Who is the Caucasian beetle?

Now let's talk about what the ground beetle is Caucasian. Who is it? What kind of insect? Where does he live? Than eats? These and other questions are answered in the article.

Morphology

The Caucasian beetle is a coleopterous, arthropodic insect. On the territory of the Russian Federation there are only two subspecies of large and small insects. On average, their size ranges from 32 to 55 centimeters. Females are always larger than males one and a half times. In the field of elytra there is a coarse, coarse-grained sculpture. The insect's body is brilliant, blue. Rarely you can meet with another color, for example, purple or green. The front back is narrowed. The structure of the surface is coarse, rough and coarse-grained. The bottom side is black with a metallic tint.

Biology

The active effect of beetles occurs at night, but can be seen Caucasian beetles, which produce movement during the day. They are activated from the end of April, they live the whole vegetation period. Reproduction occurs in spring and summer. It is considered a predatory insect beetroot caucasian. What does she eat? It uses ground beet only gastropod mollusks, in rare cases, scientists say, can hunt larvae of insects or earthworms.

Habitat

This type of insect is often distributed in oak forests, dry forests. Quite often the Caucasian beetle lives in the mountain steppes and meadows, which are at an altitude of two thousand meters above sea level. The second subspecies is adapted to inhabit the deciduous and mixed forests of rocky terrain. It is often possible to meet a ground beetle in the gardens and artificially created parks, when the fallen leaves cover the earth.

This rare insect is listed in the Red Book. It occurs on the territory of the North Caucasus, from Adygea to Dagestan. Private collectors are actively hunting for this rare species of insect, which is on the verge of extinction. Sometimes people can catch and destroy simple people who, not knowing about the ecological significance of these insects, kill them, taking for a normal parasite.

Reproduction

The mating phase occurs at the end of April. After that, eggs are laid in the spring. Their development lasts up to two weeks. In this case everything depends on the thermal regime, as well as on how the surface of the soil is heated. All the time the larvae eat shellfish. The process of pupation occurs directly in the ground or, in other words, in an earthen cradle. The development time from egg to adult takes about four months. Just formed young beetles are noticeable by the end of summer. It hibernates already in the bark of trees and the soil of a soft structure.

Number of

Recently, the growth of reproduction has decreased to a critical level. The number of ground beetles in the Caucasus is falling. This is due to the fact that the climate of the entire planet is changing. Because of global warming it becomes too warm, there is a lot of precipitation. Virgin lands decrease, forest glades are often cultivated, pesticides are used - these factors lead to a reduction in the number of insects. They are made to die of hunger and poisonous chemicals. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the Caucasian beetle, the photo of which you see in our article, was used to make jewelry. This kind of insects is strictly protected in the reserves. They also monitor their numbers, reproduction every year.

Benefit

As you remember, the Caucasian beetle feeds on shellfish and other pests. During the growing season, it exterminates many harmful insects for cultivating various crops that adversely affect soil composition and cultivation of cultivated plants. Studies have shown that a small number of ground beetles in a wheat field can exterminate pests more than if treated with pesticides. They also loosen the top layer of the earth, without damaging the root system of the plant.

Favorable effect on the cultivation of soils. But frequent deforestation sometimes reduces their number.

At present, their species is not fully understood. Only the main subspecies are considered. There are about forty of them. They use ground beetles to fight various kinds of pests, but it is very difficult to teach them purposefully to destroy them. The methodology of this technology is being developed. Effects of beneficial insects of this species on pests will provide the most high-quality products without the addition of chemical additives.

The dry and sunny environment positively influences the increase in the number of ground beetles. There occurs the fastest reproduction. Beetle is considered a valuable species of insects. Therefore, it must be protected.

Conclusion

Now you know who the Caucasian beetle is. Photo to see the appearance of the insect, we have provided. We hope that the information will be useful to you.