Wool beetle

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Wool beetle
Common wool beetle (Lagria hirta)

Common wool beetle ( Lagria hirta )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Beetle (Coleoptera)
Subordination : Polyphaga
Superfamily : Tenebrionoidea
Family : Black beetle (Tenebrionidae)
Subfamily : Wool beetle
Scientific name
Lagriinae
Latreille , 1825

The woolly beetles (Lagriinae) are a subfamily of the black beetles (Tenebrionidae) and owe their name to the hairy wing covers , which at first glance look like brown wool.

features

The adults are about seven to twelve millimeters tall and have red-brownish colored elytra with fine hair. Simple claws that are neither toothed nor combed, a head without widened cheeks and a deflection point of the antennae that is always visible from above, which are not culled, are typical of woolly beetles. They also have a foot formula of 5.5.4.

Occurrence

So far, over 2,000 species are known worldwide. The representatives of this subfamily are herbivores that feed on young leaves. They can be found on grass, flowering herbs and bushes.

Way of life

The adult animal feeds on young leaves of mostly flowering plants and can be found all summer. The larvae survive the cold season under fallen leaves and also feed on it. They are white-brownish in color and very small and pupate just below the surface of the earth.

Species (Europe)

By far the most common species in Germany is the common wool beetle ( Lagria hirta ). So far 59 species and subspecies in five genera have been identified in Europe.

credentials

  1. ↑ Jiři Zahradnik, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung et al .: Beetles of Central and Northwestern Europe. Parey, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1
  2. ↑ Lagriinae. Fauna Europaea, accessed March 28, 2007 .

Web links

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