Data sheet yellow-striped beetle
Latin name:
Dytiscus marginalis
Trade name:
Yellow smut beetle or common yellow smut
Distribution:
Europe, North Asia, North America
Origin:
unknown
Size (in cm:
3.0 – 3.5 cm long and 1.5 – 1.8 cm wide
age expectation:
2-5 years
behavior/stocking
Occurrence in the pond:
mostly under water, only to breathe above water
Dangerous?
may bite Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, Great Diving Beetle (Dytiscus marginalis) (8332211239), CC BY-SA 2.0
The yellow-striped beetle
The yellow smut beetle belongs to the family of swimming beetle. He comes in whole Europe before – except in certain regions of southern Spain, Portugal and Greece. In addition, its habitat extends over North Asia to Japan and also in North America is his home. It is mainly found in the lowlands, it does not occur in the mountains.
The habitat of the yellow-striped beetle are stagnant and slow-flowing bodies of water. It can also be found in garden ponds.
general characteristics
The yellow smut beetle is one of the largest beetles found in Europe. He owes his name to yellow edges on pronotum and wings. In addition, the abdomen has a yellowish color. The rest of the insect’s body is green-brown in females and green-black in males.
There is also another difference between males and females: the elytra are smooth in males and mostly furrowed in females. This serves to better hold on to the male during mating. The adhesive organs on the front feet of the males, which look like small suction cups, serve the same purpose. Two of these adhesive organs are located in the middle of the front feet. About 150 smaller adhesive organs are arranged around these two.
Overall, the yellow-spotted beetle six legs and two thin skin wings, which lie under the elytra. Dense, long bristles grow on the hind legs, which the yellow-spotted beetle uses to swim.
What is special about the yellow smut beetle is its shine, which is caused by an oily secretion. This secretion is formed in the skin glands and wets the entire insect body, repelling water from it.
Occurrence in the pond
The yellow smut beetle can not only to swimbut also fly. Especially at night, he often covers long distances and looks for a pool or pond. When he finds one, he settles there. This is where he spends most of his time under water.
He only pops up again and again to catch his breath – usually up to seven times an hour. In winter, however, it is usually so inactive that it no longer needs to surface due to the low oxygen requirement.
Nutrition
The yellow-striped beetle feeds on other animals living in the water. Mainly he eats Aquatic insects or their larvae, tadpoles and smaller fish. Carrion is also eaten by the yellow-spotted beetle, which is why it cleans a body of water of dead fish and thus keeps the water clean.
As for the method of hunting, yellow-spotted beetles are considered ambush. They cling to aquatic plants and wait for their prey. If they get close, they snap. For this purpose, there are two mandibles at the head end of the yellow-spotted beetle. Using these gripping tools, it grabs its prey, injects it with a digestive secretion and finally sucks it dry.
propagation and breeding
Mating of the yellow-striped beetles usually takes place in late autumn. Although it usually only lasts 15 minutes, the male often clings to the female with his adhesive organs for days. The male transfers his sperm to the female by means of a putty secretion.
After hibernating, the females then lay over their ovipositors 200 to 1000 eggs in the months of March and April. The approximately seven millimeter long eggs are laid individually in the plant tissue so that they can be supplied with oxygen there. To do this, the female first cuts into the plant tissue and, after laying the egg, seals it with a secretion.
Depending on the temperature and oxygen levels, the larvae hatch after six to ten weeks. At first they are still about one centimeter long and then quickly grow to about seven centimeters. For this they eat a lot and can consume up to 20 tadpoles or small fish per day.
Five to six weeks after hatching, the larvae pupate on the bank and three to four weeks later the yellow snail beetles hatch.
Miscellaneous
The yellow-striped beetle is not threatened with extinction. According to his behavior he is considered a loner. Its predators include larger fish. In addition, it is known to be nocturnal.