Gorse seed beetle

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Gorse seed beetle
Bruchidius-villosus-01-fws.jpg

Gorse seed beetle ( Bruchidius villosus )

Systematics
Order : Beetle (Coleoptera)
Family : Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae)
Subfamily : Seed beetle (Bruchinae)
Tribe : Bruchini
Genre : Bruchidius
Type : Gorse seed beetle
Scientific name
Bruchidius villosus
( Fabricius , 1792)

The gorse seed beetle ( Bruchidius villosus ), syn. Bruchidius ater ( Marsham , 1802), is a species from the subfamily of the seed beetles (Bruchinae).

features

The beetle species has a great variability in terms of body size. This ranges from 1.7 to 3.5 mm. The black beetles have thick gray or olive-green hairs. The pronotum is broad and short. There is a fine central furrow at the base. The legs are black. The first four antennae are reddish, the third and fourth often only on the underside.

distribution

The species is native to Central and Southern Europe. In the north, the occurrence extends to Great Britain and Sweden. The beetle species was introduced in eastern North America around 1918 and caused a noticeable decline in broom. The occurrence currently extends along the North American east coast from Québec to North Carolina. In New Zealand and Australia, the beetle species was introduced to control introduced gorse species in 1987 and 1991, respectively. Also for biological pest control , a population of Bruchidius villosus was transferred from the east coast to the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington) in 1998 and settled there. This later expanded to British Columbia .

Way of life

The adults appear in spring, in the northern hemisphere from mid-March to late June. After mating, the female lays her eggs on the legumes of the host plants. These include broom broom ( Cytisus scoparius ), Genista monspessulana , Cytisus striatus , sprouting dwarf gorse ( Chamaecytisus proliferus ) and awl broom ( Spartium junceum ). The larvae hatch after one to two weeks. These bore into the pods and eat the seeds inside. The larvae go through four stages. Pupation , which lasts 10–20 days, takes place in the legumes. The next generation appears in July and August. This overwinters near the host plants in the foliage layer.

Natural enemies

The larvae are often attacked by parasitoids within the legumes .

Taxonomy

Some authors use the taxonomic name Bruchidius ater ( Marsham , 1802) for the species .

Further synonyms in the literature are:

  • Bruchus fasciatus
  • Bruchus pubescens Germar , 1824
  • Bruchidius cisti ( Fabricius ) auct.
  • Bruchus cisti ( Fabricius )

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Arved Lompe: Bruchidius determination table . coleonet.de. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  2. ↑ a b c d Bruchidius ater (Marsham, 1802) in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved May 28, 2019
  3. ↑ a b Species Bruchidius villosus - Broom Seed Beetle . bugguide.net. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  4. ↑ a b c R. Wittenberg & T. Thomann: Investigations on potential biological control agents of Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius (PDF, 629 KB) CABI Bioscience Switzerland Center. April 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f Bruchidius villosus . Washington State University, Integrated Weed Control Project. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  6. ↑ a b c d Bruchidius villosus (F.) (PDF, 723 KB) Government of British Columbia. Retrieved May 28, 2019.

Web links

Commons : Gorse Seed Beetle ( Bruchidius villosus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files