[300] Rhagonycha fulva, Common Red Soldier Beetle

[300] Rhagonycha fulva, Common Red Soldier Beetle

Introduction

Rhagonycha fulva, the Common Red Soldier Beetle, is one of the most common and widespread species of Beetle in the UK and is often seen in summer on flowers. It has recently acquired the informal name (Hogweed) Bonking Beetle.

It is also known as the Bloodsucker Beetle.

I will also consider Cantharis species, the other most common Soldier Beetles found in Britain

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Arthropods

Class – Insects

Order – Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder – Polyphaga

Infraorder – Elateriformia

Superfamily – Elateroidea (Click beetles, Soldier beetles, fireflies and others)

Family – Cantharidae (Soldier Beetles)

Subfamily – Cantharinae

Tribe – Cantharini

Genus – Rhagonycha

Scientific Name – Rhagonycha fulva

Not surprisingly, the genus Cantharis comes in the same Tribe.

Soldier Beetles

There are over 1300 species in about a hundred genera in the family Cantharidae. Most species do not have common names.

The Taxonomy of Insects is complicated because it has well over a million species divided into over two hundred families. Soldier Beetles, Cantharidae, were named because one of the first noted species had colours reminiscent of the red coats of British Soldiers. They are also called Leatherwings because of their soft elytra (wing coverings.) They are divided into five subfamilies and several tribes.

[A] Rhagonycha fulva

There are about 150 species of Rhagonycha of which seven are found in Britain. The name Bloodsucker Beetle for Rhagonycha fulva just comes from its red colour.

I cannot trace the origins of the word Rhagonycha. Fulva in Latin is an amber or orange shade of the colour red.

Rhagonycha fulva is a medium size, roughly rectangular beetle, mostly a shiny dark red in colour. The elytra have a black patch on their ends. Its antennae are black.

Larvae live at the base of grasses and eat invertebrates such as slugs and snails. The relatively short-lived adults feed on pollen and nectar and may eat Aphids.

Habitat

Rhagonycha fulva is common over most of Europe and parts of Asia Minor. It has become established over eastern Canada.

Adults can be found in summer on grassland and woodland, in hedgerows and in parks and gardens. They are fond of Hogweed and other plants in the carrot family Apiaceae, and also Asters.

Other Notes

It is commonly seen on [174] Hogweed and other flowers. Like many insects the adult phase us relatively short and is mostly dedicated to seeking a mate and mating. The mating process takes quite a long name, which is where its modern common name comes from.

[B] Cantharis Species, Soldier Beetles

Cantharis is a genus containing about a hundred species of Soldier Beetles without individual species Common Names. Fifteen of the species can be found in the UK.

It should not be confused with the strangely named Spanish Fly, Lytta vesicatoria, that used to be called erroneously Cantharis vesicatoria. (The Spanish Fly is actually a beetle, coming from an unrelated family.)

You won’t be surprised at a bit of confusion with names. The genus Cantharis, and hence the tribe, subfamily and family of soldier beetles, are all named from the Ancient Greek word Kantharis, which means the Spanish Fly, Lytta vesicatoria. As noted above, this shiny green beetle (Spanish Fly is a beetle) used to be called Cantharis but is unrelated – it doesn’t even look that similar. Now the soldier flies have the name Cantharis and the Spanish Fly had to be renamed!

Description

There are 32 central European species of Cantharis of which 15 are to be found in the British Isles. They are relatively large beetles with a long, straight, darkly coloured abdomen and fairly long antennae. I won’t guarantee my pictures to species level but with a bit of help from social media I will give suggestions.

This is Cantharis flavilabris.

This is Cantharis pellucida.

This is Cantharis lateralis.

Other Notes

These species are not nearly as common as Rhagonycha fulva. As always, keep looking on the top of open flowers in summer to spot beetles.

[240] Oedemera nobilis, Thick-legged Flower Beetle

[240] Oedemera nobilis, Thick-legged Flower Beetle

Introduction

Oedemera nobilis, the Thick-legged Flower Beetle, is an impressive, bright green beetle often found on open flowers. Only the male has the swollen legs that give it its name.

