Common pill beetle

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Common pill beetle
Common pill beetle (Byrrhus pilula)

Common pill beetle ( Byrrhus pilula )

Systematics
Family : Pill Beetle (Byrrhidae)
Subfamily : Byrrhinae
Tribe : Byrrhini
Genre : Byrrhus
Subgenus : Byrrhus
Type : Common pill beetle
Scientific name
Byrrhus pilula
( Linnaeus , 1758)
Dorsal view of the common pill beetle
Ventral view of the common pill beetle with its extremities folded

The common pill beetle ( Byrrhus pilula ) is a beetle from the family of pill beetles (Byrrhidae).

Characteristics of the beetle

The elongated oval beetles have a body length of 6.7–9.3 mm. The elytra are broadest at about half the length of the body. The black-brown beetles have several rows of longitudinal spots of gold and black tomentose. The antennae roots are red-brown, while antennae and legs are black-brown in color. Like all representatives of the pill beetle, the common pill beetle has depressions on the underside into which it can sink its extremities in case of danger, thus taking on the shape of a "pill" and pretending to be dead.

distribution

The common pill beetle is a holoarctic species. The distribution area extends over the Palearctic (northern part of Eurasia, from Spain to Japan, also in the far north of Europe) and the Nearctic (North America). The species is also represented in the British Isles.

Way of life

The beetles are typically found in moss or on forest paths at all altitudes. Moss is the host and food plant of the beetle. The beetle larvae develop in the soil and feed on the rhizoids of the moss plants. The adult, inconspicuous beetles usually move very slowly.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b K. Hurka: Beetles of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Kabourek, Zlin 2005, ISBN 80-86447-11-1 , p. 110.
  2. ^ A b Karl Wilhelm Harde, Frantisek Severa, Edwin Möhn: Der Kosmos Käferführer: The Central European Beetles. Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-06959-1 , p. 202.
  3. ↑ a b c Jiří Zahradník, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung and others: Beetles of Central and Northwestern Europe. Parey, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1 , p. 159.
  4. ↑ a b Species Byrrhus pilula. bugguide.net, accessed April 1, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b Pill Beetle - Byrrhus pilula. www.naturespot.org.uk, accessed April 1, 2017 .

Web links

Commons : Common Pill Beetle ( Byrrhus pilula )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files