Bald bacon beetle
| Bald bacon beetle | ||||||||||||
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Bald bacon beetle ( Trogoderma glabrum ) |
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| Trogoderma glabrum | ||||||||||||
| ( Autumn , 1797) |
The bald bacon beetle ( Trogoderma glabrum ) is a species of beetle from the family of bacon beetles (Dermestidae). It occurs in natural habitats in sludge caves or on dead wood of trees and in bee nests. It is more common in human settlement areas ( synanthropic ) in homes and warehouses. It is considered a storage pest , but in this respect is far less economically important than other species of the genus Trogoderma .
features
The beetle reaches a body size between 6 and 7 millimeters. It has an oval, closed body outline, pronotum and elytra are not set off at an angle. The cuticle is hairy and not scaled. Yellow and white hairs are mixed into the inconspicuously dark hair, which are very often arranged in three wavy cross bands on the wing covers. In older specimens, however, the hair is often partially rubbed off and the bandages are no longer visible. The body is mostly black in color. The tips of the elytra, the shoulders and the sides of the pronotum can sometimes be lightened reddish-brown, but the light color never forms ribbons of the transverse bandages, and the cuticle is black even under the hair bandages. The rails , tarsi and antennae are colored red and yellow. The head has slightly protruding, weakly bordered complex eyes. The antennae have an indistinctly separated five-part club.
The species is very difficult to distinguish from the closely related Trogoderma longisetosum Chao & Lee, 1966, which was only recently introduced from East Asia to Central Europe. This can only be differentiated in the details of the male genitals and the shape of the last antennae.
The larvae do not have urogomphi at the end of their bodies . Their surface is densely haired with black hair, with clearly spear-shaped setae (Hastisetae) scattered between the common setae. These arise from the detached, sclerotized, posterior sections of the abdominal segments. The short feelers are three-segment, the third segment being about the same length as the second. From the related species, the larva can usually be distinguished by the very dark color of the tergites and the very dense bristle bands on the posterior abdominal tergites.
distribution
The original distribution of the beetle is considered to be Palearctic , but today it has been abducted by humans worldwide (cosmopolitan). Its exact area of origin is unknown ("cryptogenic" species). It is therefore uncertain whether he is really indigenous in Central Europe. In England, for example, it only appears synanthropically, not outdoors. The first record in the USA was in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1934.
Biology and way of life
The beetle and its larva are mostly found in stocks of animal and vegetable origin and are considered to be a stock pest. He prefers relatively high temperatures, roughly between 25 and 35 ° C. At even higher temperatures, the mortality of the larvae increases sharply. 70 percent relative humidity is ideal for him. Male larvae go through five to six larval stages, female usually one more. The development from egg to imago takes about 30 to 50 days under favorable conditions, but takes noticeably longer at lower temperatures. Imagines the beetle can feed on grain or pollen.
In the wild, larvae of the species are found widespread in the nests of wild bees . In an investigation on the red mason bee Osmia rufa and the horned mason bee Osmia cornuta in Serbia , the species was widespread in nests. As a rule, it is not harmful to the bees.
Enemies
The flat wasp Laelius pedatus (Fam. Bethylidae ) is a parasitoid of the larvae of Trogoderma glabrum and has been tested for use in biological pest control. In contrast to the related Trogoderma variabile , the results were not very good. A significant enemy is the schizogregarine Mattesia trogodermae ( Apicomplexa or Sporozoa, Adeleorina). This species is held responsible for the fact that the species classified as a significant pest in the 1950s is now economically insignificant in the USA.
Retrogressive development
Like some other material and stored product pests, the larva of Trogoderma glabrum can survive for a long time even with very poor food. Under these conditions, it continues to eat and shed its skin at regular intervals, although neither growth nor real development is possible. Under these conditions, the larvae remain in the same stage during molting and often get smaller from molt to molt. This so-called "retrogressive" development can turn into a normal development at any time when the food supply improves again. This is even possible several times in a row.
