Golden earth flea
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Golden earth flea ( Crepidodera aurea ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Crepidodera aurea | ||||||||||||
| ( Geoffroy , 1785) |
The golden earth flea ( Crepidodera aurea ) is a flea beetle from the family of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae).
features
The 2.5–3.8 mm large beetle appears in different basic colors depending on the light irradiation: golden green to copper red, bronze, brass colored, light green or blue. The upper wings (elytres) have a strong puncture. The femora of the rear legs are thickened. The antennae are red-yellow, the outer limbs are darkened and blurred.
The species is easily distinguishable from the similar Crepidodera aurata , with which it often occurs together , by the pronotum and elytra , which are differently colored in this species. The very similar Crepidodera aureola and Crepidodera fulvicornis differ in their somewhat smaller body size and the clearer, sharper transverse impression on the pronotum. Another typical feature of Crepidodera aurea is the double puncturing of the pronotum , with scattered coarse and, in between, much finer points.
distribution
The beetle species is widespread in Europe. Its northern distribution limit goes through the Netherlands, southern England, northern Germany and Denmark to the Baltic States, so it is absent in most of Scandinavia. In Central Europe, the species is considered common. The golden earth flea is also found in Asia Minor , in the Caucasus , in Western Siberia and in Transbaikalia .
Way of life
The beetles fly between April and early November. They are often found on poplars (especially aspen and black poplar ) and willows (especially white willow ). The larvae feed on the roots, preferring poplars to willows. On the poplar leaves, the beetles may also feed on parasitic sac fungi of the genus Venturia . Especially on aspens, the beetles can gnaw the leaves heavily, so that only the veins remain (skeletonize), this can go as far as devouring the bald spots. However, the species is not considered a significant forest pest. The adults overwinter on tufts of grass.
Taxonomy
The following synonyms are known from the literature :
- Chrysomela cyanea Marsham , 1802
- Haltica gaudens Stephens , 1831
- Haltica metallica Duftschmidt , 1825
- Altica aurea Geoffroy , 1785
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Beetles and Beetle Recordings in Great Britain - Crepidodera aurea . www.coleoptera.org.uk. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ↑ a b Crepidodera aurea . www.kerbtier.de. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ↑ Determination table for the genus Crepidodera Chevrolat, 1837, from Arved Lompe: Käfer Europa
- ↑ Crepidodera aurea (Geoffroy 1785) in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved February 17, 2017
- ↑ a b c d e Jaroslav Urban: Occurrence, bionomics and harmfulness of Crepidodera aurea (Geoffr.) (Coleoptera, Alticidae) . Acta Universitatis ariculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis 2011, 59, 279-308. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ↑ Crepidodera aurea (Geoffroy, 1785) . www.biol.uni.wroc.pl. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ↑ Crepidodera aurea . www.biolib.cz. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
Web links
- Crepidodera aurea . www.biolib.cz. - Taxonomy, photos
- Crepidodera aurea at Fauna Europaea