Chrysanthia viridissima

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Cucujiformia
Superfamilia: Tenebrionoidea

Familia: Oedemeridae
Subfamilia: Oedemerinae
Tribes: Ditylini
Genus: Chrysanthia
Species: Chrysanthia viridissima
Name

Chrysanthia viridissima (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms

Basionym: Cantharis viridissima Linnaeus, 1758

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiæ: impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. i–ii, 1–824 pp DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542: 403. Reference page.

Links

Chrysanthia viridissima Taxon details on Fauna Europaea
Chrysanthia viridissima (L., 1758) - photo by D.I. Gavryushin
ZooBank: 1247A7F4-ED20-4210-B982-E8A23C495A64

Chrysanthia viridissima is a species of beetles belonging to the family Oedemeridae subfamily Nacerdinae.

Subspecies

Subspecies include:[1]

Cantharis viridissima var. cuprina Pic

Distribution and habitat

These quite common beetles are present in most of Europe and in the eastern Palearctic realm (Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic (Bohemia, Moravia), Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland).[1][2] These beetles inhabit flowery meadows and woodlands.[3]

Description

Chrysanthia viridissima can grow up to 7–10 millimetres (0.28–0.39 in) long.[3] These beetles have a soft and rather elongated bodies. The head is elongated. The mandibles are bifid. Antennae are long and filiform, composed by eleven segments. Pronotum is hearh-shaped. Elytra are densely punctured and have four longitudinal ribs. On the legs all pairs of coxae are enlarged. The legs and antennae are dark. Adults are metallic green (hence the Latin epithet viridissima, meaning very green), blue or coppery.

This species is rather similar to Chrysanthia geniculata, but they can be distinguished by the hair, the shape of the throat plate, the ribs on the elytra and the color.

Biology

Adults are phytophagous. They can mostly be encountered from May through July[3] feeding on pollen and nectar mainly of Apiaceae species, especially, Angelica sylvestris and Heracleum sphondylium, but also on Cistus salviifolius (Cistaceae) and Achillea millefolium(Asteraceae).[1][3] The larvae live inside roots or in dead wood, being xylophages.

Bibliography

Linnaeus, C. 1758: Systema Naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiæ: impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. i–ii, 1–824 pp;p. 403
Vazquez, X. A. - 1989 - El genero Chrysanthia Schmidt en la Peninsula Iberica (Col., Oedemeridae) - Elytron, 3: 125-136
Vazquez, X. A. - 2002 - European Fauna of Oedemeridae - Argania editio, Barcelona, 179 pp.
Edmund Reitter: Fauna Germanica - Die Käfer des Deutschen Reiches. 5 Bände, Stuttgart K. G. Lutz 1908 - 1916, Digitale Bibliothek Band 134, Directmedia Publishing GmbH, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-898-53534-7
Michael Chinery, Insectes d'Europe en couleurs, Bordas, 1987, 486 p. (ISBN 9 782040 125752 et 2-04-012575-2), p. 345

References
Biolib
Fauna europaea
Commanster