Featured speciesText © K. Reißmann, T. Hörren, M. Stern, F. Bötzl and C. Benisch
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16.08.2024
Dircaea australis Fairm., 1856
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The conspicuous, yellow and black colored Dircaea australis belongs to the darkling beetles (family Melandryidae) and is 8-12 mm long. It is known to occur in Central Europe (France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia) and in the south of Northern Europe (Sweden). In Germany, the species has been recorded in Westphalia and more recently in the Palatinate. D. australis is a rare, xylodetriticolous relic of primeval forests and develops mostly in white-rotted beech (Fagus sylvatica), occasionally in lime tree (Tilia) and in Common Whitebeam (Sorbus aria). In sunny weather the swift beetles can be observed. In Germany, D. australis is regarded as critically endangered. (CB)
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