Common red soldier beetle

Common red soldier beetle
Common red soldier beetle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cantharidae
Genus: Rhagonycha
Species: R. fulva
Binomial name
Rhagonycha fulva
(Scopoli, 1763)

The common red soldier beetle, Rhagonycha fulva, is a species of soldier beetle (Cantharidae).

The common red soldier beetle will grow up to a centimetre. Nearly all their body is coloured red yellowish. Only the last bit of the elytra is black. The body is flat and elongated. The chitin armour is very soft, resulting in the German name of this species as Weichkäfer (meaning "soft beetle"). The black thread-like antennae are also relatively long. The equally long legs have an orange colour, which become notably darker only at the end.

This beetle is very common in Europe and Anatolia. Introduced to North America, it is well-established in British Columbia and Quebec and recently recorded in Ontario[1]. One will find it very often in bushes or on grass and fields.

These beetles are active during the daylight hours, when they will hunt mostly for small insects on top of flowers.

Fairly often one will find many of them on Apiaceae or Asteraceae like thistles.

After copulation the females will lay her eggs. The larvae are soil-dwellers which hunt for snails and insects. After a year and several moults the larvae will pupate and then emerge as fully grown beetles.

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Soldier beetle — Soldier beetles Chauliognathus lugubris Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia …   Wikipedia

  • soldier beetle — ▪ insect       any member of the approximately 3,500 species of the widely distributed insect family Cantharidae (order Coleoptera). These slender, soft bodied beetles are brown or black and trimmed like a soldier s uniform with red, yellow, or… …   Universalium

  • coleopteran — /koh lee op teuhr euhn, kol ee /, adj. 1. belonging or pertaining to the order Coleoptera. n. 2. a beetle. [1840 50; COLEOPTER(A) + AN] * * * ▪ insect Introduction   any member of the insect order Coleoptera, consisting of the beetles and weevils …   Universalium

  • Polymorphism (biology) — Light morph Jaguar (typical) Dark morph or melanistic Jaguar (about …   Wikipedia

  • Chauliognathus — lugubris Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia …   Wikipedia

  • Biological pest control — Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests (including insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases) that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms. It can be an important component of… …   Wikipedia

  • List of beetles of Great Britain — This is a list of beetle species in Britain. Suborder Adephaga ;Family Carabidae:See List of ground beetle (Carabidae) species recorded in Britain;Families Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae, Paelobiidae and Dytiscidae:See List of water beetle… …   Wikipedia

  • Chilocorus stigma — Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum …   Wikipedia

  • Animal coloration — Chapman s Zebras in Botswana, displaying their outline disrupting camouflage Animal coloration has been a topic of interest and research in biology for well over a century. According to Charles Darwin s 1859 theory of natural selection,[1 …   Wikipedia

  • Cheddar — This article is about the settlement in Somerset, England. For the cheese, see Cheddar cheese. For other uses, see Cheddar (disambiguation). Coordinates …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”