Paw beetles
| Paw beetles | ||||||||||||
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Paw beetle ( Timarcha tenebricosa ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Timarcha tenebricosa | ||||||||||||
| ( Fabricius , 1775) |
The paw beetle ( Timarcha tenebricosa ), also known as bedstraw leaf beetle , is a beetle from the family of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae).
description
With a body length of 15 to 20 millimeters, the beetles are the largest leaf beetles in Central Europe . They have a black, slightly bluish shimmering body and look like dung beetles . The wing coverts have a slight punctiform structure and have grown together in the middle, which makes them unable to fly. They have powerful antennae made up of spherical links. On each leg they have three short but very wide phalanges, a narrower phalanx and finally a pair of claws. These "thick feet" give the beetle its name.
Way of life
They are sedate, but already on their way very early in spring. It also happens that they interrupt their hibernation on mild winter days. If you disturb them, they choke out a red or orange liquid ( reflex bleeding ).
The females normally lay their eggs in rennets in summer , on which both the larvae and the beetles feed. The beetles can also be seen mating in spring or autumn. The larvae hatch in the next spring. They are 20 millimeters long, are also black and have a very clumsy and spherical structure. They pupate on the ground. The beetles hibernate.
Occurrence
The beetles can be found in southern and central Europe on warm dry grass , especially in the mountains, and are not uncommon.
literature
- Michael Chinery: Parey's Book of Insects. Over 2000 insects in Europe. 2nd edition, Kosmos , Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 978-3-440-13289-0
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