Dove beetles
| Dove beetles | ||||||||||||
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Dove beetle ( Carabus nitens ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Carabus nitens | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The heather beetle ( Carabus nitens ) is a beetle from the genus of the real ground beetle ( Carabus ). Like all species of the genus, the blue beetle is under nature protection in Germany.
features
The dove beetle reaches a body length of 13 to 18 millimeters, making it the smallest species of the genus in Central Europe. Its body, in particular the elytra and the pronotum , are metallic gold-green with red sides. This makes it similar to the larger gold ground beetle ( Carabus auratus ) and the shiny gold ground beetle ( Carabus auronitens ). In contrast to these, all of the antennae including the basal members of the huckleback beetle are black. More rarely it can also be colored red-gold on the pronotum or completely. The elytra are provided with black wing ribs.
distribution and habitat
The beetle is distributed over large areas of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe. This species does not occur in southern Europe, there are only a few finds from southern Germany. Its frequency increases somewhat to the east. The dove beetle is found mainly in dry areas, it is classified as xerophilic . Its habitat is located mainly in sandy areas and as a characteristic species in sandy Calluna - Heiden , also m in sandy areas in marshes, fields and river valleys, in high and low mountain ranges only in mountain valleys to 1,200 level.
Way of life
Like most large ground beetles, the horticultural beetle feeds predatory, it feeds mainly on insects and their larvae. It is diurnal and can be found mainly from April to October.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d K.W. Harde, F. Severa: The Kosmos Beetle Leader. The Central European beetle. Franck'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1988; P. 100, ISBN 3-440-05862-X .
- ^ Characteristics according to Wachmann et al. 1995, p. 128.
- ↑ a b c Wachmann et al. 1995, p. 128.
- ↑ Wachmann et al. 1995, p. 17.
literature
- Ekkehard Wachmann , Ralph Platen, Dieter Barndt: Ground beetles - observation, way of life . Naturbuch Verlag, Augsburg 1995; P. 128, ISBN 3-89440-125-7 .