It is also known as the Swollen-thighed Flower Beetle.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Arthropods

Class – Insects

Order – Coleoptera (Beetles)

Family – Oedemeridae

Tribe – Oedemerini

Genus – Oedemera

Scientific Name – Oedemera nobilis

Name

The Latin edema from Ancient Greek oidema, means swelling. The word, spelled as oedema or œdema in British English, is used in medicine.

Description

Nearly five thousand species of beetle can be found in Britain. This is one of the very common species that I have seen often.

Oedemera nobilis has a bright green appearance with a metallic sheen. The elytra have a distinct gap and they do not cover the entire wings.

The males have very distinctive swollen hind legs.

The female does not have the swollen legs.

The larvae develop on stems of [082] Thistles. Adults feed on nectar and pollen from many flower species.

Habitat

Oedemera nobilis is common and widespread over Western Europe and the Northwest coasts of Africa. In Britain its range is limited to England and Wales.

Other Notes

These beetles are very common in late spring and summer. They can be seen on open flowers.

See also

Oedemera luridahas a similarrange to Oedemera nobilis. The males do not have the thick legs. It has a duller cover and the gap between the elytra is less evident.

[086] Coccinella septempunctata, Seven-spot Ladybird

[086] Coccinella septempunctata, Seven-spot Ladybird

Introduction

Coccinella septempunctata, the Seven-spot Ladybird, was until recently the most common and widespread ladybird in Britain. It’s what most people would imagine when using the word ladybird.

In North America it is known as the seven-spotted ladybug.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Arthropods

Class – Insects

Order – Coleoptera (Beetles)

Family – Coccinellidae (Ladybirds)

Genus – Coccinella

Scientific Name – Coccinella septempunctata

Name

To most people in Britain this is the only species of ladybird. The word ‘ladybird,’ and the names of the genus, Coccinellus, and family, Coccinellidae, all come from this beetle from its red colour and seven spots. The Virgin Mary was often depicted in a red cloak and the spots on this beetle were taken to signify her seven joys and seven sorrows. So, this beetle became known as Our Lady’s Bird or the Lady Beetle. It became the Ladybird and, in the USA (where bug is used more generically to mean any insect or small invertebrate,) it was changed to Ladybug. In entomology, they are sometimes now known as Ladybird Beetles or Lady Beetles.

Inevitably the name ladybird has spread to other small beetles with spots.

Coccineus is Latin for scarlet and, of course, septem-punctata means seven-spotted.

Beetles

This is our first species of beetle. Coleoptera is by far the largest order of insects with about half a million known species and probably at least another half a million yet to be discovered. They generally have a particularly hard exoskeleton and use only one pair of wings. The front pair of wings are hardened into elytra (Singular: elytron,) which are used as wing covers.

There are at least two hundred families of beetles covering diverse habitats and lifestyles. The larval stage may live for many years and for some species the adult stage is short-lived.

Ladybirds

Coccinellidae is a widespread family of small beetles, many much smaller than this one. There are about six thousand species, many of which have brightly coloured elytra with spots, stripes or other patterns. They are dome shaped with small legs. Some have no markings and are not obviously ladybirds and some similarly shaped small beetles from other families look superficially like ladybirds.

Many species of ladybirds are considered useful as they prey on insects that are considered pests – but some ladybirds are herbivorous. 

Description

Coccinella septempunctata is a typical ladybird. Its elytra are bright red, sometimes orange-red, with seven black spots. Many ladybirds are named from the number of spots and those with an odd number have at least one spot on their midline, coming from both elytra. With a body length of about a centimetre, it is larger than most of the other rarer UK species.

Both the larval and adult stages feed voraciously on aphids or sometimes other small insects such as leafhoppers.

Habitat and use

The 7-spot Ladybird is found in Europe, most of Asia and Australia and lives in many different habitats, wherever there are aphids to eat.

It has been introduced to the USA to control aphids and is spreading. Five US States have it as their official State Insect.

Other Notes

Numbers of 7-spot Ladybirds in Britain have declined considerably in recent years with the advent of [169] the Harlequin Ladybird. At least 95% of the ladybirds I now see are Harlequins.

See also

There are several other species of ladybird found in Britain. Most are significantly smaller.

[278] 14-spot Ladybird will look at some of them. We also now have the Harlequin.