Rare and colorful Caucasian ground beetle: a useful hunter

Morphology

The Caucasian ground beetle is a coleopteran, arthropod insect. Only two subspecies of large and small insects are localized on the territory of the Russian Federation. On average, their size ranges from 32 to 55 centimeters. Females are always one and a half times larger than males. In the area of ​​the elytra there is a rough, coarse-grained sculpture. The body of the insect itself is shiny and blue. Rarely seen with other colors, for example, purple or green. The front back is narrowed. The surface structure is rough, rough and coarse-grained. The underside is black with a metallic sheen.

Nutrition

The Caucasian ground beetle is considered a predatory insect. In its diet you can find such species as:

1. Larvae;
2. Caterpillars;
3. Aphids;
4. Worms;
5. Slugs and snails.

In order to catch and neutralize the victim, the beetle injects a special secretion, which is located in its jaw apparatus. This composition, once in the body of the prey, liquefies its internal organs, as a result of which the beetle can calmly feast on its find. The process of digesting the food of this representative can take several days, during which time it returns to the shelter, where it spends time until the next hunt. Hunting occurs mainly at night.

Habitat

This type of insect often spreads in oak groves and dry forests. The Caucasian ground beetle often lives in mountain steppes and meadows, which are located at an altitude of two thousand meters above sea level. The second subspecies adapts to live in deciduous and mixed forests of rocky terrain. You can often find the Caucasian ground beetle in gardens and artificially created parks, when fallen leaves cover the ground.

This rare insect is listed in the Red Book. It is found in 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 they can be caught and destroyed by ordinary people who, not knowing about the ecological significance of these insects, kill them, mistaking them for an ordinary parasite.

Description and features

More than 40 thousand species of this beetle are known in the world. More than three thousand species are observed on the territory of Russia. They belong to the same species, but have significant differences among themselves: in color, size, and sometimes in external structure.

As a rule, the color of beetles is dark, with a bright metallic tint. This is especially noticeable in the sun. The tide can be greenish, blue, or golden. Red and ginger shades are less common.

If you look closely at the metal cast, you can see that it consists of many thin strips. It will be difficult for an inexperienced person to distinguish beetles from each other, but a few simple descriptions will help to identify a beetle of the ground beetle family from ordinary insects.

So:

• ground beetle is a large insect, some species can reach ten centimeters in length; body oval;
• upon a detailed examination of the beetle’s body, one can clearly see the head, separated from the body by a movable neck section, as well as massive jaws;
• the beetle has high, long legs, consisting of several segments; such paws are perfectly adapted for running on various surfaces, so catching an insect can be difficult;
• long mustaches protruding several centimeters forward, covered with bristles; the whiskers serve as a radar for the ground beetle;
• The front legs are equipped with peculiar serrations that serve as a brush for the insect to clean its jaws.

The ground beetle has strong wings, the size of which depends on its habitat. In regions with sufficient food, the wings are rather poorly developed, since there is no need to travel a long distance in search of food. The wings are rarely used for dispersal, and when unnecessary, they often grow together.

A distinctive feature of the metal pest is its choice of habitat. They prefer areas with high humidity and stable high temperatures. That is why the ground beetle can most often be found in the southern part of Russia, Ukraine and Moldova.

Reproduction

The mating stage occurs at the end of April. After which 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 soil surface is heated. The larvae feed on shellfish all this time. The pupation process 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. The imago overwinters in the bark of trees and soft soil.

Notes

1. Striganova B. R., Zakharov A. A.
   Five-language dictionary of animal names: Insects (Latin-Russian-English-German-French) / Ed. Doctor of Biology sciences, prof. B. R. Striganova. - M.: RUSSO, 2000. - P. 103. - 1060 copies. — ISBN 5-88721-162-8.

Number

Recently, the increase in reproduction has decreased to a critical level. The number of Caucasian ground beetles is falling. This is due to the fact that the climate of the entire planet is changing. Due to global warming, it becomes too warm and there is a lot of rainfall. Virgin areas are decreasing, forest glades are often cultivated, pesticides are used - these factors lead to a reduction in the number of insects. Toxic chemicals also force them to die of starvation. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Caucasian ground beetle, a photo of which you see in our article, was used to make jewelry. This type of insect is strictly protected in nature reserves. There they monitor their numbers and reproduction every year.

An excerpt characterizing the Caucasian ground beetle

“Add two more lines, it will be just like that,” he shouted in a thin voice, to which he tried to give a youthful appearance that did not suit his figure. - Second! – he squeaked. - Smash it, Medvedev! Bagration called out to the officer, and Tushin, with a timid and awkward movement, not at all in the way the military salutes, but in the way the priests bless, placing three fingers on the visor, approached the general. Although Tushin’s guns were intended to bombard the ravine, he fired with fire guns at the village of Shengraben, visible ahead, in front of which large masses of the French were advancing. No one ordered Tushin where or with what to shoot, and he, after consulting with his sergeant major Zakharchenko, for whom he had great respect, decided that it would be good to set the village on fire. "Fine!" Bagration said to the officer’s report and began to look around the entire battlefield opening before him, as if thinking something. The French came closest to the right side. Below the height at which the Kiev regiment stood, in the ravine of the river, the soul-grabbing rolling chatter of guns was heard, and much to the right, behind the dragoons, a retinue officer pointed out to the prince the French column encircling our flank. To the left, the horizon was limited to a nearby forest. Prince Bagration ordered two battalions from the center to go to the right for reinforcements. The retinue officer dared to notice to the prince that after these battalions left, the guns would be left without cover. Prince Bagration turned to the retinue officer and looked at him silently with dull eyes. It seemed to Prince Andrei that the retinue officer’s remark was fair and that there was really nothing to say. But at that time an adjutant from the regimental commander, who was in the ravine, rode up with the news that huge masses of French were coming down, that the regiment was upset and was retreating to the Kyiv grenadiers. Prince Bagration bowed his head as a sign of agreement and approval. He walked to the right and sent an adjutant to the dragoons with orders to attack the French. But the adjutant sent there arrived half an hour later with the news that the dragoon regimental commander had already retreated beyond the ravine, for strong fire was directed against him, and he was losing people in vain and therefore hurried the riflemen into the forest. - Fine! – said Bagration. While he was driving away from the battery, shots were also heard in the forest to the left, and since it was too far to the left flank to arrive on time himself, Prince Bagration sent Zherkov there to tell the senior general, the same one who represented the regiment to Kutuzov in Braunau to retreat as quickly as possible beyond the ravine, because the right flank will probably not be able to hold the enemy for long. About Tushin and the battalion covering him were forgotten. Prince Andrei carefully listened to the conversations of Prince Bagration with the commanders and to the orders given to them and was surprised to notice that no orders were given, and that Prince Bagration only tried to pretend that everything that was done by necessity, chance and the will of private commanders, that all this was done, although not on his orders, but in accordance with his intentions. Thanks to the tact shown by Prince Bagration, Prince Andrei noticed that, despite this randomness of events and their independence from the will of their superior, his presence did an enormous amount. The commanders, who approached Prince Bagration with upset faces, became calm, the soldiers and officers cheerfully greeted him and became more animated in his presence and, apparently, flaunted their courage in front of him.

Benefit

As you remember, the Caucasian ground beetle feeds on mollusks and other pests. During the growing season, it destroys many harmful insects for the cultivation of various crops, which negatively affect the composition of the soil and the cultivation of cultivated plants. Research has shown that a small number of ground beetles in a wheat field can kill more pests than spraying it with pesticides. They also loosen the top layer of soil without causing damage to the root system of the plant.

They have a beneficial effect on soil cultivation. But frequent deforestation sometimes reduces their numbers.

Currently, their species has not been fully studied. Only the main subspecies are considered. There are about forty of them. Ground beetles are used to combat various types of pests, but it is very difficult to train them to purposefully destroy them. The methodology for this technology is being developed. The impact of beneficial insects of this species on pests will provide the highest quality products without the introduction of chemical additives.

A dry and sunny environment has a positive effect on increasing the number of ground beetles. The fastest reproduction occurs there. The ground beetle is considered a valuable insect species. Therefore, she needs to be protected.

Dragonfly squad

Anax imperator

A dragonfly belonging to the rocker family. It is considered one of the largest in Russia and belongs to a species whose numbers are declining. The length of the wings is up to 5 cm. The Emperor Watcher has a huge distribution area and is found in almost all natural areas. Prefers bodies of water. The average population density is 12 individuals per 100 m. The number of dragonflies is declining due to pollution of water bodies, unsuitable temperatures and natural competition.

Anax imperator

Why are insects disappearing? Consequences

According to estimates, the number of insects has been actively declining in recent years. The UN says that by 2050 their numbers will decrease by about 1 million species.

Interesting fact : insects disappear at 8 times the rate of extinction compared to mammals, reptiles and birds. Currently, about 40% of species are considered completely extinct.

The main reason for the extinction of insects is human activity. Their habitual habitat is being destroyed, and these representatives of the fauna are not able to change their habitat in the same way as other animals do. Another significant factor is environmental pollution. Insects also suffer from natural enemies.

The role of insects

The need for their protection is due to the fact that insects are an important part of the biological chain. The most important process of pollination of plants, including agricultural crops, depends only on them. Also, many species are involved in the processing of waste of plant and animal origin.

Interesting facts about insects

1. Every year, scientists discover more than 7,000 new species of insects.
2. The fastest insect on Earth is the dragonfly. It is capable of moving at speeds of up to 95 km/h.
3. The strongest insect is the dung beetle, which can carry loads 1141 times heavier than itself.
4. The largest insect is the giant weta. It can weigh up to 70 g. It is found in New Zealand.
5. An average swarm of bees in one season is capable of producing 150 kg of honey in a hive. One bee produces up to 1/10 teaspoon of honey in its entire life.
6. Insects live in all corners of our planet, with the exception of the extreme polar regions.
7. Among insects, only praying mantises are able to turn their heads and look back.
8. Some species, such as ticks, can survive for up to 10 years without food in unfavorable conditions.
9. Ants do not sleep in the usual sense of the word throughout their lives. However, during the day they plunge into a sleep-like state up to several hundred times. Moreover, this process takes no more than a minute.
10. The largest swarms are formed by locusts - they can consist of 30-50 billion individuals.

The rarest insect on Earth

The rarest insects are two species: the tree lobster (Australian giant stick insect) and the spiny stick insect (found in New Guinea). It is noteworthy that about 100 years ago, tree lobsters were considered a completely extinct insect. However, in the 2000s, Australian naturalists discovered 24 individuals, a full-fledged colony, on the uninhabited volcanic island of Balls Pyramid (Tasman Sea). Giant stick insects are unable to fly and reach 12 cm in length.

Tree lobster