''Oedemera tristis'' is a species of beetle belonging to the family
Oedemeridae
The family Oedemeridae is a cosmopolitan group of beetles commonly known as false blister beetles, though some recent authors have coined the name pollen-feeding beetles. There are some 100 genera and 1,500 species in the family, mostly associate ...
subfamily
Oedemerinae
Oedemerinae are a subfamily of the false blister beetles (family Oedemeridae), also known as pollen-feeding beetles. The Nacerdinae are sometimes merged here.
The phylogeny of this family is not robustly deduced in detail. While traditionally ...
.
Description
''Oedemera tristis'' can reach a body length of about . It is an elongated insect with a soft, black body. Males have large, swollen posterior thighs (metafemurs). The elytra are divergent at their ends and reveal the wings.
Distribution and habitat
This species is present in most
Europe.
These insects live in meadows and forest edges.
Byology and ecology
''Oedemera tristis'' is
phytophagous. It feeds on nectar and pollen from the flowers of herbaceous plants (dandelions, buttercups, etc.). The larvae are
xylophagous
Xylophagy is a term used in ecology to describe the habits of an herbivorous animal whose diet consists primarily (often solely) of wood. The word derives from Greek ''ξυλοφάγος'' (''xulophagos'') "eating wood", from ''ξύλον'' (') ...
. Adults can be found from April to August.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Forum Entomologi Italiani
{{taxonbar, from1=Q3349421
Oedemeridae
Beetles of Europe
Beetles described in 1846