Common bee beetle
Common bee beetle | ||||||||||||
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![]() Common bee beetle ( Trichodes apiarius ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Trichodes apiarius | ||||||||||||
( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The common bee beetle ( Trichodes apiarius ) is a beetle from the family of the colored beetles (Cleridae). Alternative common names are Immenkäfer , Immenwolf or beewolf .
features
The beetles reach a length of eight to 15 millimeters. The elytra are alternately orange-red and blue-black banded and the end of the elytra is dark. The head, pronotum and legs are blue or green and have a metallic sheen. The front and middle feet are yellowish in color, while the hind feet are brown. The antennae have a three-part antenna lobe, the last part of which is pointed at the side. The body and legs are long hairy, the head and pronotum are provided with brown hairs. The pronotum is finely dotted.
Similar species
- Trichodes alvearius ( Fabricius , 1792). Light wing-cover end, roughly dotted pronotum, which, like the head, is provided with black hairs.
Images of the larva | |
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Mouthparts | |
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In the nest of a mason bee | Abdomen end |
Pictures of the doll |
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freshly hatched right exuvia of the last larval stage |
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Onset of pigmentation |
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Just before molting |
Synonyms
- Trichodes affinis Spinola , 1844
- Clerus alveolarius Latreille , 1804
- Attelabus apiarius Müller , 1776
- Trichodes interruptus Kraatz , 1894
Occurrence
Of the four species of the genus Trichodes occurring in Central Europe , the common bee beetle is the most common species. In some areas, however, it has become rare. B. in northern Germany and in eastern Germany . It is also rare in the Eastern Alps, while it is still widespread in Liechtenstein .
The species is absent from Fennoscandia , but occurs in Denmark and the British Isles . Outside of Europe, the common bee beetle is found in North Africa , the Caucasus, and Asia Minor .
Way of life
The larvae live predatory in the nests of various solitary bees and in the beehives of European honey bees . The exact relationships between larval development have not yet been satisfactorily clarified.
The adult beetle spends May and June on plants from the umbelliferae family and hunts other flower visitors here. But it also eats pollen. He prefers warm and sunny places, such as B. Forest edges, dry meadows and gardens.
literature
- Edmund Reitter : Fauna Germanica - The beetles of the German Empire. Volume 3, KG Lutz, Stuttgart 1911.
- Edmund Reitter: Fauna Germanica - The beetles of the German Empire. 5 volumes, KG Lutz 1908, Stuttgart 1916, digital library volume 134, Directmedia Publishing GmbH, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89853-534-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jiři Zahradník, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung et al .: Käfer Central and Northwest Europe , Parey Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1
- ↑ a b c d Trichodes apiarius (Linnaeus 1758). Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed on July 17, 2007 .