Paunch bug
| Paunch bug | ||||||||||||
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Male belly insect |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Polysarcus denticauda | ||||||||||||
| ( Charpentier , 1825) |
The Wanstschrecke ( Polysarcus denticauda , Syn. : Orphania denticauda ) is a locust from the superfamily of grasshoppers and the subfamily of sickle terror (Phaneropterinae).
features
The belly insect reaches a size of about 44 millimeters and is thus the largest representative of the sickle horror in Central Europe . It is colored green, more rarely dark brown and drawn with black dots. The saddle-shaped pronotum serves as a horn. The wings are receded and stubby. In the males they protrude clearly below the pronotum, in the females they are almost completely hidden under it. The animals are unable to fly. The females have a long laying tube that is toothed at the end.
Way of life
The belly insect is vegetarian and is quite lazy. She stays seated in danger. Their singing, divided into five phases, is characteristic and can be heard up to a distance of 50 meters.
Mass reproductions are seldom observed, for example in the Donaueschingen area in 1948 . A special wandering shape is formed, which differs from the original shape by its darker color, smaller size and more pronounced saddle-shaped pronotum 2 .
Occurrence
It can be found in predominantly fresh to dry locations such as long grassy meadows with lush vegetation. Such meadows should be mowed late and only sparingly fertilized. The main area of distribution in Germany is in Baden-Württemberg on the edge of the Swabian Alb and in the foothills of the Alb. Other populations are known from the Allgäu (see below) and the Rhön .
Danger
The populace insect populations have recently been scientifically researched. In a reserve on the Grünten in the Allgäu Alps, there are around 30,000 paunch horrors 3 . Their existence is considered safe here. Yet it has become rare in many areas. The species is therefore listed in the Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany in Category 2 (highly endangered) 1 .
literature
- Peter Detzel: Locusts of Baden-Württemberg , Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-800-13507-8
- 2Heiko Bellmann: Locusts: observe, determine , Naturbuch Verlag 1993, ISBN 3-894-40028-5
- Heiko Bellmann: grasshoppers. The voices of 61 native species. CD, Amp Europe 2004, ISBN 3-935-32948-2
- Siegfried Ingrisch, Günther Köhler: The locusts of Central Europe , Westarp Sciences 1998, ISBN 3-894-32461-9
- 1Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9
- 3 Münchner Merkur March 27, 2006: Symposium in Augsburg, study on behalf of the Bavarian State Office for the Environment
