Coniferous Saber Hatch
| Coniferous Saber Hatch | ||||||||||||
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Softwood saber-hedge |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Barbitistes constrictus | ||||||||||||
| Brunner von Wattenwyl , 1878 |
The coniferous saber-hedge ( Barbitistes constrictus ) is a species from the family of the sickle-horror (Phaneropteridae).
features
The animals are 14 to 20 millimeters long and are quite similar to the hardwood saber hedge ( Barbitistes serricauda ). But they have a significantly darker basic color; this is mostly blue-green, rarely also brown. In particular, the slightly lighter females have a distinct dark mark on the back and sides. The pronotum and the back of the abdomen can be almost black, especially in males. As with the similar species, a light yellowish longitudinal line runs from the compound eyes over the pronotum and along the edge of the wing. Usually, especially in males, these lines continue on the abdomen. The long antennae are brown to black and have individual, fine, light rings at greater intervals. The head of the animals is slightly wider than that of the hardwood saber-insect and slightly wider than the pronotum is long. The S-shaped curved cerci also differ between the species. In the case of the softwood saber-insect, these are widened outwards just before the tip. The ovipositor of the females is slightly longer, 2.5 to three times the length of the pronotum.
Similar species
- Hardwood saber-hedge ( Barbitistes serricauda )
Occurrence
The species occurs mainly in coniferous forests . In contrast to the related species, it is rare in Germany and for a long time only occurred east of the Kulmbach-Nuremberg-Passau line. In the meantime, however, the species has also been found in the Bavarian Alps and in eastern Baden-Württemberg .
Way of life
Little is known about the way of life of the species. A single larva has been successfully raised with needles from spruce and larch, and also with rose petals. The males' courtship song resembles that of the hardwood saber-hoppers. However, longer rows of six to eight individual sounds are generated, between which individual syllables sound.
credentials
- Heiko Bellmann : Der Kosmos Heuschreckenführer, The species of Central Europe safely determine , Franckh-Kosmos Verlag GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-10447-8 .
