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SOLDIER BEETLES

CANTHARIDAE

T

he medium-sized family Cantharidae are

called soldier beetles because the bright

colors of the adults of many common European

species were thought to resemble historical

military uniforms. Sometimes the name “sailor

beetles” is used for species with elytra that are

colored blue or black rather than red or orange.

The whole exoskeleton of these beetles, including

the elytra, is weakly sclerotized, giving the adults

a soft, floppy appearance and earning them other

descriptive names such as “leatherwings” and

“squishy beetles.”

In temperate regions, adult beetles have a short

life of a few weeks, when they are easily spotted

during the day among long grass, rough vegetation,

or on flowers, mating or feeding on insects, pollen,

and nectar. They each have a distinct adult season,

with a succession of species appearing through spring

and summer. The rest of the year is spent as a larva.

Larvae are covered in water-repellent setae, giving

them a velvety appearance, and can be abundant

predators in soil, leaf litter, and among roots. Larvae

of some genera such as Malthodes inhabit rotting

wood, including dead twigs on living trees.

CANTHARIDAE—Soldier Beetles

family

Cantharidae

known species

5,100

distribution

Worldwide except Antarctica. Most easily

found, in season, in temperate climates

habitat

Vegetation in fields and plains, marshes,

lakeside reedbeds, and forests. Some

species live under stones in high mountains

near the snow line

size

2–30 mm

diet

Pollen, nectar, and small insects. Many

cantharids feed openly on flowers, eating

nectar, pollen, and parts of the flower itself,

as well as other pollinating insects