Rapeseed flower beetle , or rapeseed glitter [1] ( Meligethes aeneus ) is a species of glitter beetles from the subfamily Meligethinae , common in Europe, North Africa, Asia and North America.
| Rapeseed Blossom |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Subtype : | Tracheo-breathing |
| Infraclass : | Winged insects |
| Treasure : | Fully Transformed Insects |
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Meligethes aeneus ( Fabricius , 1775) |
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- Brassicogethes aeneus
- Meligethes bonvouloiri C. Brisout de Barneville, 1872
- Meligethes brassicae Reitter, 1875
- Nitidula coeruleus Marsham, 1802
- Meligethes moerens LeConte, 1857
- Meligethes mutatus Harold, 1868
- Meligethes rotundangulus ganglbauer , 1899
- Meligethes rufimanus LeConte, 1857
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Rapeseed flower beetle on a flower
Beetle black with bluish or greenish tint 1.5β2.7 millimeters long. Beetles overwinter under plant debris on the surface of the soil. In spring, they appear very early, at first they feed on the flowers of various early plants - coltsfoot, dandelion, etc., then go on to rapeseed flowers. Females lay 1-8 eggs inside the buds; average fecundity is 40-50 eggs. Embryonic development lasts 4-10 days, larvae 15-30, pupae 10-11 days. Beetles damage stamens, stigmas; larvae feed on pollen, but with a population of more than 3 individuals per bud, the latter dry out.