Lacon punctatus

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Lacon punctatus
Lacon punctatus natur.JPG
Lacon punctatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Elateridae
Subfamily: Agrypninae
Genus: Lacon
Species:
L. punctatus
Binomial name
Lacon punctatus
(Herbst, 1779)

Lacon punctatus is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae subfamily Agrypninae.A group of insects having all the ability to escape from predators by making fast movements by folding themselves with their muscles and jumping out of reach.Similar to the Grasshoppers to escape from predators.

Contents

Description

Lacon punctatuss can reach a length of 13–21 millimetres (0.51–0.83 in). Body is black and flat, covered with hair and with small white spots (hence the Latin name punctatus) caused by white scales. Both adults and larvae can be found in the old fallen logs and under bark of decaying trees, with a preference for conifers, especially Pinus species. Apparently these beetles often coexist with ants. Adults are nocturnal and are present throughout the year.

The larvae are cylindrical and elongated, with three pairs of legs. They have the forepart of the body reddish brown, strongly sclerotized, while the abdomen is white and fleshy. They are active predators feeding on larvae and nymphs of many different other insects living in rotten wood (mainly larvae of Stictoleptura rubra ).

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in the Mediterranean countries, in Central Europe, the Western Europe, the Caucasus, Crimea, in the Near East and in North Africa.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beetle</span> Order of insects

Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops. Some others also have unusual characteristics, such as fireflies, which use a light-emitting organ for mating and communication purposes.

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

The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous subfamilies are recognized, but the precise taxonomy and systematics are likely to change with ongoing research.

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

Elateridae or click beetles are a family of beetles. Other names include elaters, snapping beetles, spring beetles or skipjacks. This family was defined by William Elford Leach (1790–1836) in 1815. They are a cosmopolitan beetle family characterized by the unusual click mechanism they possess. There are a few other families of Elateroidea in which a few members have the same mechanism, but most elaterid subfamilies can click. A spine on the prosternum can be snapped into a corresponding notch on the mesosternum, producing a violent "click" that can bounce the beetle into the air. Clicking is mainly used to avoid predation, although it is also useful when the beetle is on its back and needs to right itself. There are about 9300 known species worldwide, and 965 valid species in North America.

Glowworm or glow-worm is the common name for various groups of insect larvae and adult larviform females that glow through bioluminescence. They include the European common glow-worm and other members of the Lampyridae, but bioluminescence also occurs in the families Elateridae, Phengodidae and Rhagophthalmidae among beetles; as well as members of the genera Arachnocampa, Keroplatus and Orfelia among keroplatid fungus gnats.

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

Histeridae is a family of beetles commonly known as clown beetles or hister beetles. This very diverse group of beetles contains 3,900 species found worldwide. They can be easily identified by their shortened elytra that leaves two of the seven tergites exposed, and their geniculate (elbowed) antennae with clubbed ends. These predatory feeders are most active at night and will fake death if they feel threatened. This family of beetles will occupy almost any kind of niche throughout the world. Hister beetles have proved useful during forensic investigations to help in time of death estimation. Also, certain species are used in the control of livestock pests that infest dung and to control houseflies. Because they are predacious and will even eat other hister beetles, they must be isolated when collected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elateroidea</span> Superfamily of beetles

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<i>Pyrophorus</i> (beetle) Genus of beetles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleridae</span> Checkered beetles

Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences.

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<i>Agrypnus murinus</i> Species of beetle

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<i>Pyrophorus noctilucus</i> Species of beetle

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References