Chrysanthia viridissima

Chrysanthia viridissima
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Oedemeridae
Genus:	Chrysanthia
Species:	C. viridissima
Binomial name
Chrysanthia viridissima (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Cantharis viridissima Linnaeus, 1758 Chrysanthia viridis DeGeer, 1775

Chrysanthia viridissima is a species of beetles belonging to the family Oedemeridae subfamily Nacerdinae.

Chrysanthia viridissima – lateral view

These quite common beetles are present in most of Europe and in East Palearctic ecozone. They are metallic green, blue or coppery. The mandibles are bifid and the elytra have four longitudinal ribs.

The adults grow up to 7–10 millimetres (0.28–0.39 in) long and can mostly be encountered from June through July feeding on pollen and nectar of Apiaceae species, especially Achillea millefolium. The larvae live in dead wood, being hylophags.

Subspecies

• Cantharis viridissima var. cuprina Pic

References

• Vazquez, X. A. - 1989 - El genero Chrysanthia Schmidt en la Peninsula Iberica (Col., Oedemeridae) - Elytron, 3: 125-136
• Vazquez, X. A. - 2002 - European Fauna of Oedemeridae - Argania editio, Barcelona, 179 pp.

External links

• Biolib
• Fauna Europaea