Green paw beetle
| Green paw beetle | ||||||||||||
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Green paw beetle |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Gnorimus nobilis | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The green scarab beetle ( Gnorimus nobilis ) is a beetle from the subfamily of the rose beetles (Cetoniinae) within the scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae). The genus Gnorimus is represented in Europe with three species , the species Gnorimus nobilis with two subspecies , whereby the occurrence of the subspecies Gnorimus nobilis macedonicus is limited to Macedonia. In Central Europe one can still find the rarer mutable pear beetle .
The generic name Gnorimus from ancient Greek γνώριμος, 'gnōrimos' means 'famous'. The species name nobilis (Latin) means 'noble'.
Characteristics of the beetle
The golden green beetle with whitish spots is easily mistaken for a small rose beetle of the genus Cetonia . If it opens its wing while flying away, however, it shows that it does not belong to the subfamily Cetoniinae , because its species push the hind wings through under the closed wing to fly. The body is compact and only slightly arched. It reaches a length of fifteen to eighteen millimeters. The base color varies on the upper side from metallic green with a more or less intense blue tint to dark copper brown. The underside is light copper to black. The pronotum and elytra may have small, white, round or elongated, sharp tomentose spots . The sides of the abdomen and the pygidium are also gold-green with white mostly larger spots.
The densely dotted head (Fig. 3) with the mouthparts points forward (prognath). The upper lip and upper jaw are covered by the head shield . The head shield is slightly arched transversely and clearly raised at the front edge, less clearly at the side edges (Fig. 3). Its front edge is broadly outlined, the side edge is outlined at the base just behind the antenna deflection. The upper jaws are sharply pointed and slightly curved inwards. The molar at the base of the upper jaw is clearly grooved. The inner ark of the lower jaw is undivided and bluntly pointed, the outer ark is elongated, horny and hairy all around. The end member of the jaw probe is elongated and tapers towards the tip. The antennae are ten-jointed and end in a three-jointed club made of antennae-segments that are extended to the front like a leaf (Fig. 3). The roundish eyes are on the front half by a narrow ridge-shaped extension of the exoskeleton divided (Fig. 3).
The very finely dotted pronotum is behind the center on breitesten and narrows forward to almost head width, back less. It is not as close to the base of the wing as it is with the rose beetles in the narrower sense. A longitudinal impression can be seen in the middle of the pronotum.
The elytra are absent-mindedly wrinkled, but without point stripes. They often have two rounded spots on the side, with a comma-shaped spot in between near the seam. However, there may be more or fewer spots. Longitudinal ribs are only indicated. The elytra are broadest behind half, and only about as long as together wide. At the back they are individually rounded (Fig. 2). You leave the strongly arched anal shield ( pygidium ) uncovered. The fall of the pygidium shows two flat humps symmetrical to the longitudinal axis, which are more pronounced in the female and barely noticeable in the male (Fig. 2). The label is wider than it is long and rounded at the back.
The front hips are brought closer together. The front rails are specialized for digging (Fig. 1 VS). They have two pointed teeth on the outer edge and a thorn on the inner edge. The position of these three elements is important for the rose beetle system. One outer tooth sits at the end of the outer edge, the second about two-thirds of the length of the rail. The mandrel on the inside sits at the end of the splint a little above the opposite outer tooth. The middle rails of the male are strongly bent and almost kinked outwards in order to be able to encompass the female during mating (Fig. 1 MSm). In the female, the central rails are straight (Fig. 1 Msw). The middle rails have a flat tooth slightly behind the middle on the outside, which is indistinctly recognizable due to the rasp-like surface and the transverse ridge. Halfway up the outside of the rear rails has a better recognizable, ridge-like broadened tooth (Fig. 1 HSw). In the male, the rear rails are widened at the end (Fig. 1 HSm). The middle and rear rails end with jagged sharp edges in both sexes and have two spikes. The tarsi are all clearly five-parted. The first four links of the tarsi are about the same length and have a tuft of bristles at the tip on the underside.
