Sensation in the oak forest – ranger finds almost extinct giant beetle Emir of Kuwait died at the age of 86

In a forest in Lower Franconia, Germany, a forest ranger discovered a species of giant beetle that is considered nearly extinct in Germany. The Bavarian State Institute for Forestry and Forestry (LWF) speaks of a sensation and hopes for a new beginning for the Heldbock.

How the beetle, which can grow up to two inches long, was tracked down is nothing short of a murder mystery. The LWF reports in a press release: “In a forest in Lower Franconia, forester Reiner Seufert was amazed by ‘murder holes’ in the oak forest.” Seufert immediately had suspicions because of the dimensions of the holes, but still wanted to be on the safe side.

“Absolutely special”

The former district manager of the Bavarian Forestry Commission was investigating until he found a freshly dead, pupated larva in the forest. A DNA analysis commissioned by the LWF has now provided clarity. «It is the native herobuck (Cerambyx cerdo), the largest beetle in our forests. The find is considered an absolute specialty because the species is threatened with extinction,” writes the LWF.

In Bavaria, the species has only been found in one piece of oak forest for about 70 years, the Luisenheim in Bamberg. There are copies here and there throughout Germany, but “in very small areas”. It is said that several attempts at settlement in different parts of Bavaria have failed in the past.

The Bavarian forest experts are all the more pleased with their find. The Heldbock, also called the Great Oak Bock, is an “umbrella species representative of the community of warm, old and large oak forests with a long habitat tradition.”

“The successful evidence shows once again the great value our local oak forests have for biodiversity,” explains Dr. Peter Pröbstle, chairman of the Bavarian State Institute for Forestry and Forestry. “Conserving these habitats as part of integrated forest management is particularly important to ensure habitat continuity in the future for species of conservation value such as the buck,” says Stephan Thierfelder, head of the forestry department at AELF Schweinfurt.

This is the hero goat

With a head and body length of 24 to 53 millimeters and an antenna length of about 110 millimeters for males, the Heldbuck is the largest native beetle. Other names for it are “Big Gemsbock” or “Big Oak Bock”. It is brown-black with lighter reddish-brown elytra tips.

The beetles that hatch after pupation are active in the warm evening or night hours from May to August. Egg laying mainly occurs on the same tree for generations until it eventually dies. Only in the bark and sapwood of living trees (that is, the tissue under the bark) do the larvae find the nutrient-containing fluid they need for their development.

The goat is one of the species protected throughout Europe under the Fauna-Flora-Habitats Directive (FFH-RL) and is listed in Appendices II and IV. Every 6 years, a report on the condition of the Heldbuck, among other things, is written and sent to the European Commission. In the future, the LWF will also monitor the new occurrence of the Heldbock in Bavaria and document population development.

Used sources: