Elater ferrugineus

Elater ferrugineus, the rusty click beetle, is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae.

Elater ferrugineus
Elater ferrugineus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
E. ferrugineus
Binomial name
Elater ferrugineus
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms
  • Elater ferrugineus ferrugineus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Ludius ferrugineus (Linnaeus)

Varietas

Varietas include:[1]

  • Elater ferrugineus var. morio Schilsky, 1888
  • Elater ferrugineus var. occitanicus de Villers, 1789

Distribution

This species is widespread in the Western Palearctic realm.[2][3]

Description

Elater ferrugineus can reach a length of 17–24 millimetres (0.67–0.94 in).[2][4] This species is rather variable. Head is dark brown. Pronotum and elytra of males are usually bright orange or reddish, while females show a uniform dark brown color and are smaller than males. The legs are black. The antennae are mid-brown to black. In males they extend up to the posterior edge of the pronotum, while in females they are shorter.[4]

Biology

Larvae develop in hole of ancient trees of various species, mainly oak (Quercus robur),[5] ash (Fraxinus excelsior), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and elm (Ulmus spp.). The life cycle lasts 4–6 years.[6] Pupation occurs in spring.[4] These larvae are predatory. They especially prey on hermit beetle (Osmoderma eremita) and rose chafer (Cetonia aurata).[1]

When male E. ferrugineus are attracted to a female, they release compounds that attract other males to the site. These compounds include geranyl, nerylacetone and 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one. Attraction of males only occurs in the presence of females, ensuring increased mating opportunities.[7]

References

  1. Biolib
  2. Elateridae - Click Beetles of the Palearctic Region
  3. Fauna europaea
  4. Elateridae of the British Isles
  5. Ranius, Thomas (2011). "Predicting spatial occurrence of beetles and pseudoscorpions in hollow oaks in southeastern Sweden" (PDF). Biodiversity and Conservation. 20 (9): 2027–2040. doi:10.1007/s10531-011-0072-6. S2CID 11409566.
  6. Meržijevskis, Aleksandras; Tamutis, Vytautas (23 July 2012). "Elater ferrugineus Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Elateridae) – a new species for Lithuania". Acta Zoologica Lituanica. 20 (4): 242–245. doi:10.2478/v10043-010-0036-1.
  7. Harvey, Deborah J.; Harvey, Hannah; Harvey, Rachael P.; Kadej, Marcin; Hedenström, Erik; Gange, Alan C.; Finch, Paul; Didham, Raphael; Müller, Jörg (March 2017). "Use of novel attraction compounds increases monitoring success of a rare beetle, Elater Ferrugineus". Insect Conservation and Diversity. 10 (2): 161–170. doi:10.1111/icad.12214. S2CID 91035887.
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