Variable soft beetle
| Variable soft beetle | ||||||||||||
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Light form of Cantharis livida |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cantharis livida | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The variable soft beetle ( Cantharis livida ) is a beetle from the soft beetle family (Cantharidae).
features
The beetles are 9 to 13.5 millimeters long. The pronotum and head are red, with a dark spot at the base of the head. The pronotum anterior corners are very broadly rounded. The color of the wing covers is variable - red-brown or gray-black. The front legs are red. The base of the femora of the two rear pairs of legs is red, while the apical end of the femora and the splints are colored black.
distribution
Cantharis livida is widespread and common in Europe. The range of the beetle species also includes the British Isles.
Way of life
The beetles fly from May to August, with most being seen in June and July. They can be found on meadows, on hedges, on the edges of forests and on ruderal areas. They feed mainly predatory on other insects, which they ambush on flowers. The larvae hunt snails and worms.
Individual evidence
- ^ Harde, Severa: Der Kosmos Käferführer, The Central European Beetles, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-06959-1 . Page 182.
- ↑ a b European beetles Cantharis . www.coleo-net.de. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d Cantharis livida . www.naturespot.org.uk. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ↑ Cantharis livida / Variable soft beetle . www.naturspaziergang.de. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ↑ Klaus Koch: Die Käfer Mitteleuropas - Ökologie - Volume 2, Goecke & Evers Verlag, Krefeld, 1989, ISBN 3-87263-040-7 , p. 33
- ↑ a b c Species Cantharis livida . bugguide.net. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
Web links
- Cantharis (Cantharis) livida at Fauna Europaea
- www.insektenbox.de
- www.kaefer-der-welt.de