Real beetle cicada
| Real beetle cicada | ||||||||||||
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Beetle leafhopper ( Issus coleoptratus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Issus coleoptratus | ||||||||||||
| ( Fabricius , 1781) |
The real beetle cicada ( Issus coleoptratus ) is a species of cicada within the family of beetle cicadas (Issidae) in the suborder of the pointed head cicadas (Fulgoromorpha). Both their German name and the type epithet refer to their beetle-like shape (Coleoptera = beetle ).
distribution
The real beetle cicada is widespread in the western Palearctic . Its northern limit in Central Europe lies roughly along the low mountain range . The animals can be found at altitudes of up to 1000 meters.
description
The real beetle cicada reaches body lengths between 5.5 and 7 millimeters. It is a very color-variable species with a stocky body shape. In this cicada the ability to fly has declined. The leather-like cover wings ( elytra ) lie like a beetle shell over the abdomen. Light individuals are usually brownish to olive-gray in color. They often have a dark spot in the back third of the forewing. Contrastingly colored animals often have two dark transverse bands or, more rarely, are completely black. The veins of the forewings are at least partially dark brown. The nerves of male and female animals differ ( sexual dimorphism ). While the veins of the females dissolve in the rear area into a network of fine veins, the main longitudinal veins of the males always stand out clearly.
The head, including the eyes, is narrower than the pronotum . The upper third of the forehead (front) is mostly dark brown to black in color with lighter spots interspersed. In the lower area this is greenish, yellowish or brownish without any further dark markings and always without a light cross band. The very similar, but rarer fly beetle cicada ( Issus muscaeformis ) has such a cross - band .
Gears
The nymphs of Issus coleoptratus have curved ligaments on their hind legs , which are provided with ten to twelve interlocking teeth. These serve to interlock the hind legs and bring them into position so that the legs move at the same time when jumping. Adult specimens ( Imagines ) have no teeth on the hind legs more.
Way of life
The insects live in woods in fresh to dry locations in closed deciduous and mixed forests as well as in semi-open tree populations (forest edges, parks, cemeteries). Sometimes they can be found on isolated individual trees. The adult animals live on oak ( Quercus ), maple ( Acer ), hazel ( Corylus ), birch ( Betula ), elm ( Ulmus ), linden ( Tilia ) and the like. a. The animals are not picky about their food ( polyphagous ) and feed on the phloem sap of the host plants mentioned.
The real beetle cicada forms one generation per year. The adult animals are found mainly from the end of June to mid-October, in warmer regions from the end of May. The larvae overwinter on ivy ( Hedera ), privet ( Ligustrum ), juniper ( Juniperus ), yew ( Taxus ) and also in the leaf litter.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Malcolm Burrows, Gregory Sutton: Interacting Gears Synchronize Propulsive Leg Movements in a Jumping Insect. Science September 13, 2013, Volume 341, No. 6151, pp. 1254-1256, DOI: 10.1126 / science.1240284
literature
- R. Remane, E. Wachmann : Cicadas - get to know, observe . Naturbuch Verlag, Augsburg 1993, ISBN 3-89440-044-7
- WE Holzinger, I. Kammerlander, H. Nickel: The Auchenorrhyncha of Central Europe - Die Zikaden Mitteleuropas. Volume 1: Fulgoromorpha, Cicadomorpha excl. Cicadellidae. - Brill, Leiden 2003, ISBN 90-04-12895-6
- H. Nickel: The leafhoppers and planthoppers of Germany (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha): Patterns and strategies in a highly diverse group of phytophagous insects. Pensoft, Sofia and Moscow 2003, ISBN 954-642-169-3
