Beetles belong to the order of insects and are the largest group among all living organisms. This order has about 400 thousand species, which is 40% of all insect species. Interesting facts about beetles are discussed below.
1. The largest beetles are the titan lumberjack and the Hercules beetle, which live in South America (can reach up to 17 cm in length). In contrast, beetles are less than a millimeter in size.
2. The jumping beetle is capable of moving at speeds of up to 2 meters per second, or 7.2 km/h.
3. Some types of beetles (for example, swimming beetles, whirling beetles) live in.
4. Scarab beetles roll balls from dung, which can be larger than the beetle itself. These balls are then buried in the ground and serve as food for the beetle.
5.The rhinoceros beetle is capable of lifting 850 times its own weight.
6. Weevils are the largest family of beetles - there are about 60,000 representatives, or 15% of all beetle species.
7. The bombardier beetle has special glands that secrete a mixture chemicals. These substances react with each other in the beetle's abdomen, heat up to 100 C and are thrown out through holes at the end of the abdomen.
South America/ Argentina/ Argentine beetle that cures AIDS, cancer and many other diseases
Previously, it was believed that people begin to get sick only in middle age and older, and young people should be energetic and not a single complaint about their health should come from their lips. But as you can now see, diseases no longer have an age. Their breed is diverse, and the speed of spread is sometimes shocking. Not all of them lend themselves drug treatment, and some people pin their hopes entirely on traditional methods treatment. It is difficult to say which method the one invented by the Argentines belongs to. Its essence is that if you eat several beetles a day, it will help get rid of stress, as well as recover from about seventy different diseases, which include such serious diseases as cancer, asthma, diabetes, AIDS, Parkinson's disease. An interesting fact is that despite the progress that modern medicine has achieved today, humanity was able to pay attention to such a healing bug and believe in its ability to heal. Or maybe people simply don’t trust all these medications that they are being fed more and more every year. But despite numerous examples of the real action of the medicine beetle, this miraculous method has not yet been proven by doctors.
Scientists know this beetle as “ulomoides dermestoides”, in Argentina it is called “gorgojo”, others popular names of this miracle insect are: “medicine beetle” or “darkling beetle”. The Argentine beetle has this systematic position: it belongs to the class Insecta, order Coleoptera or beetles (Coleoptera), family Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae), genus Palembus (Ulomoides/Palembus), species – dermestoides. As for the size of this insect, adult beetles generally reach a length of five millimeters and a width of one and a half millimeters.
If you delve into the history of the Argentine beetle, you will find out that, according to one version, this insect is already more than one million years old. Some claim that the Incas knew about its existence and miraculous properties and used it safely. In our time, this beetle was allegedly accidentally discovered by one German soldier, and later imported from Germany to Paraguay, and after that it came to Argentina. The Argentine founder of this peculiar hobby is considered to be a farmer named Arnoldo Rosler. Arnoldo lived in a town in the north of the country, which was located near the border with Paraguay and had the misfortune of suffering from skin cancer. According to Arnoldo Rosler himself, in 1991, according to happy occasion, fate confronted him in a car repair shop with one person who was serviced there. They started talking, and during the conversation Arnoldo mentioned his illness. In response to this confession, the man said that he would send him one extraordinary medicine that would help him. Within a few days, Rosler was holding in his hands a parcel of live beetles that arrived from Paraguay. The package also included instructions for internal use. The farmer was not afraid to try this unconventional way treatment and, according to the instructions, began to eat beetles. And this wonderful method paid off - Arnoldo Rosler was able to get rid of this disease. Rumors could not help but spread about such a miraculous healing. There were many who wanted to be cured, and they all visited Arnoldo to try this miracle medicine on themselves. So, by 2001, at least twenty people visited his farm every day. They were all eager to get beetles, and it’s no secret that they were attracted by the fact that they could be obtained absolutely free, at a time when even medicines for the common cold cost a good amount.
Somewhere at the same time amazing properties The Argentine beetle was recognized by systems analyst Ruben Dieminger, who lived twenty miles from the farmer. But unlike other people who wanted to be cured of illnesses, Ruben had a different goal. The analyst wanted to glorify his area, and Arnoldo Rosler's discovery could help him with this. Dieminger decided to create a special website on the Internet where he could post all the known information about the medicine beetle and his phenomenal abilities. Information began to spread with even greater speed. As a result, there were many people who wanted to breed these beetles and share them with everyone in need. First of all, these volunteers turned out to be people who were either sick themselves, or had relatives or friends who suffered from this or that disease. In two years, more than fifteen countries around the world have joined the distribution network. And in at the moment it is visited daily by residents of more than twenty countries around the world. According to some estimates, in Argentina miraculous properties“Darkling beetles” are used by more than one hundred and fifty thousand people, and this number increases every year. In addition to creating an Internet site, Ruben Dieminger also published brochures and books about the Argentine beetle and thus was able to turn this insect into a unique national phenomenon.
