Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf beetles)
Donacia cinerea Herbst, 1784
Silbergrauer Schilfkäfer
Synonyms and other combinations:
Donacia hydrochaeridis Fabricius, 1801 | Donacia tarsata Panzer, 1796 | Donacia hydrocharis (Fabricius, 1801) |
Classification:
Donacia cinerea belongs to the subfamily Donaciinae, tribe Donaciini.Distribution:
Europe to Siberia and Central Asia, rare in Southern Europe and Asia Minor.Habitat:
In shallow water areas of still waters.Description:
Length 7 - 10 mm; basic color bronze, looking silver-grey to pale brownish due to pubescence; elytra hairy, almost parallel; 3rd antennal segment slightly longer than the 2nd; pronotum behind the front corners with a shiny hump; front tibiae clearly widened, with small teeth at the outer edge; hind femora toothless.Similar species:
A similar species with hairy elytra is the reed beetle Donacia tomentosa which is very rare in Germany. In this beetle the 3rd antennal segment is almost twice as long as the 2nd one. The pronotum has no bumbs behind the front corners. The front tibiae are narrower and toothless.Biology:
The reed beetle Donacia cinerea normally undergoes a three-year development cycle.The oligophagous species lives on bulrushes (Typha, Typhaceae), both on broadleaved (Typha latifolia) and on narrowleaved bulrushes (Typha angustifolia). The beetles were also found on reeds (Phragmites), bur-reed (Sparganium) and sedges (Carex).
The adults of Donacia cinerea can be found from May to July. They cause oblong ditches in the leaves of their host plants above water by feeding on the upper epidermis and pulp of the leaves, leaving the lower epidermis intact. The eggs are laid below the waterline individually in the stem tissue of the bulrushes. The larvae live under water at the roots of their host plants. The pupation also takes place under water.
References, further reading, links:
- Rheinheimer, Joachim, & Hassler, Michael: Die Blattkäfer Baden-Württembergs, 2018, 928 pages, Kleinsteuber Books (Karlsruhe), ISBN 978-3-9818110-2-5
- Arved Lompe: Die Käfer Europas - Ein Bestimmungswerk im Internet
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