Copper rose beetle

Copper rose beetle
Copper rose beetles (Protaetia cuprea), mating
Systematics
Order : Beetle (Coleoptera) Family : Scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae) Subfamily : Rose chafer (Cetoniinae) Genre : Protaetia Subgenus : Netocia Type : Copper rose beetle
Scientific name
Protaetia cuprea
( Fabricius , 1775)

The copper rose chafer , also Variable Rosenkäfer called ( Protaetia cuprea ) is a beetle from the subfamily of the rose chafer , to the family of scarab beetles belongs. The genus Protaetia is represented in Europe with five subgenera. The copper rose beetle belongs to the subgenus Netocia , which is represented with 18 species in Europe. The species Protaetia cuprea is unusually variable, nine subspecies are distinguished , a new subspecies cuprea ferreriesensis is reported from Menorca .

In the German-speaking area and in Central Europe in general, Protaetia cuprea metallica is the predominant subspecies, the distribution area of ​​the stem form Protaetia cuprea cuprea radiates from Italy to Switzerland, the subspecies Protaetia cuprea bourgini , which is widespread in France , is also found in the southwest of Germany and in the southeast of The European subspecies Protaetia cuprea obscura also reaches Austria and Switzerland.

Like all species of the Protaetia genus , the copper rose beetle is particularly protected in the Federal Species Protection Ordinance (marked with a + in Appendix 1). In the Red Lists of Saxony-Anhalt it is classified as endangered (category 3).

Notes on the name

The beetle was described by Fabricius in 1775 under the scientific name Cetonia cuprea as the 24th species of the genus Cetonia . The description of the beetle by Fabricius in Latin begins with C. cuprea nitida ( Latin: a shiny copper-colored Cetonia ). The species name (cúprĕus = copper colored), like the German name Kupfer-Rosenkäfer, refers to the color of the beetle. However, this varies considerably, which is expressed in the name of the variable rose beetle.

The form that is predominant in Central Europe today due to genital morphological characteristics as a subspecies Protaetia cuprea metallica was described by Herbst in 1784 as a new species (indicated by a star) under the name Cetonia metallica . In doing so, Herbst refers to his earlier comments in the Neue Entomologische Magazin about the beetle. Some authors continue to regard the shape as a species. The name metallica from Latin metállicus, metallic, refers to the metallic color of the beetle. In 1790, Herbst also described the subspecies Protaetia cuprea cuprea as a species under the name Cetonia florentina (Latin: Cetonia occurring near Florence ).

Achille Costa split the genus Cetonia in 1852 into the three subgenera Cetonia , Tecinoa and Netocia . Here are Tecinoa and Netocia anagrams of Cetonia . The name of the subgenus Netocia , to which the copper rose beetle belongs, says nothing about the properties of the subgenus.

The genus Cetonia was also split up by Mulsant & Rey in 1871 and the sub-genus Potosia was defined, which Reitter took over as a genus and then split it up into sub-genres. The scientific name Potosia cuprea for the copper rose beetle is widely used in the literature . According to Schenkling , the name Potosia comes from old Gr. πότος "pótos" derived for "drink" and alludes to the fact that the animals can be found on tree sap flowing out. The genus Protaetia was established by Burmeister in 1842 and the genus name was explained by himself (from ancient Greek προταίτιος “protaitios”, lat. “Principalis”, meaning “first, imperial”)

Characteristics of the beetle

Fig. 1 left: beetle with few blemishes, middle: same beetle from below, right: beetle with rich drawing
Fig. 2 Mesosternal process, top view on the left (right half of the image partly tinted), seen from the side on the right (outlines drawn with dashed lines); green mesosternal process, yellow: parts of the left middle leg
Fig. 3 Lateral edge of the pronotum	Fig. 4 Imprint on the right wing cover , seam below
Fig. 5 Head top view	Fig. 6 Hind leg (right rail)
Fig. 7: Aedeagus on the left with a top view with a tinted copy on the right, a side view in the middle, and on the right from the front with a partially colored copy underneath; tinted green: lamina interior, blue: lamina exterior, red: base piece, white: dorsal column; yellow arrow: teeth; yellow line: fold; blue arrow and white line below right: gap between lamina interior and lamina exterior green arrow and green line: overlap of the laminae