In his publications and on the pages of his website, Ruben told people that the Argentine beetle can be used to treat quite serious diseases, for which scientists around the world have been struggling to find cures for decades. He included psoriasis, asthma, diabetes, cancer, AIDS, Parkinson's disease, dermatitis, osteoporosis and many other diseases on their list. But only Dieminger never tired of mentioning that these beetles cannot be used only as a basic treatment, neglecting inventions modern medicine, and use them as an addition to traditional methods treatment. What is it all about? healing property these beetles? It turns out that when a medicine beetle enters the human body, in the stomach it begins to secrete a special substance or even a number of certain components that affect the human immune system. Thus, it helps the body fight the disease. Based on observations of patients, it was revealed that an improvement in the patient’s condition can be noticed within fifteen to twenty days from the start of treatment. The method of using beetles is very simple. They need to be thrown into a glass of water, mixed with yogurt, and if it’s really hard, you can put the beetles in a capsule and swallow them. Required condition– the beetles must be alive. It is recommended to start treatment with small portions, preferably one beetle per day, and increase their number over time, gradually increasing the portion to seventy pieces. Since this method of treatment is folk, it is difficult to say how long such treatment should last. Patients will probably have to focus on the result and independently regulate the duration of treatment.
According to research data, medicine beetles have long been used in Cuba. Together with other insects, they are specially raised as food for wild birds and reptiles. Interestingly, there have also been cases of rapid recovery of injured animals or those that were sick with cancer or other serious illnesses. But, unfortunately, these facts have not yet been scientifically confirmed. And entomologist from the University of Illinois, May Berenbaum, claims that in medicinal properties People have been confident about insects since the times of Ancient Egypt, and this lasted until the moment when the biotechnological boom occurred. In some countries, the tradition of eating beetles is still followed. So, for example, in China they are even used as a traditional treatment. According to May Berenbaum, the Chinese are confident that the chemicals they contain help them protect themselves from enemies. At the same time, Mrs. Berenbaum says that the miraculous healing of many diseases by this beetle is more like a fairy tale.
But judging by the number of reviews from people from all over the world, it can be seen that even language barriers did not stand in the way of the desire to be cured of their illness, and this method of treatment has truly become popular. And on a website dedicated to beetles, people who were miraculously cured posted more than one story about how the Argentine beetle helped them overcome their illness. Of course, there were also cases when the stage of the disease no longer left a person a chance, for example, when the disease destroyed organs and neither beetles nor anything else could restore them. But people still took the beetles, and when they died, they did not experience pain. Thus, we managed to learn about another property of medicine beetles - an anesthetic. Although scientists are quite skeptical about all these stories and miracle healing, they cannot completely refute the fact that people’s condition actually improved. This was not difficult to notice from the results of tests and examinations that were carried out at the beginning and after treatment with these insects. In turn, many other doctors reject claims that this can be cured. Farmers also have special fears. So, they worry that these beetles might escape and turn to their crops. Skeptical people believe that eating insects as a means of prevention and treatment is nothing more than a sign of the decline of a once prosperous nation. After all, some time ago Argentina was proud that its national currency is on par with the American dollar, and also that their healthcare system once gave the world two Nobel Prize laureates.
Beetles are a group of insects that shine with their species diversity. Currently, the number of described beetle species already exceeds 350 thousand, and every year the number open views increases by several thousand, adding more and more amazing views. The order of beetles consists of two suborders: carnivorous and heterovorous beetles.
- Among all insects, the order of beetles is the most numerous - almost 40% of all insects living on the planet belong to the order of beetles. And in total there are more than 350 thousand found on Earth! the most various types beetles, but biologists believe that their real number is more than 5 million species.
- Like almost all insects, the beetle has three main parts - the head, thorax and abdomen, covered with a hard shell. Beetles also have antennae that help them navigate in space, and they have about ten sensitive zones.
