Athous haemorrhoidalis

Last updated

Athous haemorrhoidalis
Athous haemorrhoidalis (2008-05-07).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Elateridae
Genus: Athous
Species:
A. haemorrhoidalis
Binomial name
Athous haemorrhoidalis
(Fabricius, 1801)

Athous haemorrhoidalis is a species of European and Asian click beetles in the genus Athous . Several variations are recognized.

Contents

Description

The adult is a fairly slender beetle, 10–15 mm long, with straight antennae which are long enough to reach the back of the pronotum (which covers the thorax). [1] The head and thorax are black, the elytra brown and strongly ribbed. The pronotum is clearly dimpled all over. The whole body is covered with greyish-brown hairs. The legs are a paler brown than the elytra. Like other click beetles, the joint between thorax and abdomen forms a flexible hinge, and there is a central knob at the back of the thorax. [2] The species is sexually dimorphic; males are smaller than females, and the side of the male's pronotum is less wavy than the female's. [1]

Distribution

This click beetle is found throughout the British Isles. [2] It is widespread across Europe and Asia. It is predominantly a lowland species, being entirely absent above 600 m elevation, and becoming steadily scarcer from sea level up to 500 m. [1]

Ecology

Athous haemorrhoidalis in a forest clearing

If disturbed the adult can flick itself high (up to 245 mm) [1] into the air, with a takeoff speed of up to 2.27 m/s, making a loud clicking noise. It can also use this ability to right itself if it falls onto its back. [2]

The adults live on flowers, eating pollen. In Europe they are most active in July (like a similar species, Athous vittatus ), unlike several other click beetles which are active mainly in the spring months. [1]

In broad-leaved forest, on sallow leaf Click Beetle Athous haemorrhoidalis on Sallow leaf.JPG
In broad-leaved forest, on sallow leaf

The species is found mainly in forests, both broad-leaved (oak and beech) and coniferous (Scots pine). They are also found in wetland habitats such as fens and peatlands. Fossils of the species have been found in Britain from the Holocene period immediately after the last ice age, from acid bog peat, a much wetter habitat than the beetle's usual habitats today. [1]

Adults pollinate the frog orchid, Coeloglossum viride. The beetles are eaten mainly by tits; they are an important prey species for the collared flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis. [1]

The larvae of A. haemorrhoidalis are damaging pests of agriculture. [2] In an agricultural setting, the species is found in cereals, orchards, and potato crops. The larvae have a mixed diet, preying on the winter moth, Operophtera brumata, and eating the roots of plants, mostly grasses in the family Poaceae. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet click beetle</span> Species of beetle

The violet click beetle is a black beetle, 12 mm (0.5 in) long, with a faint blue/violet reflection. It gets its name from the family habit of springing upwards with an audible click if it falls on its back. It occurs in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardinal beetle</span> Species of beetle

Pyrochroa coccinea, commonly known as the black-headed cardinal beetle, is a species of cardinal beetle in the family Pyrochoidae. It is found mainly in wooded areas and pastures throughout central Europe, including southern Great Britain. Similar to other species of Ambrosia beetles, P. coccinea live and reproduce on wooden logs in early stages of decomposition. Larvae develop over the span of many years, with overlapping generations often inhabiting a single wooden territory. Adults, however, are short-lived and exist during a brief season. They typically show up in April, become more populous in May and early June, and become very rare in the remaining months.

<i>Hylotrupes</i> Genus of beetles

Hylotrupes is a monotypic genus of woodboring beetles in the family Cerambycidae, the longhorn beetles. The sole species, Hylotrupes bajulus, is known by several common names, including house longhorn beetle, old house borer, and European house borer. In South Africa it also is known as the Italian beetle because of infested packing cases that had come from Italy. Hylotrupes is the only genus in the tribe Hylotrupini.

<i>Cotinis nitida</i> Species of beetle

Cotinis nitida, commonly known as the green June beetle, June bug or June beetle, is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in the eastern United States and Canada, where it is most abundant in the South. It is sometimes confused with the related southwestern species figeater beetle Cotinis mutabilis, which is less destructive.

<i>Lampyris noctiluca</i> Species of beetle

Lampyris noctiluca, the common glow-worm of Europe, is the type species of beetle in the genus Lampyris and the family Lampyridae.

