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- Gold Beetle
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- Gold Beetle
Bug beetle (lat. Buprestidae) belongs to the large family of beetles. In Russia, there are 180 species of different sizes - up to 4 cm in length. Brilliant color with metallic shimmer or color distinguishes gold from other bugs. The carapace has bright spots. They are active from May to early August. They feed on the bark of young shoots, leaves.
Description of appearance
Goldfish beetles are attractive in appearance due to the unusual brilliant shell.
- The color scheme is different - metallic, black, purple, blue, copper, red. The carapace is dense, strong, smooth.
- The body is long, flattened, elytra narrowed to the end.
- The legs are short, strong.
- The wings are small but powerful, provide fast intermittent movement, easy targeted flight.
- The head is small, downcast. Short, straight tendrils. Big compound eyes.
Photo of goldfish beetles is presented below.
In total, there are 15 thousand insects of this species in the world, the most striking representatives live in tropical countries. In our country, black goldfish is one of the largest beetles. The body size reaches 4 cm. The shell is coal-colored with a metallic sheen.
Interesting!
Bug beetle is the most beautiful member of the family. In the tropics, there are species reaching a length of 10 cm. In the UK in 1983, they found a representative of lacewings aged 47 years.
Lifestyle
The development of goldfish takes place on trees and shrubs. Adults feed on bark of young shoots, sometimes leaves. Larvae eat roots, live in the root system of the plant. Larvae of some species make passages under the bark of trees.
Bug beetle loves sunny weather. You can meet an insect on trees, shrubs. Creeps quickly, periodically takes off. On a cloudy day, at night, the beetle hides in a secluded place.
Insects skillfully hide from enemies. Helps to notice a detractor good vision. Zlatka quickly but imperceptibly creeps down the trunk, hiding in the leaves. If this maneuver does not help, takes off or tightens its paws, falls to the ground without movement.
The insect goldfish is the natural enemy of many crop pests. Beetles are specially settled on the site. However, their larvae can also harm crops, shrubs, young trees, making numerous moves under the bark.
On a note!
Many species of goldfish beetles are listed in the Red Book as an endangered species. Among goldfish, there are extremely few typical wood destroyers. Larvae live under the bark without violating the integrity of the trunk, or make shallow moves.
Breeding
After mating, the female lays eggs under the bark. After 20 days, larvae appear - small, thin, legless worms. They feed on crushed bark, trash formed after parasitization of fungi. Other larvae descend to the root system, live there. Most species are characterized by attachment to a specific plant - poplar, oak, currant, cereal, willow, etc.
The female lays eggs one at a time or in heaps. Sometimes it fills the masonry with a special substance secreted by the glands. It instantly freezes, white blisters form on the cortex. Others lay eggs on leaves or near the root system.
Over the entire period of their development, the larvae molt several times, increase in size - up to 1 cm. They pupate at the end of the cycle.Winter is spent under the bark at the larval stage, and development continues in the spring. Young individuals appear in May-June. Only one beetle population is generated per year.