With a length of 14 to 23 millimeters, the beetle is a large rose beetle, but on average smaller than the large rose beetle . It is slightly arched and bald on top. The top is either monochrome (picture in the information box) and the beetle can then be mistaken for Protaetia affinis , Protaetia angustata or small specimens of the large rose beetle. Or the upper side has few or numerous white spots (blemishes) (Fig. 1), then the species can easily be confused with the shiny gold rose beetle , with Protaetia fieberi or with Liocola lugubris . The basic color of the upper side is usually slightly shiny green, but it can vary from light green and dark green to copper red to dark purple. Compared to the top of the base is usually darker and continuously against violet, as well as the legs and sometimes the edge of the neck plate and the neck between the plate and the shoulders of the elytra visible from the top as a wedge epimers of the central chest.

The head shield is square, its front edge is curved up and bulged. It is cut out on the side above the feelers so that their point of deflection is visible from above. The antennae are ten-limbed, the last three limbs are lamellar-lengthened towards the front and together form a club. The forehead is strongly, simply, and moderately densely punctured between the eyes (Fig. 5). Thus it differs in the puncturing of Protaetia affinis, in which the distance between the points is significantly smaller at this point, and of Protaetia fieberi , which is generally coarser and more densely punctured.

The pronotum is evenly arched in front, not raised in the middle as in the large rose beetle. The side edge of the pronotum is broad in the middle and behind, it becomes narrower towards the front, but reaches the front corners (Fig. 3), while in Liocola lugubris the side edge of the pronotum disappears before it reaches the front corners. In terms of color, the side edge often contrasts with the green pronotum in purple. The base of the pronotum has three edges, namely in front of the label and on both sides next to this central indentation. The label is elongated with a rounded tip.

The elytra are very finely and very scattered dotted around the tag, the dots are denser and stronger towards the back and to the sides. The wing covers are pressed flat lengthways from the middle to the rear next to the seam . The front end of the indentation shows a noticeable difference in level to the section of the wing-coverts in front of it (Fig. 4) and does not merge imperceptibly into it, as in Protaetia aeruginea . In the area of ​​this impression the dots are thicker and stronger, the dots are rounded to horseshoe-shaped and form more or less distinct short rows. The wing covers ( elytres ) are still separated after hatching from the pupa and are inflated by hemolymph and brought into shape. The inner edges along the seam are designed so that the right Elytre forms a tongue and the left Elytre forms the matching groove , so that the two wing covers hook into each other and thus form a very solid connection. The label is symmetrically shaped with a bar on the lower edge on which the wing covers rest near the pronotum. This bar disappears from the middle under the label, which means that the tip of the label can rest on the elytres and limit them at the top, preventing excessive lifting and thus contributing to the stability of the connection. The separation of the individual cover wings from one another is reversible. The rear wings are unfolded for flying by slightly lifting the wing coverts and moved during flight with the wing coverts closed through a recess on the edge of the wing coverts.

The middle chest continues forward between the hips of the middle pair of legs. The shape, puncture and hairiness of this mesosternal process (Fig. 2) provide important identification features. The mesosternal process does not rise forward beyond the level of the mid-hip to a round knob as in the genus Cetonia , but widens at the same level or even somewhat depressed forward to the slightly rounded front edge, in front of which it slopes steeply. In top view (Fig. 2 above) it ends in a broad triangular shape, viewed from the side (Fig. 2 below) it protrudes to the front. It is not dense and roughly punctured as in Protaetia morio and Protaetia hungarica , but smooth to very scattered and finely punctured. In contrast to the species mentioned above, it is glabrous (the hairs appearing on the front edge originate below the mesosternal process). The size of the mesosternal process and the degree to which it protrudes forwards over the mid-breast is different in the various subspecies; in the central European and northern European forms it is small and slightly protruding, in the southern forms it is large and strongly protruding.

