Oedemera nobilis

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
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
Genus: Oedemera
Subgenus: Oedemera
Species: Oedemera nobilis
Synonyms (1): O. caerulea
Name

Oedemera nobilis (Scopoli, 1763)

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Grüner Scheinbockkäfer
References

Vázquez, X.A. 1990: Revisión de las especies Ibero-Baleares del género Oedemera Olivier (Col. Oedemeridae) [Revision of the Ibero-Balearic species of the genus Oedemera Olivier (Col. Oedemeridae).] Eos 65(1): 207-241. abstract Reference page. [see p. 227]

Selected links

iNaturalist

Oedemera nobilis, also known as the false oil beetle, thick-legged flower beetle[1] or swollen-thighed beetle,[2] is a beetle in the family Oedemeridae, a common species in Western Europe, including the south of England.[3][4]

Morphology

The male of Oedemera nobilis, as in most Oedemera species, possesses the hind femora very swollen, whereas in female the femora are thin; the elytra are strongly narrowed towards the apexes, not hiding the membranous hind wings. It is bright green, frequently with a golden or coppery shine; some individuals are blue or violaceous. It can only be confused with Oedemera flavipes (which does not live in the British Isles), from which it differs by its colour, as well as by the long white pubescence on the head, pronotum and hind tibiae of males.
Biology and ecology

Oedemera nobilis is abundant in spring on several flower species; the males are very conspicuous by their swollen femora and bright green colour. It feeds on pollen and nectar of Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cruciferae, Dipsacaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Poaceae, Papaveraceae, Plantaginaceae, Rosaceae, Rubiaceae and Apiaceae. The larvae develop on dry stems of Spartium and Cirsium.
Distribution

Western and southern Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to Greece; it is absolutely common in Mediterranean countries and penetrates in Central Europe to middle of Germany and British Isles; it has reached Denmark, where it is rare and sporadic. It is also recorded from the Maghreb. It is absent from alpine countries and Eastern Europe.

In England and Wales, it is presently in a markedly expansive and consolidational phase, which commenced during 1995.[4]

References

"False Oil Beetle - Oedemera nobilis". Brickfields Country Park. 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
"Swollen-thighed Beetle - Oedemera nobilis". NatureSpot. 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
Vázquez, X. A. 1993. Coleoptera: Oedemeridae, Pyrochroidae, Pythidae, Mycteridae. Fauna Ibérica, vol. 5. Ramos, M. A. et al. (Eds.). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, 181 pp. ISBN 84-00-06109-8
Vázquez, X. A. 2002. Fauna of European Oedemeridae. Argania editio, Barcelona, 178 pp. ISBN 84-931847-4-8