Taxonomy: Biota > Animalia > Arthropoda > Insecta > Coleoptera > Cantharidae > Rhagonycha >
Rhagonycha fulva (Scopoli, 1763)
Common Red Soldier Beetle
A common red cantharid with black-tipped elytra, often seen on the flower heads of Hogweed and other umbellifers during summer. Whilst distinctive, confusion is possible with Nacerdes melanura, an Oedemerid, although this species is usually restricted to coastal and estuarine areas where the larvae feed on damp and submerged timber structures.