All splints have a noticeably hairy white spot on the knee (in Fig. 3 it is visible on the middle leg, not on the front leg), which, however, can be covered by the splint when the legs are stretched out, is not always easy to see in greasy collection specimens and can also be absent. The front splints are three-toothed in both sexes. The rear rails only have a cross bar that is slightly behind the center on the outside.

The inner edge of the hind legs (the lower edge in Fig. 6) is slightly curved, but not, as in the case of Protaetia affinis, pulled out somewhat tooth-like in the outer third and cut out behind it towards the knee. The hind legs are not bald as in Protaetia affinis , but ciliate.

The pygidium is slightly arched and punctured like a rasp. In both sexes it has no lateral longitudinal impressions. Both sexes do not have a longitudinal furrow on the underside of the abdomen.

As in many cases, the male genitals ( Aedeagus Fig. 7) differ significantly in the outwardly very similar species. In all species of the genus, the base part (tinted red in Fig. 7) has two side parts (paramers) that enclose the penis. In the copper rose beetle, the parameters are shiny red to black-brown and not wide and stocky, but elongated and about 2.5 times as long as the aedeagus wide. A distinction is made between a lateral outer leaf (lamina exterior, tinted blue on the right and lower left in Fig. 7) and a predominantly upper inner leaf (lamia interior in Fig. 7, lower right and lower left, tinted green). Viewed from above, the outer leaf is only visible near the base as a narrow stripe and in the front third as a broad stripe. The two leaves are fused together, only separated from each other by a short column at the tip (in Fig. 7 right, white, in Fig. 7 center barely visible, blue arrowhead). The end section of the aedeagus is visually well separated from the rest of the aedeagus by the end of an oblique fold of the lamina exterior (in Fig. 7 left and center, yellow line) protruding more or less like a tooth (in Fig. 7 left and center yellow arrowhead) is reminiscent of the shape of the coupling on a bicycle trailer.

The inner margins of the paramers are dorsally fused in the basal area, but together they are deeply indented with longitudinal furrows. Behind it, they are separated and leave a dorsal gap (tinted white in Fig. 7, left). The paramers end somewhat flap-like broadened and arched, in the closed position the inner edges of the inner leaves slightly overlap (in Fig. 7 center green arrow, overlap area framed in green, clearly visible in Fig. 7 right). In side view, the aedeagus is thick and curved (Fig. 7 center), with a side furrow straight to the base without a side branch.

The pronounced variability is to be shown in the subspecies that occur in German-speaking countries.

In the subspecies Protaetia cuprea metallica , which is most common in Central Europe , the mesosternal process is moderately large and slightly protruding. The top is only moderately shiny. The color varies greatly (dark green with a more or less brass-colored or coppery shimmer, rarely dark bronze-colored, coppery or purple-red to blackish). Animals without white spots on the wing covers are the exception. The knee flaws are present.

In the subspecies Protaetia cuprea cuprea , the mesosternal process is particularly large. The upper side shines more or less strongly glass-like green to olive brown. The beetle has no white markings on the wing-covers, the white spots on the knees may or may not be missing.

In the subspecies Protaetia cuprea obscura , the mesosternal process is also very large and the upper side is without white blemishes. The knees usually have a white blemish.

In the subspecies Protaetia cuprea bourgini , the mesosternal process is only medium-sized. The top has a strong ore-copper sheen, sometimes with a greenish sheen. The white markings on the upper side are clearly defined, the white spot on the knees is present.

Further subspecies are listed in the form of a key at Coleo-net.

biology

The species is not restricted to a particular type of habitat. The beetles can be found on the edges of the forest, in forests and on meadows. The beetles are not particularly specialized in feeding either. They eat pollen and flower parts on various flowers, lick the sap from trees or gnaw on overripe fruits.

The subspecies Protaetia cuprea metallica prefers the montane altitude. It was found on pears, raspberries, on the blossoms of rowan berries , on the juice flowing out of oaks , but also in leaf compost and in the stumps of pine trees .

The beetles appear in May and disappear again in July. The females lay the eggs in the ground near anthills, especially the red wood ant . The larvae develop in or on ant nests and feed on decaying wood waste and nest material. For this purpose, the larvae have developed large-volume fermentation chambers in the digestive tract. The ants generally tolerate the beetle larvae. Scars indicate occasional attacks by the ants, but the larvae seem to be protected by a sufficiently firm skin. The advantage of the beetle larvae if they remain in the anthill lies in the protection from enemies by the ants, the higher and more uniform temperature and the abundant food supply in the anthill.

