3 species of gorgeous Gidding beetles (Jin Gidding, Golden Giding, Pear Little Giding)

"A graceful lady, a gentleman is eager to seek", the ancient poem expresses people's pursuit and yearning for beautiful things. Ladylike girdles will naturally be favored by people. People always think that butterflies are the most beautiful insects, but when you get to know Gitin bugs, you may feel that Gitin bugs are also unique and have a unique charm.

There are many species of Gidinidae. There are about 13,000 species in the world, and more than 450 species are known in my country. The various body shapes vary greatly, the small ones are less than 1 centimeter, and the large ones are more than 8 centimeters. Most of them are colorful and look like charming ladies. The antennae are serrated, with 11 segments. The prothoracic and abdominal plates are well developed, and the ends extend to the interbasal joints of the midfoot. The body shape is similar to that of the kowtow bug, but the junction between the prothorax and elytra is not concave, and the prothorax and mesothorax are closely connected without a jumping structure.

What is regrettable is that their larvae grow to be extremely ugly. It can be called the "eighteen transformations of insects". This is the wonder of insect metamorphosis! What is especially intolerable is that the larvae specialize in eating the heart of trees, causing them to wither. Death is an important pest of fruit trees and forest trees. Despite this, larvae are a traditional Chinese medicine that can cure diseases and make up for the shortcomings.

It is said that the Japanese are particularly fond of gigantic beetles and believe that their bright elytra can repel indoor pests. Therefore, they often inlay the elytra on furniture, which not only has the effect of repelling insects, but also has decorative beauty. The elytra of the Gidin beetle are indeed extremely beautiful. Under light or sunlight, they can shine with brilliant metallic luster, like crystal jewels.

Adult beetles like sunlight and are active during the day. They are easily found in the sunny parts of tree trunks. They have extremely strong flying ability and can fly high and far, so they are difficult to catch. However, when they perch on tree trunks, they are very easy to catch. Less crawling means a better time to capture. Here are several types of gidding insects.

​1. Jin Jiding

Body length 30 to 45 mm. The body is golden green, and there are two broad copper-colored longitudinal bands on the front and back of the chest, extending from the front edge to the rear edge. There is an obvious copper-colored longitudinal band on each elytra, extending diagonally from the shoulder corner of the base to the near middle of the wing end. Its individual size is huge and its color is the best among all species, and it has high ornamental value. Hard to find in nature. At present, it is only known to be distributed in Zhejiang and Taiwan in my country, and in North Korea and Japan abroad.

2. Jinyuan Jiding

Commonly known as stringworm, it mainly damages pears and occurs in small quantities on apples. The larvae feed in circuitous ways under the bark of the tree trunk, destroying the cambium layer. In mild cases, the bark turns black, in severe cases, the entire tree dies, the tree becomes weak, and in severe cases, the entire tree dies.

The adult body is 13-16 mm long, emerald green, with metallic luster. There are five blue-black stripes on the front and back of the thorax, more than 10 stripes composed of small black spots on the wing elytra, and golden-red stripes on both sides.

The eggs are about 2 mm long, milky white, and oblong.

When mature, the larvae are about 30 mm long, changing from milky white to yellowish white. They are flat overall and have a small head. The first segment of the prothorax is flat and enlarged with yellowish-brown herringbone patterns. The abdomen gradually becomes slender and the internodes are indented.

The pupa is 15-19 mm long, milky white, yellowish white to light green.

There is one generation per year, with mature larvae overwintering in the xylem. The activity begins in March of the next year, pupation begins in April, and adults appear in their prime in mid-to-late May. After the adults emerge, they move around the tree crown to feed, exhibiting the ability to appear dead. Early June is the peak spawning period, and eggs are mostly laid in the cracks of the weakened trunk and main branches of the tree. After hatching, the larvae bite through the egg shell and burrow into the cortex. After gradually burrowing into the cambium layer, they feed along the cambium layer. In August, the larvae burrow into the xylem and overwinter.

3. Pear Xiaojiding

It mainly damages pears and peaches. The larvae eat the branches, dry bark and xylem. In serious pear orchards, the tree may weaken or even the whole tree dies. It is one of the destructive pests of pear trees.

Morphological characteristics: Adult: 10-20 mm in length, dark green, with metallic luster. The body is flat, the antennae are black and serrated, the head is cut evenly, and the pronotum gradually becomes wider from front to back. There are small long blue-black stripes on the head, front and back of the chest and wing sheaths, and the edges of the two wings have a golden sheen.

Egg: oval, 2 mm long, 1l-4 mm wide, milky white.

Larvae: Mature larvae are 27-32 mm long; milky white and slightly flat overall. The head is small and half retracted on the chest, the chest is wide, the chest and back are hard and smooth, and there are "herringbone" shaped grooves on it. The abdomen is slender, each segment is rectangular, and the end of the telson is small.

Pupa: Naked pupa, 17-20 mm long, initially milky white, gradually turning green.

Occurrence and habits: One generation occurs every year, and the mature larvae spend the winter under the bark of the damaged tree or in shallow places in the trunk. In the spring of the second year, the woodworm eats in the shallow part of the xylem for a period of time. Before pupating, it dives slightly deeper into the tunnel of the parenchyma and makes an oblong pupal chamber. The pores and eclosion holes are tightly blocked, that is, pupation occurs in the pupa chamber. The pupal stage lasts about ten days. In the pear-producing areas in central and southern Hebei Province, pupae appear in late April and emerge into adults in early May. After the adults appear, they bite pear leaves and sunflower leaves, leaving gaps in the edges of the leaves. It usually likes to rest on the sunny side of the leaves. It is most active from 9 am to 4 pm on sunny days. Adult insects have the property of suspended animation, falling to the ground when shaken, and then fly away after stopping for a moment. The adult life span is about 20-30 days, and a few can live for more than 40 days. After the adults emerge, they feed and replenish nutrients for about half a month before they begin to lay eggs. The eggs are laid in gaps with rough cracks in the skin. The egg stage usually lasts 8-9 days. After hatching, the larvae directly bore into the shallow part of the bark from under the egg shell. They first feed under the epidermis and then gradually feed into the cambium and xylem. The larvae feed inside the branches, and the tunnels are curved and filled with insect feces. The leaves of severely damaged branches of pear trees turn red by late August.

animal tags： beetle