Grapevine jewel beetle
| Grapevine jewel beetle | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grapevine jewel beetle ( Agrilus derasofasciatus ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Agrilus derasofasciatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Boisduval & Lacordaire , 1835) |
The grapevine jewel beetle , also heavily haired narrow jewel beetle , ( Agrilus derasofasciatus , synonym Agrilus angustulus Gory & Laporte 1837) is a beetle from the jewel beetle family and the subfamily of the Agrilinae . The beetle belongs to the large genus Agrilus , which is represented in Europe by over seventy species, which are mostly difficult to distinguish . It develops in the grapevine .
The species name derasofasciatus ( Latin derāsus: abraded, and fasciātus: banded) indicates the darker horizontal stripes on the elytra due to the lack of hair.
Characteristics of the beetle
The slim, pointed body is 4.5 to 5 millimeters long. The beetle is olive green to bronze green, rarely dark blue or black. It has light body hair, the species can easily be confused with the Central European species Agrilus olivicolor , Agrilus curtulus and Agrilus graminis as well as other European species.
The head is short and inclined downwards perpendicular to the body axis. The forehead is clearly furrowed. The large eyes almost reach the front edge of the pronotum. The eleven-part antennae are deflected in front of the lower edge of the eyes. In the female, the antennae are more elongated and sharply serrated than in the females of Agrilus olivicolor .
The pronotum is double-edged. A keel rises next to the rear corner, which, when bent downwards, disappears laterally before reaching half its length. The front edge of the pronotum is less curved than that of Agrilus graminis .
The elytra , measured over the shoulders, are more than three times as long as they are wide and thus slimmer than in Agrilus litura . The inner half of the wing cover is lightly haired with flattened scale hair, behind the middle the hair is interrupted. This gives the impression of a dark transverse band (picture for this under web links).
The legs are delicate. In the male, the fifth sternite is pressed flat lengthways. The edge furrow of the last sternite is curved inwards at the tip. The rear hips of the male have tufts of hair. The tarsi are all five-part.
biology
The larvae develop in dead branches of the vine. The monophage species is restricted to the grapevine , and it is believed that it also develops in Vitis vinivera sylvestris . Other host plants are mentioned, but there is a risk that the species has been confused with a similar species.
Under the bark of dead or dying branches, the larva creates winding feeding tunnels and fills them with fine drill dust. The larva goes deeper into the wood to pupate. The doll's cradle is left through a hole with an approximately semicircular cross-section. If the infestation is dense, the loopholes are only a few centimeters apart.
The beetles appear in Central Europe from May to August. They are particularly to be found in abandoned vineyards on sandy soil or at the edge of sand pits. From France, the species is reported from high altitudes from the coast to low mountains.
The beetles damage the host plant by pitting the leaves, which is not economically significant.
The adults often gather gregariously on the leaves of the host plants or in the vicinity of them. The males approach the females like an attack. The male lands on the female with his head towards the end of the body. Then it turns quickly. Copulation occurs within a few seconds. Copulating females move relatively unhindered. Copulations take place until the evening hours.
Harm and protection
The fact that the beetle gnaws at the leaves of grapevines is not economically relevant. Since the larvae only attack dying and dead branches, they do not damage the plants used to make wine. The grapevine jewel beetle is a rare species that is classified as endangered in Germany. As a protective measure, the preservation of habitats is recommended for known occurrences. Overgrown vines should be preserved during de-bushing measures.
distribution
The spread of the species is limited by the spread of the grapevine. The beetle is rarely found in Central Europe, but common in Southern Europe. In the east the distribution area extends to southern Russia , the Caucasus and Asia Minor , in the west to France and the Iberian Peninsula , north to Germany and Poland . The northern limit of distribution runs through Rhineland-Palatinate , where the occurrence is limited to hot spots. The species can also be found in Africa and North America.
literature
- Heinz Joy, Karl Wilhelm Harde, Gustav Adolf Lohse: The beetles of Central Europe . tape 6 : Diversicornia . Spectrum, Heidelberg 1979, ISBN 3-87263-027-X .
- Fritz Brechtel, Hans Kostenbader (ed.): The splendor and stag beetles of Baden-Württemberg . Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2002, ISBN 3-8001-3526-4 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Agrilus derasofasciatus in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved August 30, 2012
- ^ Agrilus at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved August 30, 2012
- ↑ Sigmund Schenkling: Explanation of the scientific beetle names (species)
- ↑ Klaus Koch : Die Käfer Mitteleuropas Ökologie . 1st edition. tape 2 . Goecke & Evers, Krefeld 1989, ISBN 3-87263-040-7 .