The development comprises three larval stages and usually takes two years to reach the imago . Pupation takes place in a doll's cradle glued together from rotting material. The beetles hatch in August.

For the subspecies Protaetia cuprea brancoi , tree hollows are given as the preferred location for development.

Agricultural importance

The meaning of this flower-eating beetle is ambiguous. On the one hand, it plays an important role as a pollinator , for example in the economically used opuntia . On the other hand, the flowers and ovules can be damaged or destroyed by eating. This is why the copper rose beetle, together with the golden rose beetle, is not welcomed by rose growers and can cause damage in orchards, for example in peach crops.

In order to minimize the use of pesticides, the beetle is specifically caught in traps. In the relevant literature, a distinction is often not made between Protaetia cuprea and Cetonia aurata , but instead both are treated together. Blue color in combination with a mixture of different synthetic attractants has proven to be a particularly effective attractant. Their effectiveness is tested by measuring the reaction of the sensors when the beetle is exposed to a stream of air containing the fragrances.

Notes on Mythology

In Northern Europe in the pre-scientific period, the very similar rose beetles Cetonia aurata , Liocola lugubris and Protaetia cuprea were not differentiated, but understood as the same creature. In Sweden they were known as the kings of the anthill (Myr-konung). The anthill was probably understood as a state, at the top of which was the golden beetle , which was often found in the heaps . He was associated with wealth and fertility and counted among the good house spirits. The beetles were held captive for good luck, and were believed to be helpful in finding hidden treasures. The ideas about the nature of the gold beetle were connected with the ideas about the dung beetle , the lesser brother of the gold beetle, which, because of its use of the dung, was also associated with fertility and wealth by the farming community. Edgar Allan Poe also uses in his story The Gold Beetle the idea that the golden beetle leads the narrator to a treasure.

distribution

Protaetia cuprea ignicollis in Israel .

The species is distributed in almost all of Europe from the North Cape to the Mediterranean. It is only missing on some islands, such as Crete and the Canaries , and there are no reports from some city-states either. To the east, the range extends over almost the entire Euro-Siberian, Pontic , Turkmen area of ​​the Palearctic and the species also penetrates into northern India . Protaetia cuprea metallica is also represented in most of Europe, but is absent in the south. The root form Protaetia cuprea cuprea is mainly found in France , Greece and Italy . The subspecies Protaetia cuprea brancoi is only found on the Iberian Peninsula . The subspecies Protaetia cuprea ikonomovi is endemic to Cyprus , Protaetia cuprea incerta only occurs in Italy and Sicily . The occurrence of Protaetia cuprea levantina is restricted to Greece, that of Protaetia cuprea olivacea to France. Protaetia cuprea bourgini is found in France and Germany, in the case of the subspecies Protaetia cuprea obscura , which is widespread in eastern Central and Southern Europe, the limit of spread runs through Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Greece. A new subspecies cuprea ferreriesensis is reported from Menorca .

Web links

Commons : Copper rose beetle ( Protaetia cuprea )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Species sheet at nature spectrum
• Video: Leaving the doll's cradle
• Description of the larva

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 . P. 362
• Klaus Koch : The Beetles of Central Europe Ecology . 1st edition. tape 2 . Goecke & Evers, Krefeld 1989, ISBN 3-87263-040-7 . P. 379
• Edmund Reitter : Fauna Germanica, the beetles of the German Empire, Volume II, KGLutz 'Verlag, Stuttgart 1909, p. 345

