Spain-June 2013

Spain - June 2013

Every year millions of tourists from all over the world visiting the metropole Madrid on the iberian peninsula. In contrast to the typical sightseeing tours in the capital, we wanted to discover the nature in the surroundings. Stations of our trip and especially some interesting Jewel Beetles are shown in the following pictures.

We began our journey near the airport at this hilly place in the southeast-side of Madrid. In the foreground is growing Retama sphaerocarpa L.

Anthaxia spinolae Gory & Laporte, 1839 could be found on Retama sphaerocarpa L. or on yellow flowers next to it. This Jewel Beetle was one of the commonest on the journey.

Sometimes hidden on the ground could be found a small plant. - Sanguisorba minor Scop.

It is the hostplant of Trachys lichtensteini Buysson, 1918. So far known this is the first record of this species for the iberian peninsula. The mines of the larvae helps very easy to identify this taxon. Specimens were found at different places in the surroundings of Madrid and it seems to be common in this region.

Mine of Trachys lichtensteini Buysson, 1918 inside a leaf of Sanguisorba minor Scop. with the characteristic black egg.

Beautiful hillside with flowering meadow.

Orobanche gracilis Sm. (Orobanchaceae), using its roots to get nutrients from other plants next to it.

Ferula communis L. is the hostplant of Anthaxia anatolica ssp. ferulae Géné, 1839. The Jewel Beetle sitting inside the “leaf bags”.

Sun-exposed hillside with Quercus sp., Ulmus sp. etc.

Sphenoptera barbarica (Gmelin, 1790) flew near the ground.

Acmaeoderella cyanipennis ssp. hispana (Abeille de Perrin, 1900) could be observed.

Rio Manzanares. Ulmus sp. and Fraxinus sp. dominate the landscape next to the river.

Anthaxia bicolor ssp. comptei Cobos, 1966 sat on dead branches of Fraxinus sp.

Psammodromus algirus (Linnaeus, 1758) ran on the sandy ground.

At the next day we went in the direction of Aranjuez, 40 km in the south of Madrid. We found this floodplain with Populus sp. and Ulmus sp.

Acmaeodera maroccana Obenberger, 1916 sat on flowers.

Mt. Batres in the southwestern part of Madrid.

The hill from downwards. Very dry oak forest with an interesting fauna of Jewel Beetles.

Near a small river dying Fraxinus sp. was hostplant for some Jewel Beetles.

One of them was Anthaxia madridensis Bílý & Verdugo, 2013. PARATYPE!

Nice flowering meadow.

At our next day we discovered the western parts of Madrid and stopped at this picturesque landscape.

A stone wall absorbs the sunlight. In consequence the temperatures on the yellow flowers are higher than in the surroundings and the Jewel Beetles are very fast.

Acmaeodera nigellata Abeille de Perrin, 1904.

Sierra de Guadarrama. Extensive forest with Quercus sp. and Fraxinus sp.

Agrilus beauprei ssp. mourguesi Schaefer, 1954 on leaves of Fraxinus sp.

We decided to go further into the mountains and started our trip in this pine wood forest.

One of the commonest Jewel Beetles at this place was Anthaxia parallela Gory & Laporte, 1839.

In the foreground grew Juniperus sp.

It is the hostplant of Anthaxia confusa Gory, 1841.

Beautiful views to the monastery of “San Lorenzo de El Escorial”. 

Undeterminated Geranium sp.

Agapanthia irrorata (Fabricius, 1787), a Longhorn Beetle (Cerambycidae).

High into the mountains leaves of oak began to come out in the beginning of June!

White Stork [Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758)] – family meeting.

White Stork. Parents with their children.

We spent our last day to complete the tour around Madrid and visited the region  eastwards of the capital. A lot of different ground plants make this place attractive for Jewel Beetles.

Yellow flowering Phlomis sp.

A small Jewel Beetles needs this plant for its development. - Trachys pumilus (Illiger, 1803).

The larvae live inside the leaf. Brown parts of the leaf indicates the presence of the Jewel Beetle.

The weather became more and more uncomfortable.

Anthaxia hungarica (Scopoli, 1772) – one of the commonest Jewel Beetles, which take its development in wood of Quercus sp.

Galls caused by a small wasp.- Cynipidae (Hymenoptera).

Acmaeodera pilosellae (Bonelli, 1812) on a yellow flower. Larvae of this species living in different kind of wood, especially in Quercus sp.