Forum Entomologi Italiani

Anthaxia (Anthaxia) hypomelaena (Illiger, 1803)

Dopo un po' di giorni tra Carabidi e minuscole bestioline muscicole, qualche Buprestide ci vuole!

Questa piccola ma bella specie vive un po' in tutta l'area mediterranea europea e in Turchia, raggiungendo la Germania, presumo in qualche oasi xerotermica. E' molto comune in Grecia, dove convive sulla stessa pianta ospite con Anthaxia bettagi.
Nel Lazio non è affatto frequente, anzi è molto localizzata.
Vive su alcune specie di Eryngium, soprattutto su E. campestre. L'adulto generalmente non è floricolo e si trova sulla sua pianta ospite.

L'esemplare fotografato viene da Maccarese (Roma), 16.VI.2009
su Eryngium campestre
circa 5 mm

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Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/

Nice observation, Maurizio, thanks for sharing! I found this species in Croatia and Bulgaria, but have no good picture of it.
Nikola Rahmé

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nikola rahmé
Budapest, Ungheria
http://naturephotorahme.blogspot.com/

Hello Nikola. Happy to know you are one of us, in the Forum, now.
I know very well your site and your marvellous photos.

Unluckily I have got several problems taking pictures of Anthaxia hypomelaena. It's not a fast flying species, but it is too shining when in the direct sushine, and it is usually hidden among the leaves of Eryngium when in the shadow, so there are problems to get a good shot. I was unable to get a good photo of this species, but I'll try to get someone next Spring.

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Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/

Ciao Maurizio,
I also know the problem of photographing Buprestidae in sunshine. By the way most of the insects are difficult to make photos in dierct shine. The best pictures are made in cloudy weather or in shadow. And in that case you need a tripod and a fixed motionless insect
Nikola

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nikola rahmé
Budapest, Ungheria
http://naturephotorahme.blogspot.com/

The problem is that usually Buprestidae don't stay in the shadow! Cloudy weather is surely the best to take pictures of insects, especially shiny specimens. When possible, I try to make shadow with my own body. It's not the same than with clody weather, becuase the light of the sky is too blue, but it's possible to make some correction after. The true problem is that when they are in the shadow, most of insect usually do two different things:
1 -they fly or run away
2 -they take an innatural position, recovering antennae and legs under the body.

_________________
Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/

Maurizio, you do know everything!

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nikola rahmé
Budapest, Ungheria
http://naturephotorahme.blogspot.com/

I would like to know everything!

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Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/