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Protaetia in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved January 23, 2016
2. ↑ Netocia (subgenus) in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved January 23, 2016
3. ↑ ^{a b} Protaetia cuprea in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved January 23, 2016
4. ↑ ^{a b} Arturo Compte-Sart, Miguel Ángel Carreras-Torrent: "Una nueva especie de coleóptero para Menorca, Potosia cuprea (Fabricius, 1775) y descripción de Potosia cuprea ferreriesensis nov. ssp. (Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae) “Boll. Soc. Hist. Nat. Balears, 56 (2013) 59-72 as PDF
5. ↑ ^{a b} Distribution map cuprea cuprea ( memento of the original from January 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ ^{a b} Distribution map cuprea bourgini ( Memento of the original from January 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
7. ↑ ^{a b} Distribution map cuprea obscura ( Memento of the original from January 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ Appendix 1 to the Federal Species Protection Ordinance
9. ↑ Red Lists Saxony-Anhalt p. 337
10. ^ Johann Christian Fabricius: Systema entomologiae ... Flensburg, Leipzig 1775, p. 48 at BHL
11. ↑ ^{a b c} Sigmund Schenkling: Explanation of the scientific beetle names (species)
12. ↑ JWF Herbst: 1st mantissa for the directory of the first class of my insect collection in the archive for insect history 7th and 8th issue Zurich 1786 p. 157 as 13th Art
13. ↑ JL Renneson et al .: "A propos Protaetia ( Potosia ) metallica (autumn 1782) en Belgique et au Grand Duché de Luxembourg (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoninae)" Lambillionaea CXII, 3, 2012: 263-279 as PDF
14. ^ Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst: Natural system of all known domestic and foreign insects, the beetle third part Berlin 1790 on page 230: 210
15. ^ Synonym for cuprea cuprea according to Biolib
16. ↑ Achille Costa: Fauna del regno di Napoli Napoli 1849-54 Volume 8 Preview in the Google book search (not paged through, enter Nitocia in the search field)
17. ↑ ^{a b} Sigmund Schenkling: Explanation of the scientific beetle names (genus)
18. ↑ E. Mulsant, Cl. Rey: Histoire naturelle des coléoptères de France Paris 1871 p. 669
19. ↑ Edmund Reitter : Fauna Germanica, the beetles of the German Empire, Volume II, KGLutz 'Verlag, Stuttgart 1909 p. 345
20. ^ Hermann Burmeister: Handbuch der Entomologie 3rd volume Berlin 1842 genus in the Google book search
21. ↑ ^{a b} René Mikšić: Tenth contribution to the knowledge of the Protaetia species Journal of the Association of Austrian Entomologists, 18th Jhg, No. 1 1966 distribution p. 11, parameters p. 28 fig. 7 and 8, distribution p.
22. ↑ Key Protaetia at coleo-net
23. ↑ Illustration of the fermentation chamber of Protaetia cuprea in Paul Buchner: Wood nutrition and symbiosis Lecture given at the Xth International Zoologists' Day in Budapest on September 8, 1927 Preview in Google book search p. 21, Fig. 5a
24. ↑ ^{a b} Erich Werner: "The nutrition of the larvae of Potosia cuprea Fabr. ( Cetonia floricola Herbst)" Journal for Morphology and Ecology of Animals, Vol. 6, 150-206 (1926) Springer Link
25. ↑ Ignacio Perez-Moreno: Nuevas aportaciones al conocimiento de la fauna de coleopteros saproxílicos (Coleoptera) ... Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonésa n ° 46 (2010): 321-334 p. 4
26. ↑ J. Vuts, Z. Imrei, M. Tóth: "New co-attractants synergizing attracion of Cetonia aurata and Potosia cuprea to the known floral attractant" Journal of applied entomology doi : 10.1111 / j.1439-0418.2009.01432.x as PDF
27. ^ Julio Ferrer .: Entomologia Fantastica. Los mitos nordicos del Escarabajo Dorado, el Estercolero y la Mariquita Boletín Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa, n ° 43 (2008): 463-467 as PDF
28. ↑ Distribution map cuprea metallica ( Memento of the original from February 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
29. ↑ Distribution map cuprea brancoi ( Memento of the original dated February 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
30. ↑ Distribution map cuprea ikonomovi ( memento of the original dated February 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
31. ↑ Distribution map cuprea incerta ( memento of the original dated February 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
32. ↑ Distribution map cuprea levantina ( memento of the original dated February 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
33. ↑ Distribution map cuprea olivacea ( Memento of the original from February 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.