Matt black plant beetle
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Matt black plant beetle ( Prionychus ater ) |
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| Prionychus ater | ||||||||||||
| ( Fabricius , 1775) |
The matt black plant beetle ( Prionychus ater ) is a beetle from the family of the black beetles (Tenebrionidae) within the subfamily of the plant beetles (Alleculinae).
features
The beetles are 12 to 14 millimeters long and have a broad oval, almost matt black, short, dark haired body. The antennae and legs are black-brown, the tarsi are lighter in color. The antennae are relatively short and have a very small second link. The pronotum is broadly rounded at the front and has pointed corners. In the middle, the front edge of the pronotum is unrimmed. The cover wings (elytres) are longitudinally striped, with the strips and the spaces in between are evenly dotted. There is a fine mesh pattern between the dots on the wings and pronotum. The species can be confused with the second species of the genus, Prionychus melanarius , which occurs in Central Europe , but this differs from it in its completely rimmed front edge of the pronotum and the smooth area between the points on the pronotum and the wing covers.
Occurrence
The species is widespread in Central and Southern Europe and occurs in the north to Denmark, to the south of Norway and Finland and to central Sweden. It is widespread in England. It colonizes deciduous forests from the plains to low mountain ranges and occurs only locally.
Way of life
The nocturnal animals hide in muck or under loose bark during the day. The larvae develop mainly in the rotten wood of deciduous trees, more rarely in that of conifers.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Karl Wilhelm Harde , František Severa : Der Kosmos-Käferführer. The Central European beetle . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-06959-1 , p. 240 .
- ↑ a b c Jiři Zahradnik, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung et al .: Beetles of Central and Northwestern Europe: an identification book for biologists and nature lovers . Parey, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1 , pp. 233 .
literature
- Jiři Zahradnik, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung et al .: Beetles of Central and Northwestern Europe: an identification book for biologists and nature lovers . Parey, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1 , pp. 233 .