- Beetles - Beetles, like many other insects, are the most important part any ecosystem. Due to the fact that they feed on the waste products of other plants and animals, they are a kind of nature's scavengers. For example, they eat fallen tree leaves and animal digestion products. In this way they restore the balance of chemicals in the ecosystem, for example carbon dioxide and nitrogen that would otherwise end up in the soil.
- But besides “garbage collection” there are several large species can eat bugs small size birds, and sometimes attack small species mammals. But there are many varieties of beetles, and in our world there are also peaceful creatures that eat wood dust, absorbing which they sometimes “burrow” into trees.
- Beetles have spread to almost the entire planet, and are prey for hundreds of other species of animals, and even plants! But in each individual ecosystem, the predator-prey relationship can change dramatically. In one habitat the beetle is prey, in another it is a predator.
- Every third insect on our planet is a beetle.
Beetle - “titan woodcutter”
- “Titan Lumberjack” is a beetle that is rightly called titanium. It is the largest in the world - its dimensions reach 17 centimeters.
A beetle is an insect that belongs to the kingdom animals, phylum arthropods, class insects, order Coleoptera, or beetles (lat. Coleoptera).
The Latin definition of the vast order of beetles comes from the fusion of two ancient Greek words: "κολεός", meaning "sheath", and "πτερόν", corresponding to the concept of "wing". Thus, a name appeared for the insect, which calm state retracts its wings into its “sheath”. Russian concept“beetle” was formed from the ancient Slavic word “žukъ”, which arose as a sound imitation of the noise that an insect makes during flight.
Beetle - description, characteristics, structure, photo. What do beetles look like?
A characteristic feature of Coleoptera, or beetles, is the presence of hard chitinous or leathery elytra formed from the upper pair of wings. This kind of armor protects the folded flying wings of the insect from damage when it is not in the air.
The body shape of beetles depends on their habitat and species. In aquatic inhabitants it is slightly flattened, streamlined and compact (swimmers, whirligigs).
Beetles living in the soil are characterized by a slightly convex body shape with a powerful, widened anterior part (scarabs, dung beetles).
Beetles that live on the surface of the earth have a strongly convex top part and rather long limbs (ground beetles).
The body structure of adult individuals is divided into three main sections: head, chest and abdomen.
The beetle's head is round, slightly flattened, although in some families it has the appearance of an elongated tube. It can enter deeply into the prothorax and be practically invisible, or it can be connected to it freely with the help of a movable neck. In some beetles, the head is a rostrum, at the end of which there is a mouthpart (weevils, moths, tubeworms).
The beetle's head can be:
- Prognathic (mouthparts and antennae directed forward),
- Orthognathic (hypognathic) (mouth parts point downwards),
- Opisthognathic (mouth parts directed backwards).
On the upper surface of the head there are beetle antennae of varying lengths, consisting of individual segments that perform the functions of the olfactory organs.
The fantail beetle's whiskers, Rhipicera femorata, look like long eyelashes.
On the sides are well-developed, complex compound eyes of the beetle, sometimes consisting of 25 thousand individual lenses, creating a mosaic image.
Some species have additional simple eyes on the crown, and underground and cave dwellers may have no visual organs at all.
The oral apparatus of most beetles, designed for grinding food, consists of paired mandibles (upper jaws) and maxillae (lower jaws). On the lower lip and jaws of beetles there are small palps, which are the insect’s original organs of touch and taste.
The largest mandibles are observed in stag beetles (stag beetles and Hercules beetles).
In the structure of the chest of beetles, three segments are distinguished: the prothorax, movably connected to the mesothorax and fused with the metathorax. On the dorsal side, the segments are called pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum. Each segment is formed by two semirings (superior tergite and inferior sternite), movably connected to each other. Hard elytra are attached to the mesonotum tergites, and membranous wings are located on the metanotum of the beetle. Three thoracic sternites bear a pair of limbs.
The shape and sculpture of the pronotum is very diverse, and its structure plays an important role in the classification of beetles. It can be either smooth or with side spikes or various shapes growths.
The limbs of beetles consist of 5 parts: coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsus.
Distinctive feature beetles is the presence of special spurs on the top of the tibia, which can be paired or single. The beetle's feet are covered with small dense hairs and have two claws of various shapes and lengths.
Depending on the lifestyle of the beetle (Coleoptera), the appearance of the limbs may vary slightly and perform running, grasping, digging, swimming or jumping functions.
In the process of evolution, the forewings of beetles turned into hard elytra, not inferior in hardness to the chitinous exoskeleton of an insect.
When folded, the beetle's elytra serve as reliable protection for the mesonotum, metanotum, and upper part of the abdomen.
In species with reduced lower wings, the elytra usually grow together, forming monolithic frame. Some bark beetles have a depression on the surface of the elytra intended for transportation. wood waste, formed by gnawing out a system of passages in the body of a tree.
The surface of the elytra is smooth, covered with various depressions, growths, grooves and spines.
The lower membranous wings of beetles are usually transparent and may be faintly colored or completely colorless.
Depending on the genus and species, the veins can have different textures, both with the formation of transverse cells and with medial veins and branches from them.
The color of beetles is often characteristic feature, according to which insects are divided into separate species.
Usually the color of the beetle is uniform, dark brown, red-brown, black, green, yellow or red, often with a metallic tint. However, there are species with characteristic bright patterns on the surface of the body or with a bioluminescent glow.
Sexual dimorphism of beetles is usually expressed in the size and color of individuals of the opposite sex.
In most species, male beetles are smaller than females and have a more elongated body. However, in some genera, due to overly developed mandibles resembling horns, the size of male beetles is much larger than females. Also, the length of the antennae or front legs may indicate belonging to a certain sex.
Some species of beetles are characterized by sound communication, which allows them to maintain relationships within the same population, and for males to find females and repel other types of insects. Sound vibrations arise due to the friction of the prothorax against the mesothorax.
The sizes of beetles included in the order Coleoptera vary over a wide range. Among these insects there are both real giants and little ones, which can only be clearly seen under a microscope. For example, the size of the titan woodcutter beetle (lat. Titanus giganteus) can reach 22 cm in length, relic woodcutter (lat. Callipogon relictus), living in Russia - 11 cm, and the length of the baby Scydosella musawasensis does not exceed 352 microns.
Beetles live in almost every corner Globe, starting from sultry deserts and humid equatorial forests, and ending with the endless expanses of the tundra, with the exception of the zone of eternal snow of high mountain peaks, as well as the ice fields of Antarctica and the Arctic.
The numerous order of Coleoptera includes species of beetles that settle in the near-surface fertile soil layer, inhabiting the bark, wood or roots of trees, as well as flowers or foliage.
Inhabitants of deserts and semi-deserts have adapted to the conditions elevated temperatures, therefore they lead an active nocturnal lifestyle. Many beetles live in fresh or slightly salted water bodies with abundant coastal and bottom vegetation.
Among the insects included in the order Coleoptera, there are representatives of almost all known types nutrition inherent in arthropods. There are carnivorous beetles that feed on other insects and their larvae, herbivorous beetles that feed on mushrooms, leaves, roots, fruits and seeds, and beetles that eat wood or bark. various plants. Many beetles are pests of agricultural crops and eat leaves, beets, cabbage, as well as other vegetables, fruits and fruit trees. One of the most famous pests is the Colorado potato beetle, which feeds on the leaves of nightshade crops.
There are even species that are, in fact, forest orderlies, since these beetles feed on dry and rotting parts of plants or decaying animal remains.
In addition, the food of beetles depends on the stage of development of the insect.
The adults of some species, feeding on wood, the pulp of green shoots, pollen or sap, being at one time larvae, ate decaying organic remains, or were predators. There are families that accumulate a sufficient reserve of nutrients, allowing adults to go without food for the rest of their lives.
Coleoptera with their vital activity exert positive influence on the ecosystem in its habitat. Both adult beetles and their larvae process dried wood, as well as parts of plants affected by various fungal diseases, actively participating in the process of humus formation. In addition, beetles can act as pollinators of flowering plants.
At the same time, some types of beetles are capable of causing significant damage to most agricultural crops and forests, the leather and tobacco industries, museums and libraries, as well as wooden structures and furniture.
Types of beetles, photos and names
The order Coleoptera is one of the most numerous groups living on the planet today. It includes about 390 thousand species of beetles, most of which have been little studied, since their descriptions were compiled from single specimens found in a separate area.
Among the variety of families included in the order Coleoptera, the most famous are the following:
- Ground beetles (lat. Carabidae) , including about 30 thousand species.
The body length of beetles from this family ranges from 1 mm to 10 cm. The body is colored dark colors, often with a rainbow tint, usually elongated-oval, although there are varieties that resemble the shape of a biconvex lens or plant leaf. According to the way they feed, the species of beetles included in the family can be both predators and herbivores.
One of the representatives of this family is ground beetle, or humpback peon (lat. Zabrus gibbus , Zabrus tenebrioides ) having an oval shaped body. The color of the beetle is rich black with a metallic tint. The size of an adult ground beetle can reach 12-18 mm. Well-developed mandibles enable the ground beetle to easily navigate the hard surfaces of plants in search of food. The slender legs of the insect are adapted for fast running. Large elytra almost completely protect the abdomen.
This beetle lives in areas with moderate air temperatures and high humidity, so it can be found in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and other countries North Africa, in Italy, Spain, France, in the European territory of Russia, in the UK and Sweden. The largest populations of this species are found in Moldova and Ukraine.
- Weevils or elephants (lat. Curculionidae) , numbering about 60 thousand species of beetles in their ranks.
A distinctive feature of representatives of this family is special shape the front of the head, shaped like a tube. The size of adult individuals, depending on their habitat, can reach 30-50 mm. This family is characterized by a wide variety of body shapes, which can be almost cylindrical, pear-shaped, rhombic, hemispherical or flattened. The color of beetles can be yellow, brown or black, sometimes with spots of a lighter or darker tone. All beetles in the family feed on plant matter.
A typical representative of the family is rice weevil (lat. Sitophilus oryzae), having an elongated, slightly convex body up to 2.5-3.5 mm long with a thin elongated rostrum. The beetle's matte or slightly shiny chitinous covers are brown. The surface of the pronotum is covered with rather large pits. The elytra are marked with frequent thin grooves, between which small dots are visible, forming short rows.
The rice weevil lives almost throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America, as well as Africa.
- Predatory beetles (lat. Staphylinidae) , including almost 48 thousand species.
A characteristic feature of the beetles included in this family is the presence of short elytra. The sizes of beetles vary from 0.5-50 mm, but the body length of most species does not exceed 8 mm. The outer integument is colored red-brown or brownish-black, often with spots indeterminate form red or yellow. These beetles live on almost all continents. Predatory insects They live in the Czech Republic, Canada and Alaska, Japan, Europe, China, and North America. According to the method of feeding within the family, not only predators or scavengers are distinguished, but also species whose diet consists of decomposing plant debris or pollen, algae and plant sap.
One of prominent representatives families can be considered Rove rove beetle (coastal bluewing) (lat. Paederus riparius). Adults of this species grow up to 10 mm in length. The elongated spindle-shaped body of an adult beetle is yellow-orange or red, except for the blue elytra, as well as the head and the awl-shaped end of the abdomen, which are painted black.
The beetle lives almost throughout the entire territory of Eurasia, Northern and South America, North Africa and Australia. Prefers to settle near water bodies or in damp grass litter on personal plots, where it destroys agricultural pests.
- Lamellar (lat. Scarabaeidae) , which include about 28 thousand species of beetles.
Numerous representatives of this family are characterized by average sizes, ranging from 2 to 60 mm, although larger beetles are also found. The body of individuals of most species is oval, but there are subfamilies with almost square or cylindrical shape. The color of the chitinous covers is dark green or dark brown, and their surface can be covered with all kinds of growths and spines. Most species of the family feed on manure or rotting plant remains.
The most famous representative of the lamellar beetle family is rightfully considered to be the beetle. sacred scarab (lat. Scarabaeus sacer) . These beetles have a smooth, strongly convex round-oval body, painted black, the length of the beetle is up to 25-37 mm. A distinctive feature of the scarab is the presence of large teeth on the surface of the tibia of the front legs.
The distribution area of the beetle covers part of the countries of North Africa, Spain and western Georgia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ukraine and Sicily. Individuals of this species of beetles feed not only on plant foods, but also on animal dung.
- Leaf beetles (lat. Chrysomelidae)
This family includes more than 36 thousand species. The body shape of leaf beetles can be either oval-flattened or highly spherical, and the color of the beetles is bright green, greenish-blue, bronze-yellow, etc. The size of an adult insect rarely exceeds 15 mm.
One of the most famous representatives of this family is green mint leaf beetle (lat. Chrysolina herbacea). It's pretty small insect, with a smooth convex body that is colored bright blue-green color with a clear golden tint. The adult size rarely reaches 11 mm. The beetle's food is tender leaves aromatic plant mint, which gave the name to the species.
- Barbels, or lumberjacks (lat. Cerambycidae), numbering about 26 thousand species in their ranks.
A distinctive feature of beetles from the longhorned beetle family is their long mustache, which can exceed the length of the insect’s body several times.
The Great Oak Longhorned Beetle is a beetle with very long antennae. The whiskers of this beetle are 2 times longer than the insect itself!
Depending on the species, the shape and length of the beetle’s body, as well as the sculptural design of the elytra and pronotum, vary. Despite the fact that most species in the family are medium in size, there are also giants among them, one of which is the beetle lumberjack titan (Titanus giganteus) . This is the most big beetle in the world. Its maximum dimensions can reach 22 centimeters in length, and the weight of the beetle exceeds 25 grams.
The insect's body is elongated, slightly flattened, and when viewed from the side it resembles a lens. The color is brownish-brown or tarry black. Three sharp spines located on each side are clearly visible on the pronotum. The lifespan of males does not exceed 35-38 days. The largest beetle in the world, the titan lumberjack, lives in South America.
The stag beetle is perhaps the most recognizable of the beetles. He earned general interest in his person with his impressive appearance: unusual “horns” and large size. But if you get to know this insect better, it becomes clear that there is much more interesting and unusual about it than it seems. Stag beetle - interesting facts about appearance, habitat,
Appearance
This is the largest beetle of all living in the European zone. The body length of the male beetle, including horns, varies from 4 to 8 centimeters. A record holder was found in Turkey, whose length was 10 centimeters. Females are almost half the size - from 2.5 to 5 cm.
The most striking feature of this beetle is its pair of curved horns. brown with a few notches on them. They really have a vague resemblance to branched deer antlers, for which their owner got his name. The reference to deer is contained in the names of this beetle in many languages.
Meanwhile, these expressive processes are not horns at all. In fact, these are hypertrophied upper jaws. This part of the body can be comparable in length and even longer than the head and body of the insect. In flight, they outweigh the beetle's chest and abdomen, so it has to move through the air, keeping its body upright.
However, the beetle uses them in the same way as its mammal namesake - its real horns, that is, for battles with other males. Despite their menacing appearance, they cannot be used to pierce the hard shell of a beetle, so fights usually end bloodlessly. To win, it is enough to throw your opponent out of a tree or onto his back.
Females are deprived of such spectacular decoration. Their jaws are much smaller, but they allow them to bite through human skin, even as rough as a finger.
It is curious that with such a developed jaw apparatus, these beetles do not eat solid food at all, preferring to drink tree sap.
Phases of life
The active life of the stag beetle is very short - about a month. Although among them there are “long-livers” who lived up to two months of age. Here's the preparation for adult life takes several years.
The larvae emerge from eggs laid by the female in the loose core of rotting trees two and a half months after laying. The insect will remain in this form for at least four, maximum eight years. This period depends on the humidity of the air: the drier it is, the longer the insect will stay in this phase.
The larvae continue to be in the tree, eating its rot. It is noteworthy that they can only live in dead, rotting trees. The length of the horns and body size of the future beetle directly depend on the quality of nutrition of the larva. The larva itself, depending on the duration of this stage, can grow to enormous sizes - up to thirteen centimeters in length. It is believed that the larvae are to some extent capable of communicating with each other. In any case, they make sounds that the human ear cannot detect.
When the larva is ready for rebirth, it digs itself a cave in the dust of its tree, showing some forethought - future males compact more space for themselves, leaving room for antlers. In the fall, the larva pupates to emerge in the spring in the body of a handsome stag beetle.
The female chooses a rotting tree and gnaws holes in its trunk in which she will lay eggs.
Habitats and distribution
Stag beetle - interesting facts about habitat and prevalence. At the moment, stag beetles are a unique rarity. They can be seen in Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkey, and in some reserves in Russia. In a number of countries, such as Denmark and Estonia, these insects are noted as already extinct.
Stag beetles serve as food for forest birds of prey and bats, but the greatest danger, rapidly reducing their ranks, is man.
The stag beetle larva is very whimsical regarding its habitat. It can only survive in large, dying trees. Beetles only need deciduous trees, preferably oaks. They practically do not live in trunks fruit trees. Intensive deforestation does not allow new plantings to grow to required sizes. The beetles simply do not have a home in which to thrive.
At the same time, the intensity of their reproduction is very low: a female can lay no more than two dozen eggs once in her life.
The first cartoon, created in 1910, showed a fight between two stag beetles. The beetle has appeared on postage stamps and coins. In 2012 it was declared insect of the year in the German countries.
If you come across a beetle and would like to keep it, it is worth remembering how rare their species has become. It's better to let it go: let it fly and continue the glorious dynasty of stag beetles.