Squire (bug)
| Squire | ||||||||||||
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Scarce ( Spilostethus saxatilis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Spilostethus saxatilis | ||||||||||||
| ( Scopoli , 1763) |
,_Spilostethus_saxatilis_4.JPG)
The squire ( Spilostethus saxatilis ) belongs to the ground bugs (Lygaeidae). While many ground bugs are brown or black in color, many representatives of the Lygaeinae have a striking red-black warning color, including this bug .
features
The squire reaches body lengths between 8.5 and 12.5 millimeters. Its body shape is long oval. The animal is particularly characterized by the red spots of different shapes on a black background. The neck plate (pronotum) carries three red longitudinal strips, the corium of the front wing ( Hemielytre ) is spotted heavily red, all edges of the corium are black, the membrane is colored as black. The hyaline hind wings are darkened. The wings are fully functional and the black legs of this bug are well formed. The segments of the abdominal margin ( connexive ) are colored alternately red and black.
distribution and habitat
The squire is particularly widespread in southern Central Europe, southern Europe and the entire Mediterranean region. Its area extends over Asia Minor to the Caspian Region. In Germany, the northern limit of distribution runs through North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Thuringia and Saxony. So far, only individual animals have been found in northern Germany. The species is not common, at the edge of its distribution even rather rare, but the bed bug species is more common in Austria. In the Alps and in heat-favored locations, the bug can be found up to an altitude of 1000 meters. The species occurs mainly in dry and warm open land biotopes. Often it can also be found in wetter habitats such as moors and brook banks.
Way of life
Spilothetus saxatilis lives polyphagous on herbaceous plants, whereby it prefers to suckle the ovules and the seeds. The food plants belong, for example, to the following families: striped fern family (Aspleniaceae), daisy family (Asteraceae) and umbelliferae (Apiaceae). The squire overwinters in the adult stage. The animals leave their winter quarters on the first warm days in spring, sometimes as early as March. Mating takes place from May to June, and eggs are laid in July. Larvae sometimes appear in September from June to August. The adults of the new generation appear from August, in autumn they often sunbathe on stones and rocks. This is indicated by the specific epithet " saxatilis " (Latin: "between rocks").
literature
- Ekkehard Wachmann , Albert Melber, Jürgen Deckert: Bugs Volume 3: Aradidae, Lygaeidae, Piesmatidae, Berytidae, Pyrrhocoridae, Alydidae, Coreidae, Rhopalidae, Stenocephalidae , Goecke & Evers, Keltern 2007, ISBN 978-3-937783-29-1
