Spanish fly

This article describes a beetle. For more meanings, see Spanish fly (disambiguation)

Spanish fly
Spanish fly ( Lytta vesicatoria )
Systematics
Order : Beetle (Coleoptera) Subordination : Polyphaga Family : Oil beetle (Meloidae) Subfamily : Meloinae Genre : Lytta Type : Spanish fly
Scientific name
Lytta vesicatoria
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The Spanish fly ( Lytta vesicatoria , Syn . : Cantharis vesicatoria ) is a beetle from the family of the oil beetle (Meloidae).

features

The adult beetles are nine to 21 millimeters long and have a long and slender body. This is colored metallic-green. Their wings are fully developed, the cover wings cover the entire abdomen. In addition, the species is characterized by its intense smell. The larvae develop in three stages through hypermetamorphosis : The Triungulinus larva has long legs, three-part claws, relatively long antennae and two tail threads. It is almost entirely black, except for the underside, legs, meta- and mesothorax, which are brightly colored. The caraboid larvae form, on the other hand, is brightly colored all over the body, and the legs and especially the antennae are shorter than in the Triungulinus larva and the claws are simple. The scarabaeoid larval form looks very similar to the caraboid.

Subspecies

• Lytta vesicatoria moreana Pic, 1941
• Lytta vesicatoria vesicatoria (Linnaeus, 1758)

Distribution and occurrence

The animals are common in southern Europe and the African Mediterranean area , but are rarely found in central Europe . In the mountains they occur up to an altitude of 1700 m.

Way of life

Spanish flies live in bushes in warm places. They fly in mid-June, and are particularly active around noon. The bugs can give off a foul odor. When in danger, they squeeze yellow hemolymph from various parts of the body, such as the leg joints ( reflex bleeding ), or they choke digestive juices out of the mouth. Both contain a lot of cantharidin and are irritating to the skin (blisters may appear under certain circumstances).

Food and eating behavior

The Spanish fly eating. The arched feeding pattern with not smooth edges can be seen quite well.

The adults are usually found on their plants, on whose leaves they feed. The most important feeding plants are Fraxinus excelsior and - with the exception of Fraxinus ornus - other ash species , as well as poplars , elderberries , maples , privet , lilac and olive trees . The beetles can occur as pests in mass occurrences, especially in various olive trees , but they can also completely devour young ash trees. The beetles first eat the young, tender leaves, but later they also take on tougher old leaves. The feeding picture looks desolate as the beetles tear large arched pieces out of the leaf.

Development of the larvae

The female of the Spanish fly buries the eggs in a self-dug hole in the ground. The larvae hatch after three to four weeks. Their development is a hypermetamorphosis : There are three larval forms, which also differ morphologically from each other (see in the paragraph characteristics ). As with all oil beetles, the larvae develop parasitically . Your hosts are wild bees . The first form of larva, the so-called Triungulinus larva , climbs on flowering plants, where it lurks for wild bees and, if one comes, rides on their backs into the wild bees' nests. This indirect mode of locomotion is called phoresy; it is a form of probiosis . Once in the wild bee nest, the second larval form develops, the so-called caraboid larval form . It parasitizes in the bee's nest for two weeks, then it develops into a dummy pupa, also called pseudochrysalis . As a dummy pupa, it hibernates once or twice, probably outside the nest in the ground. After overwintering, perhaps not until April, the third larval form develops, the scarabaeoid larval form , which pupates into a real pupa. After two weeks of rest, the imago hatches .

The Spanish fly as a sexual enhancer and irritant

The beetle is best known for its powder used as a sexual enhancer, which consists of the ground beetles and is also known as the Spanish fly. This contains the active ingredient cantharidin , named after the beetle genus Cantharis , to which the Spanish fly was previously counted. In the context of homeopathy and animal homeopathy , it is used under the name "Cantharis vesicatoria".

Cantharidin is also found in a number of other species of the oil beetle and in other beetle families. It is a strong irritant that causes blisters and necrosis on the skin and, if taken orally, can lead to acute kidney failure and thus be fatal. About 0.03 g of the poison is lethal for adults, and it is harmless to predators such as hedgehogs, bats, frogs and birds. It is only synthesized by the male beetles. During mating, females receive the poison from the males from ectadia and in turn pass it on to the eggs to protect them from predators. An increase in potency is said to be the result of massive irritation of the urinary tract, which can lead to a strong erection or even a painful permanent erection . The Spanish fly does not increase sexual desire , so it is not an aphrodisiac . The German King Heinrich IV (1050–1106) also risked his health for potency and consumed the Spanish fly.

Overdosing can attack the central nervous system . In extreme cases, death from liver poisoning , circulatory collapse and kidney failure occurs within twelve hours . Therefore, the Spanish fly was used in the past as a killing poison in executions and for clandestine assassinations. The preparations available in Germany with the designation "Spanish fly" do not pose any danger when used normally, as they actually only contain the active ingredient in homeopathic doses. In the USA , the sale and use of preparations containing the active ingredient cantharidin is prohibited. The preparations are used against diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. In the past, the dried wing covers in particular were used for medical purposes, for example for the production of cantharid plasters that would pull bubbles .

supporting documents

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Lytta (Lytta) vesicatoria moreana Pic 1941. Fauna Europaea, accessed May 10, 2007 . 
2. ↑ Lytta (Lytta) vesicatoria vesicatoria (Linnaeus 1758). Fauna Europaea, accessed May 10, 2007 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Klaus Honomichl: Biology and Ecology of Insects , 3rd edition 1998, p. 377. ISBN 3-8274-0799-0 .

literature

• Heiko Bellmann : The New Cosmos Insect Guide , Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-440-07682-2 .
• Harde, Severa: Der Kosmos Käferführer, The Central European Beetles , Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-06959-1 .
• Adolf Brauns: Pocket Book of Forest Insects Volume 1. (3rd edition, edited); Gustav Fischer Verlag Stuttgart, ISBN 3-437-30228-0 .

Web links

Commons : Spanish fly  album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Lytta (Lytta) vesicatoria at Fauna Europaea

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !