Beetle

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Beetle
The beetles (Coleoptera), with over 350,000 species in about 20 families and about 166 families the world's biggest order from the class of insects and still be hundreds of new species annually. They are on all continents except Antarctica widespread in Central Europe, around 8,000 species. Beetles have been around since the Permian, around 280 million years since.

The body of the beetle is different from that of other insects, as the three apparent breakdown is not the head, chest and abdomen, but the second section only from the Prothorax consists of the body surface on the side of the neck shield is visible. The remaining two sections of the breast form with the abdomen and become a unit of chitinisierten first pair of wings, the wings deck, covered. With about 170 millimeters long, the giant beetle Bock (Titanus giganteus) from Brazil's largest known Käferart; the Goliath beetle is one of about 100 grams of weight to the heaviest insects in general. In Europe varies the size of the beetle between about 0.5 and 75 millimeters, the largest native beetle is the stag beetle (Lucanus cervus).

Origin of name
The word beetle has Germanic language roots. Already in the 9th Century is the word cheuur, in the 10th Chefuar century, a century later, the expressions cheuove, cheuer and Keuir. It is not known, however, beetles, but locusts. From the 13th Century is the word Kever proves wortverwandt with Kiefer. Both words are from the language roots for chew, gnaw derived. Only in the following centuries saw the meaning of the word change Kefer of locusts to beetle larvae. For the Beetle was developed by the Germans also used the word webila. In the 11th Century, the word appears wibil, in the following century wibel on what the English in the form of weevil as a designation for the weevil, and in dialect as Perdswievel nominations for Ross beetle lives on. Early on there are distinctions as scaernwifel and tordwifel for dung beetles, and in the 15th Century will be different beetle families already linguistically distinguished.

The scientific name Coleoptera comes from the Greek. With κολεός (koleos), the leather jacket described in the sword down. The leathery-looking deck wings of the beetle, which envelop this part, led to the naming.

Characteristics of Imagines
The body shape of the beetle is very diverse and vary from very long and slender to gedrungenen short species. There are very flat to strong spheroidal-shaped body. The body shape is an adaptation to the lifestyle of the type dar. So beetles, under loose bark live, always flat, aquatic species, especially fast swimmers, have a streamlined shape. The structuring of the body surface is also very different. They range from smooth and shiny, to highly structured surfaces with wrinkles, pits, and Höckern grooves. A crucial evolutionary factor for the formation of body shape is particularly in bizarrely shaped species, the function of camouflage Fressfeinden before. The better is a kind of optically to a habitat adapted, the better their chances of survival.

The body of the beetle follows the basic construction of the insects. The body consists of three parts: the head (caput), chest (thorax), and abdomen (abdomen). The visible structure corresponds to the beetles, but not the head, chest and abdomen. The second section is visible only from the first segment of the breast, the second and third segment, together with the abdomen a unit from the deck wings (Elytren) covered. The Elytren are the first to strongly chitinisierte wing pair, the second pair of wings. Bauchseits rise the rear parts of the breast on the first abdomen segments, so that here too the 2nd And 3 Breast segment along with the body behind an optical unit. Beetles, with a few exceptions, a strong hardened outer skeleton from chitin. An extremities, they like all insects six legs and two, with each species very differently designed sensor. Beetles are among the insects with kauenden mouth tools. Like all insects, they have a rope ladder nervous system, but is modified so that the abdomen no longer ganglia. The blood vessel system is open and has a tubular heart. The simple digestive tract with the Malpighischen vessels and the Tracheensystem for breathing, is the blueprint of insects. There is, however, because of the long-term evolution conditional diversity of beetles in almost all areas of the beetle anatomy deviations from this basic blueprint.

Body size
The body size of the beetle is capped by the fact that the oxygen through the Tracheensystem to the bodies to be transported. The largest beetles are therefore relatively slow. Down is the body size only limited by the relatively complicated body still can be achieved. The dwarf species of beetles (Ptiliidae) and point beetle (Clambidae) are among the smallest of beetles and insects in general. There are species that are less than 0.5 mm long. Fire beetle (Pyrochroidae) and Ölkäfer (Meloidae) are families with an average of very large species. The largest species worldwide but the Bockkäfern (Cerambycidae) and Rosenkäfern (Cetoniidae). Within these families is too great length differences, the smallest Bock beetle is only about three millimeters long, with about 170 millimeters long, however, the giant beetle Bock (Titanus giganteus) is the largest known Käferart ever. Even at the height of representatives of a species may vary considerably, so vary the length of the body Moschusbocks between 13 and 34 millimeters. Since the Imagines can grow, such differences size alone unerschiedlich favourable living conditions during the larval stages. Even between the sexes of the same kind are often significant size differences.

Coloration
The colour of the beetle is as varied as their appearance. Most beetles are dark or colored in shades of brown, but there are numerous species with patterned, strong bright and / or shiny metallic objects. The coloring is or pigmentation caused by structural colors.

The rule in the shiny metallic color is determined by physical phenomena, such as interference or scattering caused. This often occurs when dünnschichtigen structures, such as hair or dandruff, or even at specific stratification of layers of parallel Chitinfasern. It covers the colour of the hair and dander often the primary color. Pattern can come by in unbehaarten or unbeschuppten areas, the basic color apparent. Often see why older animals, in which the hair is gone, unlike fresh from the doll geschlüpfte animals. At the same time, fresh geschlüpfte beetles but generally have not ausgefärbt their coloring formed only after several hours fully. Many species also differ males and females in their coloring (Sexualdichroismus).