<i>Neocicindela tuberculata</i> Species of beetle

Neocicindela tuberculata is a species of tiger beetle in the family Cicindelidae, endemic to New Zealand. Its common names include common tiger beetle, moeone, and papapa, and in its larval stage penny doctor, butcher boy, kapuku, kui, kurikuri, moeone, and muremure. Neocicindela tuberculata was the first carabid beetle described from New Zealand. The species can run as fast as 5 miles per hour and are considered to be the fastest running beetles. Adult species prefer clay banks in summer and are good predators when in comes to insects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coccinellidae</span> Family of beetles

Coccinellidae is a widespread family of small beetles. They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in the United Kingdom; "lady" refers to mother Mary. Entomologists use the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles to avoid confusion with true bugs. The more than 6,000 described species have a global distribution and are found in a variety of habitats. They are oval beetles with a domed back and flat underside. Many of the species have conspicuous aposematic (warning) colours and patterns, such as red with black spots, that warn potential predators that they taste bad.

<i>Tenebroides mauritanicus</i> Species of beetle

Tenebroides mauritanicus, commonly known as the cadelle, is a species of beetle in the family Trogossitidae. It is a common cosmopolitan pest in storehouses and granaries.

<i>Oiceoptoma noveboracense</i> Species of beetle

Oiceoptoma noveboracense is a member of the family Silphidae, or carrion beetles, which feed on decaying organic matter such as dead animals. Its common name is the margined carrion beetle, from the orange-red margins on the pronotum, which are helpful when identifying this species. The larva is typically light brown to red and also has vertical ridges on its thorax like the adult. This diurnal beetle can be found mainly in the spring into the fall, and it has a strong preference towards a deciduous forest habitat. The primary forensic importance of this beetle is its ability to use the succession of insect fauna to provide confirmation of postmortem intervals.

<i>Coccinella leonina</i> Species of ladybird native to New Zealand

Coccinella leonina, common name orange-spotted ladybird, is a species of ladybird native to New Zealand. It is black with orange spots. A predator species, it is present in a variety of habitats.

<i>Megapenthes lugens</i> Species of beetle

Megapenthes lugens is a species of primarily European click beetle. The adult is black, narrow and 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long. The larvae feed on weevil larvae in the decaying trunks of beech and elm. In July 2010, the common name "queen's executioner beetle" was proposed following a competition.

<i>Alaus oculatus</i> Species of beetle

Alaus oculatus, commonly called the eastern eyed click beetle or eyed elater, is a species of click beetle.

<i>Cicindela albissima</i> Species of beetle

Cicindela albissima, commonly called the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle is a species of tiger beetle endemic to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in southern Utah, United States. It was originally described by Rumpp in 1962 as the subspecies Cicindela limbata albissima, but mitochondrial DNA, along with the species' morphological and geographical distinctiveness, have shown that it is a separate species. C. albissima can be distinguished from other Cicindela species by its restricted range and lack of pigmentation on its elytra.

<i>Athous vittatus</i> Species of beetle

Athous vittatus is a species of beetle in the family Elateridae and the genus Athous.

<i>Agriotes sputator</i> Species of beetle

Agriotes sputator is a species of click beetle, commonly known as the common click beetle. The adult beetle is brown and inconspicuous, and the larvae live in the soil and are known as wireworms. They are agricultural pests that devour the roots and underground parts of many crops and other plants.

<i>Athous bicolor</i> Species of beetle

Athous bicolor is a species of click beetle.

<i>Nipponoluciola cruciata</i> Species of beetle

Nipponoluciola cruciata, known as "genji-botaru" (ゲンジボタル) in Japanese, is a species of firefly found in Japan. Its habitat is small ditches and streams, and its larvae are aquatic. It was formerly known as Luciola cruciata but was revised taxonomically in 2022.

<i>Dermestes ater</i> Species of beetle

Dermestes ater is a species of beetle in the family Dermestidae, the skin beetles. It is known commonly as the black larder beetle or incinerator beetle. It is native to North America, but today it is found nearly worldwide. Like several other dermestid beetles, this species is a common pest of stored products.

<i>Ctenicera virens</i> Species of beetle

Ctenicera virens is a species of click beetles.

Abscondita chinensis, is a species of firefly beetle found in India, China and Sri Lanka.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Northeastern France woodlands Coleoptera ecological atlas". Athous haemorrhoidalis F.: Ecology. Archived from the original on 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Chinery, Michael (2004). Complete Guide to British Insects. Collins. pp. 120–122.