultural damage to black millet ( Sorghum bicolor ), maize ( Zea mays ) and sugar cane ( Saccharum officinarum ). The cicada sucks on all parts of the plant including the panicles . This is how it transmits Colletotrichum camelliae , the pathogen causing yellow spot disease . This can cause young leaves and whole plants to die.
Due to their eye-catching coloration, blood-hoppers are still popular motifs when decorating everyday objects such as vases or tablecloths, but also postage stamps. In Provence in particular , cicadas are symbolically used as an expression of the light, Mediterranean attitude to life. Mostly it is singing cicadas that are shown, but often also the intensely colored blood cicadas.
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Individual evidence
- ^ W. Westheide, R. Rieger (Ed.): Special Zoology. Part 1: Protozoa and invertebrates. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart / Jena / New York 1996, pp. 651–652.
- ↑ a b C. Kehlmaier: On the distribution, life cycle and song of the blutzikade Cercopis vulnerata Rossi, 1807 (Auchenorrhyncha: Cercopidae) at the Lüneburg Schildstein (Lower Saxony). In: Braunschweiger Naturkundliche Schriften. 6 (1), 2000, pp. 69-84.
- ↑ R. Remane, E. Wachmann : Cicadas - get to know, observe. Naturbuch Verlag, Augsburg 1993, ISBN 3-89440-044-7 , p. 35.
- ↑ G. Mauri: La cicaletta nero rossa nel Canton Ticino. In: Informatore Fitopatologoco. 9/10, 1982, pp. 25-28.
- ^ A b J. R. Cryan: Molecular phylogeny of Cicadomorpha (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadoidea, Cercopoidea, and Membracoidea): adding evidence to controversy. In: Systematic Entomology. 30 (4), October 2005, pp. 563-574.
- ↑ a b 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 .
- ^ CH Dietrich: Evolution of Cicadomorpha (Insecta, Hemiptera). In: Cicadas, leafhoppers, planthoppers and cicadas (Insekta, Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha). (= Denisia. 6). 2002, ISBN 3-85474-077-8 , 2002, pp. 155-169.
- ^ Danice H. Costes, Michael D. Webb: Four new species of Neotropical spittlebugs (Hemiptera, Cercopidae, Tomaspidinae). In: Revista Brasileira de Entomologia. 48 (3), 2004, pp. 391-393, ISSN 0085-5626 scielo.br
- ^ MJ Fletcher: Identification Key and Checklists for the Froghoppers and Spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Cercopoidea) of Australia and New Zealand. Available online. First published: February 2, 2000, last update: May 17, 2006, accessed on May 24, 2006. agric.nsw.gov.au .
- ↑ Cercopidae in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved March 2, 2015
- ^ WE Holzinger: Provisional directory of the cicadas of Central Europe (Insecta: Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha et Cicadomorpha); Preliminary checklist of the Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers, planthoppers, froghoppers, treehoppers, cicadas) of Central Europe. Status 2003 ( ( page no longer available , search in web archives ); PDF; 122 kB), accessed on May 8, 2007
- ↑ Herbert Nickel, Reinhard Remane: List of species of cicadas in Germany, with information on nutrient plants, food breadth, life cycle, area and endangerment (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha et Cicadomorpha). In: Contributions to the cicada. 5, 2002, pp. 27-64. ( Full text ; PDF, German; 234 kB)
- ↑ Werner E. Holzinger: Die Gemeine Blutzikade (Cercopis vulnerata) - the insect of the year 2009 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cercopidae). In: Contributions to entomofaunistics. 9, Vienna 2008, pp. 193–208, oegef.at (PDF, German)
- ↑ J. Nast: Palearctic Auchenorrhyncha (Homoptera) an annotated check list . PWN - Polish Scientific Publishers, Warsaw 1972, pp. 156-159.
- ^ NCBI National Center for Biotechnology Information ncbi.nlm.nih.gov , accessed September 1, 2006.
- ^ Daniel C. Peck, Jairo Rodriguez Ch., Luisa Gomez: Identity and first record of the spittlebug Mahanarva bipars (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cercopidae) on sugarcane in Colombia. In: Florida Entomologist. 87 (1), March 2004, (PDF)
- ↑ O. Ajayi, FA Oboite: Importance of spittle bugs, Locris rubens (Erichson) and Poophilus costal (Walker) on sorghum in West and Central Africa, with emphasis on Nigeria. In: Annals of Applied Biology. Volume 136, February 2000, p. 9. doi : 10.1111 / j.1744-7348.2000.tb00002.x .
literature
- R. Biedermann, R. Niedringhaus: The cicadas of Germany - identification tables for all kinds. Fründ, Scheeßel 2004, ISBN 3-00-012806-9 .
- M. Boulard: Diversité des Auchénorhynques Cicadomorphes Formes, couleurs et comportements (Diversité structurelle ou taxonomique Diversité particulière aux Cicadidés). (= Denisia. 6). Linz 2002, ISBN 3-85474-077-8 , pp. 171-214.
- 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 .
- WE Holzinger: Red List of Carinthia's cicadas (Insecta: Auchenorrhyncha). In: T. Rottenburg, C. Wieser, P. Mildner, WE Holzinger (ed.): Red lists of endangered animals in Carinthia. (= Nature conservation in Carinthia. 15). 1999, pp. 425-450.
- R. Remane, Ekkehard Wachmann : Cicadas - get to know, observe. Naturbuch Verlag, Augsburg 1993, ISBN 3-89440-044-7 .
Web links
- Cercopidae at Fauna Europaea
- 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 )
- Article in the Welt Online from November 18, 2008: 'Common bloodhopper named insect of the year'
