Forester discovers almost extinct beetle in Lower Franconia

Nature - Forester discovers almost extinct beetle in Lower Franconia

A forester has discovered the almost extinct hero beetle in a forest in Lower Franconia. The largest native beetle is considered to be threatened with extinction in Germany. This is why the discovery is "absolutely exceptional", the Bavarian State Institute for Forestry and Forest Economics announced in Freising on Thursday.

In a forest near Kolitzheim (district of Schweinfurt), the forester had initially discovered thumb-sized boreholes in oak wood and later a freshly dead larva. A DNA analysis revealed that it was the hero beetle (Cerambyx cerdo).

According to the LWF, the species has only been found in Bavaria in the Luisenhain near Bamberg in the last 70 years or so. "The successful detection shows once again how valuable our native oak forests are for biodiversity," said LWF President Peter Pröbstle.

According to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, the longhorned beetle colonizes old oak trees in sunny locations. The nocturnal beetle used to be widespread in Germany, but is now only found in isolated cases in some federal states. According to the LWF, the hero beetle is brown-black with lighter reddish-brown wing tips. The larvae develop over three to five years in the wood of living oaks and feed on the wood.

LWF press releases Portrait of the longhorn beetle at the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation

Read also:

• A clan member is punished here
• Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
• Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
• He also wanted to kill his cousin

1. The hero beetle, a native species of Germany, was once common in various districts, including Bavaria and Lower Franconia, such as the district of Schweinfurt.
2. The federal agency for nature conservation in Germany has ongoing initiatives to protect and conserve endangered species like the hero beetle, which is native to regions like Bavaria and Lower Franconia.
3. In an effort to maintain biodiversity, the LWF in Bavaria, specifically in areas like Lower Franconia and its district of Schweinfurt, is working to preserve habitats suitable for animals like the almost extinct hero beetle.
4. As part of their conservation efforts, experts from Bavaria's LWF, located in areas like Lower Franconia and its district of Schweinfurt, have been observing and monitoring the behavior of the hero beetle in its native oak forests, including those in sunny locations in Germany.

Source: www.stern.de