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

Elater ferrugineus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Elateridae
Genus: Elater
Species:
E. ferrugineus
Binomial name
Elater ferrugineus
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms
  • Elater ferrugineus ferrugineus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Ludius ferrugineus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Varietas

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Varietas include:[1]

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

Distribution

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

Description

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b Biolib
  2. ^ a b Elateridae - Click Beetles of the Palearctic Region
  3. ^ Fauna europaea
  4. ^ a b c 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.