For some beetle species is a striking consistency of the drawing recognizable, others opposed a strong variance. The ladybirds (Coccinellidae), for example, there are species that are hundreds of different patterns and color variations. These animals were used to be, even if they are not treated as a separate species, with their own aberration names and evidence so in the state of systematic groups meet. These assumptions are scientifically obsolete but now, most such designations are no longer in use. As another extreme example, in the genus Trichodes from the family of stained beetle or when Clytus genus of the family Bock beetle patterns in the different types almost the same. The coloration of the animals is often an important feature for its camouflage and defence (see Chapter camouflage and defence below).


Mouth Tools
Together with Hautflüglern, Netzflüglern and Geradflüglern have the beetle-kauende biting mouth parts. These are the original shape of the mouth tools, even when the relationship to the head of the legs crustaceans evident. Nevertheless, they show a high degree of specialization in their diet. They consist of paired Mandibeln (upper jaw) and paired maxilla (lower jaw) and an unpaired labium (lower lip). The labium consists of an unpaired Basalstück the function of the lower lip. Then top the unpaired tongue (Glossa) with the addition two tongues. Up to the mouth parts of the labrum (upper lip), an unpaired plate. The Mandibeln are the most important tools for food purchase. They serve the herbivores, plant parts cut off and crush the robbers can use their sharp and sharp Mandibeln grab their prey, hold and fressbare servings dissipate. A few species can Mandibeln not to purchase food use. Among the male stag beetle, for example, they are so strong increases, as Fresswerkzeuge that they are useless. Instead, they have become transformed weapons with which to rival females and males fighting enemies with whom impressed. Both of the maxilla and on the lower lip are buttons, called Palpen arranged on which sits the taste sense.

Probe
The probe of the beetles emerge at the head, behind the mouth tools. They are, like all insects, as a scourge antennas that are only a basal or even of the limb with muscles, the Scapus. The next link in turn, the Pedicellus, together with the scourge to the Scapus movable. Overall, the sensor depending on the family from 5 to 12 members, but mostly they have 10 or 11 members, and are shaped very differently. In some families, the males can be different shaped sensor (usually larger and longer) than the females. The basic distinction is fadenförmige types (such as the Laufkäfern), at the end gekeulte (weevils), or varied (junebug) and combed (stag beetle) probe. Regardless of which is a sensor knelt when he angled. There are however many gradations between these basic shapes. The Einlenkungsstelle and construction of the sensor are often for a family or any other characteristic systematic unit. The sensors sit institutions with which the animals can smell, but they are also Tastorgane with which they are based. Some families are also to the detention of sex partner in the mating position.

Eye
The eyes are as facets eyes trained. They are made up of individual eyes (Ommatidien). In addition to the basic Appositionsauges, the simplest eye complex, in which each individual eye for themselves separately and visually by its neighbors isolated, there is, especially in dämmerungs and nocturnal beetles, also called super position eyes. These are the single eye is not optically isolated, but the light rays can also go to neighbouring Ommatidien, and the Sehpigmente there Rhabdome encourage the information of the light irritation to the nerve forward. This allows seeing even at lower light intensity and increased the light intensity to a multiple, but at the expense of visual acuity. With a higher light intensity can move the pigment cells, which Appositionsauge functional again. The eyes of the beetles are not always round. Mostly they are a kidney to the approach of the probe around. In extreme cases, such as with many Bockkäfern, these "kidney halves" separately.

A special case is the Taumelkäfern (Gyrinidae), which live in water. These beetles are the eyes auseinandergerückt halves, the upper halves of a pair of eyes form that is above the water level, the lower halves eyes are a pair of eyes on the water level. How can they simultaneously above and below water, in which the respective pairs of eyes to the different light intensities, wavelengths and refractive indices of air and water are adjusted. A few beetle families, such as bacon beetle (Dermestidae) have only simple point eyes, as they also have the beetle larvae, other species live in caves have their eyes completely rückgebildet. They include several representatives of ground beetles (Carabidae), the endemic each in a cave just happen, or, for example, of Segeberger cave beetles from the family of sponge ball beetle.

Chest (thorax)
The thorax of beetles consists of three parts: Prothorax, Mesothorax and meta thorax. From above, only the first section, the Prothorax. This is the neck plate (Scutum) covered. The other two thoracic segments are among the top wings (Elytren) hidden, with the exception of a small part of the Mesothorax, the sign Chen (Scutellum). This is, if any, between the deck wings to their base as a small triangle evident. From the bottom are the three segments chest visible, but not readily identifiable as such. They consist of several Chitinplatten namely, the move could be against, so to Vorderbrust Related plates between such chest of funds to lie. In particular, the rise of the rear chest plates at least the approach of the rear body, so that the demarcation on the abdomen is not easily recognizable and middle and rear chest to abdomen as a permanent effect. At each of the three segments chest rises a pair of legs to the rear two segments originate addition, the two wings couples.

Legs
The legs have the same basic structure as the other insects. Each leg is divided into several sections, hip (coxa), leg ring (trochanter), leg (femur) and rail (tibia), and has broken down at the end of two to five feet (Tarsal), with the last Tarsenglied with claws carrier. The number of Tarsenglieder becomes a basic division of the beetle families. 5-5-4 means, for example, that the hind legs Tarsenglieder four, the remaining five legs. The Tarsenglieder and the other leg segments can be very long and shaped differently. Individual segments can be built so small that they are hidden in the previous link, as is, for example, the fourth of Tarsenglied Bock beetle (Cerambycidae). Often, the leg also widened. At the Open slip Bock beetle (Oedemera nobils), this is so much the case that the leg nearly spheroidal effect. The legs are depending on the Käferart and use specialized and can be used as running legs, jump legs, or grave Schwimmbeine trained legs. Yellow edge beetle (Dytiscus marginalis) can use their strong Schwimmbeinen up to 0.5 m / s, swimming, even the fast Sandlaufkäfer ashore are only slightly faster.

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