German scorpion fly
| German scorpion fly | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
German scorpion fly ( Panorpa germanica ), ♂ |
||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Panorpa germanica | ||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The German scorpion fly ( Panorpa germanica ) is a species of beaked fly , the males of which have a significantly thickened genital segment at the end of the abdomen, reminiscent of the sting of a scorpion . The German name of this species and the whole family of scorpion flies (Panorpidae) is derived from this.
anatomy
The four wings of the German scorpion fly are veined like a reticulum, darkly spotted and have a wingspan of 25 to 35 mm. In contrast to the common scorpion fly ( Panorpa communis ) the hind wings do not show a continuous black band. The mouthparts are elongated like a beak. The last abdominal segments are orange-red in both sexes. In terms of shape, however, they show a pronounced sexual dimorphism . In the females this part of the body is a slightly upwardly curved laying tube, while the males have a strongly upwardly curved, pincer-like mating organ that is reminiscent of the sting of a scorpion. In contrast to the common scorpion fly ( Panorpa communis ), in which the abdominal appendages of the males are like pincers, the abdominal appendages of the males of the German scorpion fly are parallel. In addition, the third abdominal segment of the male of P. germanica shows a noticeable hump. The anterior abdominal segments are black and yellow. The last phalanx has two toothed claws. The German scorpion flies are slightly smaller than the common scorpion flies and have a body length of up to 20 mm. The black larvae of the German scorpion fly look similar to butterfly caterpillars.
Way of life
As habitats , the German scorpion fly prefers moderately humid, shady habitats with milder microclimatic conditions than the common scorpion fly. It is often found in spruce stands and mixed deciduous forests, but also in floodplain areas, ditches and forest edges. The German scorpion fly feeds on dead or weakened insects, its larvae feed on dead plants. In Central Europe there are two imaginal generations in valleys, the flight time of the first generation begins in mid-April, the flight time of the second generation begins in early July. While the third larval stage (prepupal stage) lasts 8 months in the winter generation, it is only 2 weeks in the summer generation.
Reproduction
In order to attract the females, the males courtship with the genital segment stretched upwards, spread their wings and regularly fan them with their wings. This releases a volatile pheromone that contains the two aldehydes (2E, 6Z) -Nona-2,6-dienal and (E) -Non-2-enal . The pheromone is distributed by regular fanning with the wings. People perceive the two substances as the scent of freshly cut cucumber.
The males' courtship takes place only a few hours before sunset and an hour afterwards. Females approaching a courting male show their interest by flapping their wings and bobbing their abdomen. Before mating occurs, the male gives the female a droplet of saliva as a "wedding present" . While males are polygamous, females only mate once or twice in their lifetime. It is believed that the females make targeted choices based on the pheromone released.
Systematics and distribution
The German scorpion fly is widespread across Europe (but no data are available from some countries). A number of subspecies have developed in the Balkans (as a Ice Age retreat):
- Panorpa germanica ssp. germanica : Occurrence all over Europe
- Panorpa germanica ssp. euboica : Greece
- Panorpa germanica ssp. gibberosa : Serbia
- Panorpa germanica ssp. graeca : Greece
- Panorpa germanica ssp. riegeri : Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Panorpa germanica ssp. rumelia : Bulgaria, Greece
- Panorpa germanica ssp. titschaki : Greece, Macedonia
swell
literature
- Paul Brohmer : Fauna of Germany . Quelle & Meyer Verlag, Heidelberg 1969.
- Michael Chinery: Parey's Book of Insects . Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 978-3-440-09969-8 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ J. Gepp: The Panorpen Styria - a region alfa colleges tables Overview (Mecoptera, Insecta). Middle natural Verein der Steiermark, Volume 105, 1979, 257-264.
- ↑ D. Kock, J. Ruther and KP Sauer: A male sex pheromone in a scorpionfly. J. Chem. Ecol., Vol. 33, 2007, 1249-1256.
- ↑ U. Gerhards: Mating system and sperm competition mechanism of the scorpion fly Panorpa communis (Insecta, Mecoptera). Dissertation University of Bonn, 1999.
- ↑ Distribution map of Panorpa germanica at Fauna Europaea ( Memento of the original from March 5, 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.
- ^ R. Willmann: The subspecific structure of Panorpa germanica L. (Mecoptera, Panorpidae) in the Balkans. Ent. Scand. Volume 8, 1977, pp. 13-28.
- ↑ Subspecies of Panorpa germanica in Fauna Europaea
