Common red soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

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Here’s a detailed overview of the Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva), a familiar and beneficial insect in European grasslands and gardens:

🪲 **Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)**

🔹 Taxonomy

Order: Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family: Cantharidae (Soldier beetles)
Genus: Rhagonycha
Species: Rhagonycha fulva
Authority: (Scopoli, 1763)

🔹 Common Names

Common Red Soldier Beetle
Bloodsucker Beetle (misleading—does not bite or suck blood)
Red-headed Soldier Beetle

🔹 Identification

Size: 7–10 mm in length
Color:
- Bright red-orange body
- Black-tipped elytra (wing cases)
- Soft, flexible wing cases — unlike the hard ones in most beetles
- Long black legs and antennae
Shape: Narrow and elongate with a flattened profile

🔹 Distribution

Widespread across Europe, also introduced to:
- Parts of Asia Minor
- Eastern North America (as a non-native species)
Very common in Britain, Ireland, Central and Northern Europe

🔹 Habitat

Favors sunny, flower-rich habitats, including:
- Grasslands
- Meadows
- Road verges
- Gardens and allotments
- Hedgerows and woodland edges

🔹 Life Cycle & Behavior

🪲 Adult Activity

Seen from June to August, peaking in mid-summer
Found in abundance on open flowers, especially:
- Hogweed (Heracleum)
- Cow parsley (Anthriscus)
- Thistles, daisies, wild carrot

🍽️ Feeding

Adults feed on:
- Pollen and nectar
- Small insects, aphids, and other soft-bodied invertebrates
Larvae are carnivorous, living in the soil and feeding on:
- Slugs
- Snail eggs
- Insect larvae

🐣 Reproduction

Mating is common and conspicuous on flowers in summer
Eggs laid in soil or leaf litter
Larvae develop over winter, pupate in spring, and emerge as adults in early summer

🔹 Ecological Role

Pollinator: Frequently visits flowers for nectar
Predator: Larvae and adults help control aphids and pests
Prey: Eaten by birds, spiders, and other predators
An important part of meadow and garden ecosystems

🔹 Similar Species

Other soldier beetles in the genus Rhagonycha or Cantharis (e.g. Cantharis livida)
Rhagonycha fulva is uniquely:
- Red-orange with dark wing tips
- Found in large numbers, often mating in clusters

🔹 Fun Facts

Often called the “Hogweed Bonking Beetle” in the UK due to how often it’s seen mating on umbellifers
Despite its bright warning colors, it’s harmless to humans
Its soft, flexible elytra allow it to fly easily between flowers

📸 Observation Tips

Visit wildflower meadows or field margins in July and August
Look for them on hogweed, yarrow, wild carrot, or Queen Anne’s lace
They are often abundant and easy to photograph