The related species Gnorimus variabilis is easy to distinguish. The wing covers are not green-metallic, but black, with white dot spots. In addition, the shape of the side edge of the pronotum differs. In Gnorimus variabilis this is slightly s-shaped (sinuat) on the sides, in Gnorimus nobilis it is simply rounded.
    
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Fig. 1: VS - MSm - MSw - HSm - HSw V = front M = middle H = behind S = rail m = male w = female |
Fig.2: Pygidium, above female, below male |
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| Fig.3: head | Fig.4: Doll | Fig.5: Larva |
larva
The larva is of the grub type (Fig. 5).
Doll
The limbs are already free on the doll (Fig. 4).
biology
The adults can be found in Central Europe in low mountain regions from May to July on flowers, the pollen of which they eat. The beetle is an inhabitant of light deciduous forests and sunny forest edges. He prefers warm and dry slopes. The adults can be found on the blossoms of elder , viburnum , roses , sparrows , berberis and other herbs or shrubs, but also in the sludge of the trees in which the larva develops ( beeches , willows , fruit trees ...). The development takes place similar to the Russian beetle in the sludge of tree hollows. The larva eats there at the boundary layer between healthy and already rotten wood. That is why the species is preferred to be found in original mixed deciduous forests with many old trees and dead wood . The main breeding trees in Latvia were oak , linden , ash and willow. When visiting flowers, the animals mainly visit plants standing in the shade. The real meadowsweet is preferred . The appearance of the beetles is linked to the flowering time of this plant. The beetles remain in the immediate vicinity of the forest. The animals do not leave the flowers in wind, rain and thunderstorms. The development takes two years in Latvia, otherwise two to three years are given.
Hazard and protection
The beetle is listed under category 3 on the Saxony-Anhalt Red List . In Latvia the species is listed as critically endangered. It is only known there from the Slītere National Park . As a protective measure, apart from the already valid ban on forest use measures, a meadow use is recommended, which ensures the preservation of the meadowsweet. Informing the population is also seen as a protective measure. In Great Britain the species is classified as Endangered (Category 2). All finds relate to fruit trees, which is why special protection for traditionally operated orchards is recommended.
distribution
The species is common in southern and central Europe. The distribution area extends to southern Northern Europe. The northernmost finds come from the Slītere National Park.
literature
- Heinz joy , Karl Wilhelm Harde , Gustav Adolf Lohse (ed.): The beetles of Central Europe . tape 8 . Teredilia Heteromera Lamellicornia . Elsevier, Spektrum, Akademischer Verlag, Munich 1969, ISBN 3-8274-0682-X .
- Gustav Jäger (Ed.): CG Calwer’s Käferbuch . K. Thienemanns, Stuttgart 1876, 3rd edition
- Edmund Reitter : Fauna Germanica, the beetles of the German Empire, Volume II, KGLutz 'Verlag, Stuttgart 1909
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gnorimus at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved February 20, 2012
- ↑ a b Gnorimus nobilis at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved February 20, 2012
- ↑ Gnorimus nobilis nobilis in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved February 20, 2012
- ↑ Sigmund Schenkling: Explanation of the scientific beetle names.
- ↑ Illustration of both species at Kerbtier.de: Die Käferfauna Deutschlands
- ↑ a b after Edmund Reitter : Fauna Germanica, the beetles of the German Empire, Volume II, plate 77, KGLutz 'Verlag, Stuttgart 1909
- ↑ Klaus Koch : Die Käfer Mitteleuropas Ökologie . 1st edition. tape 2 . Goecke & Evers, Krefeld 1989, ISBN 3-87263-040-7 .
- ↑ a b c D. Telnov: Endangered and rare invertebrates of Latvia Part II Gnorimus nobilis (Insecta Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Latv. Entomol., 39: 38-42 as PDF
- ↑ Matt N. Smith: Saproxylitic beetles in Britain, an overview of the status and distribution of four Biodiversity Action Plan species English Nature, Proceedings of the second pan-European conference on Saproxylic Beetles as PDF ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
