Common bush thief
| Common bush thief | ||||||||||||
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Common shrub thief ( Neoitamus cf. cyanurus ), female |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Neoitamus cyanurus | ||||||||||||
| Loew , 1849 |
The common shrub thief ( Neoitamus cyanurus (Loew, 1849), as originally described in the genus Itamus ) is a widespread species of predatory fly , whose flight time in Central Europe ranges from May to September.
features
Clear features of European Neoitamus species are the strongly angled hair behind the eyes and the very long egg-laying apparatus ( ovipositor ) of the females. The thorax and the first five segments of the abdomen of this species are gray, with the abdomen dusted brown on top. The abdomen is very narrow compared to the thorax. From the sixth abdominal segment, the color is black-blue and shiny. This black-blue part of the abdomen is narrowed to an ovipositor in females. The legs, which serve as catch legs, are very long and have short, thickened bristles. The mouthparts are approximately head-length and designed as proboscis and proboscis and surrounded by a beard made of bristles. The three Neoitamus species found in Central Europe can best be distinguished by examining the male genital apparatus. The females can only be addressed as species on the basis of the different distribution of the microhairs on the wings.
Way of life
The adult animals usually lurk on a tree trunk or on a similar, elevated waiting area for insects that fly by, which they then grasp in flight with their long hairy front legs. The prey animals are often larger than the common bush thief. It has a very wide range of prey. These include, for example, flies , gnats , cicadas , soft beetles and many more.
The larvae develop in the soil and feed on insect larvae there.
Habitat, endangerment, protection
The common shrub thief is a species that is common in comparison to other species of predatory flies and is widespread in large parts of Central Europe. In the literature, it is reported to have spread in 17 European countries. In Germany, for example, only evidence is missing in Saarland, where the species is very likely to occur. In some countries, such as Denmark, the species is on the red list . To their environment ( habitat ), the kind, no special claims. In addition to forests in their various forms, it also inhabits woody gardens and parks.
Detail of a common shrub thief ( Neoitamus cf. cyanurus )
The common bush thief ( Neoitamus cf. cyanurus ) at a fly meal
The common bush thief ( Neoitamus cf. cyanurus ) mating
literature
- Fritz Geller-Grimm: Photo atlas and identification key for predatory flies in Germany (Diptera: Asilidae). CD-ROM. Amphx-Verlag, Halle (Saale) 2003, ISBN 3932795180
- FH Loew : About the European predatory flies (Diptera, Asilica). In: Linnaea entomologica . Volume 4. 1849.
