ColeoColl

TRIP REPORTS

VI.2011., CROATIA

Translated by Emese Jókuthy.

This time I had the opportunity to collect beetles during the season with Béla Szelenczey és Németh Győző in the Velebit Mountains. Almost out of time, but we managed to get permission from the Velebit National Park, then started our short trip on Friday afternoon.

Potosia angustata.

While heading for the well-known scrubby location not far from Senj, where bottle traps were placed, we chanced upon a maple forest. This hedged area consisting of sectors not larger than a dining room is used as pasture for sheep and goats. Exit holes of jewel beetles and longhorn beetles were found on maple trees dying in large numbers.

Ropalopus insubricus specimens were crawling up and down on the trunks.

Isotomus speciosus were running around on dry logs.

Click beetles were found on the top of blades of tall grasses growing in the shade.

A male Athous dalmatinus.

A female Athous dalmatinus.

A female Dorcadion arenarium.

Herophila tristis.

Although the landscape appeared fresher and more vital than in last August
fewer beetles were encountered.

Purpuricenus kaehleri

Oberea pupillata.

Rhagium bifasciata.

At higher elevations the landscape looks quite different. Under large firs and beech trees ferns grow in the thick leaf litter of the woodland floor.

Our goal was to catch Dima elateroides. It was still before dusk when these rare beetles emerged from the leaf litter. Perhaps owing to the wet leaf litter, many of them were just sitting on the ground, some of them were even about to open their elytra, which is somewhat unexpected for a flightless species.

Then its larvae were found in the thick leaf litter.

The specimens collected exhibit a wide range of sizes and colours.

Returning to the maquis shrubland I examined a dead maple twig that seemed infested.

As I cut the twig, I busted the one who caused the damage. It was a species of jewel beetle whose larvae girdle the bark of the twig shortly before pupating.

Heading northwards, we were looking for a particular flower-visiting longhorn beetle on blooming widow flowers (Knautia).

Blister beetles (Mylabris).

At last we got them close to a fresh oak wood: Vadonia imitatrix.

Absinthe wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), on which we found tiny jewel beetles.

Meliboeus graminis.

Yarrows attract plenty of different common beetle species.

Yarrows attract plenty of different common beetle species.

Cuckoo wasp.

We collected by and large all the species we expected, so we headed home really contented.