Skatoconche

The Skatoconche (from Greek σκώρ . Genitive σκατός "droppings, dung" and Latin concha , "mussel shell") is an envelope made small Kotplättchen that of the females of some beetle species (Chrysomelidae) such as those of the genus Clytra to the laid eggs is attached. The shape of the Skatoconche is characteristic of the beetle species . In other species there is a non-structured droppings shell or the covering of individual eggs or the clutch with simple piles of droppings. The excrement probably serves to protect the eggs, as camouflage , a barrier function and / or chemical deterrence of predators could come about. However, some specialized predators use the substances present in the faecal shell to track down the clutch.

Some leaf beetle species, such as the shield beetle (Cassidinae), also wear a faecal shield as larvae or pupa for protection.

literature

• Martha R. Weiss: Defecation behavior and ecology of insects . In: Annual Review of Entomology . tape 51 , 2006, p. 635-661 (English).
• Flávia Nogueira-de-Sá, José Roberto Trigo: Do fecal shields provide physical protection to larvae of the tortoise beetles Plagiometriona flavescens and Stolas chalybea against natural enemies? In: Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata . tape 104 , no. 1 , 2002, p. 203-206 (English).
• Werner Jacobs, Max Renner: Pocket dictionary on the biology of insects, with special consideration of Central European species . Gustav Fischer paperback books, 1974, ISBN 978-3-437-30171-1 , p. 525 .