Soldier beetle

Soldier beetle
Temporal range: Albian–Present
Chauliognathus lugubris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Elateriformia
Superfamily: Elateroidea
Family: Cantharidae
Imhoff, 1856
Synonyms

Chauliognathidae

Soldier beetle filmed in Hesse, Germany
A wrinkled solder beetle flies into an aphid colony, eating an aphid before being chased away by the ants.
Wrinkled solder beetle searching foliage
goldenrod soldier beetles foraging on yellow ironweed.
goldenrod soldier beetles taking flight from yellow ironweed, followed by slow motion (taken at 3,840 frames per second.


The soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are relatively soft-bodied, straight-sided beetles. They are cosmopolitan in distribution. One of the first described species has a color pattern reminiscent of the red coats of early British soldiers, hence the common name. They are also known commonly as leatherwings because of their soft elytra.[1]

Historically, these beetles were placed in a superfamily "Cantharoidea", which has been subsumed by the superfamily Elateroidea; the name is still sometimes used as a rankless grouping, including the families Cantharidae, Lampyridae, Lycidae, Omethidae (which includes Telegeusidae), Phengodidae, and Rhagophthalmidae.

Soldier beetles often feed on nectar and pollen as well as predating other small insects. The larvae are caterpillar like, dark colored, active and covered in fine hairs, earning them the name velvet worms. They feed on the ground and in foliage hunting eggs, small insects, snails and other small creatures. [2] [3]

  1. ^ Phillips, C., et al. Leatherwing (Soldier) Beetles. Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. 2013.
  2. ^ https://bugoftheweek.com/blog/2018/10/18/friendly-velvety-home-invaders-soldier-beetle-larvae-chauliognathus-spp, Friendly velvety home invaders: Soldier beetle larvae, 'Chauliognathus' spp., “Bug of the Week”, October 22, 2018
  3. ^ https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/soldier-beetles, Soldier beetles, “University of Minnesota Extension”, Reviewed in 2023