The retrogressive development of the larvae of Trogoderma glabrum was intensively researched in the early 1970s by the American researcher Stanley T. Beck. He found out that the life of the beetle larva could be extended in this way for a long time, but not indefinitely. The bald bacon beetle has a life expectancy of about eight weeks from oviposition to death of the imago, but the beetles could be kept alive for up to two years in the manner described above (13-fold life extension). This is possibly the most massive artificial life extension that has ever been successful in any organism.
swell
- ↑ Genus Trogoderma Dejean at coleo.net Käfer Europe Arved Lompe (after GA Lohse)
- ↑ a b c Enid R. Peacock: Adults and Larvae of Hide, Larder and Carpet Beetles and their relatives (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) and of Derodont Beetles (Coleoptera, Derodontidae). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects Vol. 5, Part 3. edited by the Royal Entomological Society of London, 1993.
- ↑ Vaclav Stejskal, Zuzana Kučerová, Jiri Háva (2005): Trogoderma longisetosum and Trogoderma variabile (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) as Two New Stored Product Pests for the Czech Republic. Journal of Plant Protection Science Vol. 41 No. 1: 42-45.
- ↑ a b R.S. Beal, Jr .: Descriptions, Biology and Notes on the Identification of some Trogoderma Larvae (Coleóptera, Dermestidae). Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin No. 1228. Washington DC 1958. PDF
- ↑ Olivier Denux, Pierre Zagatti (2010): Coleoptera families other than Cerambycidae, Curculionidae sensu lato, Chrysomelidae sensu lato and Coccinellidae. BioRisk 4 (1): 315-406. doi : 10.3897 / biorisk.4.61
- ^ Rüdiger Wittenberg, Marc Kenis, Theo Blick, Ambros Hänggi, André Gassmann, Ewald Weber: Invasive alien species in Switzerland. An inventory of alien species and their threat to biodiversity and economy in Switzerland. Environmental Sudies 29/06. Published by the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN. Bern, 2006
- ↑ Udo Sellenschlo, Herbert Weidner: pests and vermin House: Determination tables for Central Europe. Springer-Verlag, 2010. ISBN 9783827424075 p.127
- ↑ TL Archer & RG Strong: Comparative Studies on the Biologies of Six Species of Trogoderma: T. glabrum . Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Volume 68, Number 1, pp. 105-114, 1975
- ↑ Wild bee detritivores: Bacon beetles (Dermestidae) www.Wildbienen.de
- ↑ Miloje Krunic, Ljubiša Stanislavjevic, Mauro Pinzauti, Antonio Felicioli (2005): The accompanying fauna of Osmia cornuta and Osmia rufa and effective measures of protection. Bulletin of Insectology 58 (2): 141-152.
- ↑ Peter J. Mayhew & Wijnand RB Heitmans (2000): Life history correlates and reproductive biology of Laelius pedatus (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) in The Netherlands. European Journal of Entomology 97: 313-322.
- ↑ Charles P. Schwalbe, G. Mallory Boush, Wendell E. Burkholder (1973): Physical and physiological characteristics of Trogoderma glabrum infected with the schizogregarine pathogen Mattesia trogodermae. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology Volume 22, Issue 2: 153-160. doi : 10.1016 / 0022-2011 (73) 90127-4
- ↑ RS Beal Jr. (2003): Annotated Checklist of Nearctic Dermestidae with Revised Key to the Genera. Coleopterists Bulletin, 57 (4): 391-404. doi : 10.1649 / 573
- ↑ cf. Stanley D. Beck & RK Bharadwaj (1972): Reversed Development and Cellular Aging in an Insect. Science Vol. 178 no. 4066: 1210-1211. doi : 10.1126 / science.178.4066.1210
- ^ Gregory M. Fahy: Precedents for the Biological Control of Aging: Experimental Postponement, Prevention, and Reversal of Aging Processes. In: Gregory M. Fahy, Michael D. West, L. Stephen Coles, Steven B. Harris (Editors): The Future of Aging - Pathways to Human Life Extension. Springer Verlag Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York, 2010. ISBN 978-90-481-3999-6 doi : 10.1007 / 978-90-481-3999-6 . in chap. 6.2.1.3 Zero Aging in Insects, p.131 PDF download ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
