Reed beetle

Reed beetle
Reed beetle ( Donacia semicuprea )
Systematics
Order : Beetle (Coleoptera) Subordination : Polyphaga Family : Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) Subfamily : Reed beetle (Donaciinae) Genre : Cane beetle ( Donacia ) Type : Reed beetle
Scientific name
Donacia semicuprea
Tank , 1796

The reed beetle ( Donacia semicuprea ) is a beetle from the leaf beetle family .

description

The reed beetle is about 1 cm long. You can recognize it by the shiny metallic wing covers. The metal shimmer varies between bluish, greenish and copper-colored.

habitat

This species can be found on the banks of lakes, ponds, ponds, oxbow lakes and meadow ditches all over Europe . They can often be seen on reed stalks, especially in summer.

Reproduction

After mating in the bank vegetation, the females lay the eggs in jelly just above or below the water level . The larvae have two different appendages on their abdomen that they use to pierce aerated tissues of plants in order to supply themselves with oxygen. Pupation takes place in air-filled cocoons below the surface of the water. The finished beetles hatch in autumn, but stay in the cocoons until spring.

food

The adult beetles, like the larvae, are vegetarians. They feed on the soft stem sections and leaves of the bank and water plants . The larvae, on the other hand, suckle on plants underwater.

literature

• Helgard Reicholf-Riehm: Insects . Mosaik Verlag, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-570-01187-9 .

Web links

Commons : Donacia semicuprea  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Donacia semicuprea at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved August 10, 2013
• Donacia semicuprea (illustration). University of Wroclaw, accessed August 10, 2013 .