Variable Schönbock
| Variable Schönbock | ||||||||||||
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Variable Schönbock ( Phymatodes testaceus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phymatodes testaceus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The variable Beautifully Bock or variables disc Bock , red-yellow disc Bock ( Phymatodes testaceus ) is a beetle of the family of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
features
These 8 to 16 millimeter long beetles vary greatly in color. Their elytra can be yellow to brown, black, black-blue, blue, or even purple. The thighs of their legs are stalked at the base and thickened club-shaped towards the tip of the thighs. The pronotum is convex and dark to yellow-red or red. The smaller Poecilium lividum has a certain resemblance to the variable Schönbock because of the reddish pronotum and the blue-black elytra.
Taxonomy
The following synonyms can be found in the literature :
- Callidium italicus Gmelin , 1790
- Callidium ruficollis Fabricius , 1781
- Callidium testaceus Linnaeus , 1758
- Callidium violaceum Rossi , 1790
Occurrence
The species occurs in Europe , but not in the far north. It can also be found in Asia Minor and the Middle East , the Caucasus , North Africa and now in North America .
Way of life
In deciduous forests it mainly attacks oak, but also beech , hornbeam and fruit trees. The larvae develop in dead or dead deciduous trees and eat sharp-edged feeding tunnels under the bark . The development to the imago takes one to two years. Also often occurs in stored firewood or firewood. The beetles hide under the bark or in crevices during the day and are only active in the evening hours. They can be found from June to July.
Damage
The larvae drill numerous, wide feeding ducts between the bast and sapwood . In addition, at the end of the larval development, a pupa cradle about four centimeters deep is laid out in the form of a hook walk in the sapwood.
Economic importance and dangers
Large losses in the value of oak trunks are possible if they occur in large numbers. Since the infestation also occurs in stored firewood, this often leads to irritation for homeowners. However, there is no risk of reaching over onto timber, as the beetle relies on barked wood.
credentials
- ↑ Phymatodes testaceus (Linnaeus 1758). Fauna Europaea, accessed June 14, 2007 .
- ↑ Jiři Zahradnik, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung et al .: Beetles of Central and Northwestern Europe. Parey, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1 .
