Head beetle
| Head beetle | ||||||||||||
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Head beetle ( Broscus cephalotes ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Broscus cephalotes | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The head beetle , head ruff or large head ( Broscus cephalotes ) is a beetle from the family of ground beetles (Carabidae).
features
The head beetle is 18 to 25 millimeters long and has a completely shiny black body, only the ends of the antennae , legs and palps are reddish. On the head you can see a slightly shimmering red spot between the eyes. The head is relatively large and has powerful mouthparts, the antennae are short. The pronotum is tulip-shaped and tapers back, the base is significantly narrower than the front edge. The upper wings have fine rows with dots, but the first row is interrupted. The forelegs, which have been modified to form grave legs, have a deep, bristle incision on the upper side of the rails (tibiae) and a movable spike at both ends on the lower side.
Occurrence
The animals occur in Europe , north to the middle of Scandinavia and east over the Caucasus to western Siberia . They are missing in southern Europe. They live particularly on sandy soils, such as in gravel and sand pits, on fields, ruderal areas and on the coast.
Way of life
The adults dig 10 to 15 centimeters deep tunnels in the ground, which are sometimes U-shaped and have two exits. They hunt small insects at night. In case of danger, the beetles pretend to be dead ( thanatose ) and spread their legs and mandibles. In autumn, the females lay their eggs in chambers that branch off to the side of the corridor of their houses. The larvae that hatch from it overwinter, the beetles hatch in the next spring.
literature
- Ekkehard Wachmann , Ralph Platen, Dieter Barndt: Ground beetles - observation, way of life , Naturbuch-Verlag Augsburg, 1995, ISBN 3-89440-125-7
- Jiři Zahradnik, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung et al .: Beetles of Central and Northwestern Europe. Parey, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1 .
