Greenhouse insect
| Greenhouse insect | ||||||||||||
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Greenhouse insect ( Diestrammena asynamora ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Diestrammena asynamora | ||||||||||||
| ( Adelung , 1902) |
The greenhouse insect ( Diestrammena asynamora , Syn . : Tachycines asynamorus ) is a long- feeler insect from the family of the Rhaphidophoridae . The species was described in 1902 by Johann Christian Adelung based on specimens that were caught in the palm houses of St. Petersburg . The heat-loving, tropical species was abducted worldwide by humans and is now often synanthropic near humans, especially in greenhouses. The animals are crepuscular and nocturnal and feed on various small insects as well as on plant material such as fruits, seeds, seedlings or young leaves and flowers.
features
The animals reach a body length of 13 to 19 millimeters and have a clearly humped, stocky build. The ovipositor of the females, which is slightly curved upwards, is another 10 to 14 millimeters long. These locusts have a gray to yellow-brown or reddish-brown basic color, especially the abdomen is patterned with dark brown spots and stripes. The pronotum has a dark brown edge, the legs are dark and light ringed, this pattern is particularly well recognizable on the hind legs. The antennae , palps , legs and cerci are strikingly long. With a length of 70 to 80 millimeters, the antennae are about four times longer than the body, the cerci reach about 10 millimeters in both males and females and are flexible, hairy all around and evenly tapered towards the tip. The jaw probes have a length of up to 15 millimeters. Greenhouse horrors have neither ear openings nor point eyes ( ocelli ), but their compound eyes are fully developed. It is believed that their long legs are an adaptation to the nocturnal lifestyle and are used as additional tactile organs. The cerci are also used for touching, the males cannot reach with them and therefore cannot use them when mating. The tarsi on the front and middle legs are only slightly shorter than the thighs ( femora ). On the tip of the thighs of the middle pair of legs there are two long, movable thorns, on the front legs there is another, outward-pointing thorn. The hind legs are long and double thorn on the rails ( tibia ), which are rounded on the underside .
Similar species
The species can be confused with Kollar's cave shrimp ( Troglophilus cavicola ), which occurs from southeastern Switzerland via Italy (there south to Lake Como ) and southern Austria to Greece. The greenhouse insect differs from this species in its thorns on the front and middle legs and in the female's laying tube, which tapers evenly directly after the thickened base. In Kollar's cave shrimp, the laying tube is shorter and wider, especially the first third is significantly enlarged.
Occurrence
The natural occurrence of the greenhouse insect is still unknown, but it is assumed that it comes from East Asia, probably from China. Preference is given to moist and warm habitats that offer sufficient hiding places. It was abducted worldwide by humans. In Europe, the species has only occurred synanthropically near humans since the end of the 19th century . It has been found in the greenhouses of almost all botanical gardens in Europe, as well as in zoos and nurseries, but through targeted control, especially in the latter, unlike in botanical gardens, it is no longer as common. The animals can also be found in warm cellars. In the temperate latitudes, the species occurs outdoors only during very hot summers. Due to its synanthropic way of life, the species occurs throughout the year in continuous generation succession.
Way of life
The animals are active at twilight and at night, avoid light and hide during the day between boards and other objects such as flower pots. They feed carnivorously on various small insects, such as aphids and also dead insects, as well as on plant material such as fruits, seeds, seedlings or young leaves and flowers. As a result, they cause damage in greenhouses, especially when they occur in large numbers. The greenhouse terrors can jump up to 1.5 meters and 0.5 meters high with their well-trained jumping muscles. Even when males fight with each other, the jumping muscles are used to fend off rivals, which is particularly common in hiding places with large population densities.
pairing
The animals, like all representatives of the cave horror, can not make noises; the males woo the females with noiseless swinging movements. When mating, the male pushes himself from the front under the female, who lifts himself up and then climbs over the male. The male has glands on the back, which the female licks off. The spermatophore is finally attached to the end of the abdomen of the female, the two animals are then connected to each other only through this. After mating, the male climbs out from under the female, the latter remains seated and begins to eat the spermatophore. The spermatophore has a well-developed spermatophylax that protrudes the farthest and is eaten first during the next one to two hours. In the meantime, the ampoule with the spermatozoa empties undamaged into the genital opening and is only then also consumed.
development
The females lay their eggs one by one, mainly in the soil of flower pots, and drill their ovipositor vertically up to the stop at a depth of 7 to 12 millimeters. One to 90 eggs are laid per night, a total of up to 900. These are two millimeters long and one millimeter wide. After it has been deposited, the pierced hole is closed again with the Ovipositor. The larvae hatch after three to four months, but since the development of the animals is not synchronized, all stages of development can be observed at the same time. The larvae need around seven months to develop to form an imago . During this time about 10 molts occur. To do this, the larvae cling to their hind legs to strip off the larval skin. This is eaten after molting, which takes 15 to 20 minutes. After a further one to five hours, the new chitin skin of the animals is hardened and colored.
Danger
Due to its synanthropic way of life and its frequent occurrence, the species is considered not endangered and is accordingly not endangered in the Red Lists of Endangered Species in Europe.
Synonyms
The following two synonyms are currently recognized:
- Tachycines meditationis (Würmli, 1973)
- Tachycines minor (Chopard, 1963)
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Peter Detzel: The locusts of Baden-Württemberg . Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3507-8 , pp. 287 ff .
- ↑ a b c Heiko Bellmann : The cosmos of locust leader. Determine the species of Central Europe with certainty . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-10447-8 , pp. 162 .
- ↑ a b c d e Bertrand & Hannes Baur, Christian & Daniel Roesti: The locusts of Switzerland . Haupt Verlag, Bern 2006, ISBN 3-258-07053-9 , p. 158 f .
- ↑ DC Eades & D. Otte: Species Diestrammena (Tachycines) asynamora (Adelung, 1902). In: Orthoptera Species File Online. Retrieved July 2, 2013 .
literature
- Heiko Bellmann : The cosmos of locust leaders, defining the types of Central Europe with certainty. Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-10447-8 .
- Bertrand & Hannes Baur, Christian & Daniel Roesti: The locusts of Switzerland. Haupt Verlag, Bern 2006, ISBN 3-258-07053-9 .
- Peter Detzel: The locusts of Baden-Württemberg. Verlag Eugen Ulmer GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3507-8 .
