Soldier Beetles: Difference between revisions
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== Description & Overview == | == Description & Overview == | ||
Soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are the second largest group in the beetle (Coleoptera) superfamily Elateroidea, containing approximatley 5,500 species <ref name= "motyka">Motyka, M., Kusy, D., Biffi, G., Geiser, M., Kazantsev, S.V., Bilkova, R., Jahodarova, E., Vogler, A.P., Bocak, L.. (2023). Untangling the evolution of soldier beetles ([[Coleoptera]]: Cantharidae) and the evaluation of the morphological phylogenetic signal in a soft-bodied elateroid lineage. Cladistics. 39: 548-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12555.</ref>. Soldier beetle larvae tend to be darkly colored and look almost reptilian. Adult soldier beetles grow to about half of an inch long and | Soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are the second largest group in the beetle (Coleoptera) superfamily Elateroidea, containing approximatley 5,500 species. These beetles are common throughout the temperate region of the northern hemisphere <ref name= "motyka">Motyka, M., Kusy, D., Biffi, G., Geiser, M., Kazantsev, S.V., Bilkova, R., Jahodarova, E., Vogler, A.P., Bocak, L.. (2023). Untangling the evolution of soldier beetles ([[Coleoptera]]: Cantharidae) and the evaluation of the morphological phylogenetic signal in a soft-bodied elateroid lineage. Cladistics. 39: 548-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12555.</ref>. Soldier beetle larvae tend to be darkly colored and look almost reptilian. Adult soldier beetles grow to about half of an inch long and vary from yellow to black in color. Some abdominal segments are exposed, as their wings do not entirely cover their body. These [[insects]] are beneficial, as they act as a pollinator species <ref name= "hahn">Hahn, Jeffrey. (2023). Soldier beetles. University of Minnesota Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/soldier-beetles#:~:text=Soldier%20beetles%20are%20beneficial%20insects&text=Because%20of%20their%20frequent%20contact,go%20away%20on%20their%20own.</ref>. | ||
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Revision as of 18:40, 14 April 2025
Description & Overview
Soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are the second largest group in the beetle (Coleoptera) superfamily Elateroidea, containing approximatley 5,500 species. These beetles are common throughout the temperate region of the northern hemisphere [1]. Soldier beetle larvae tend to be darkly colored and look almost reptilian. Adult soldier beetles grow to about half of an inch long and vary from yellow to black in color. Some abdominal segments are exposed, as their wings do not entirely cover their body. These insects are beneficial, as they act as a pollinator species [2].
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Phylum | Subphylum | Class | Order | Suborder | Family |
| Animalia | Arthropoda | Hexapoda | Insecta | Coleoptera | Polyphaga | Cantharidae |
Ecology & Evolution
From midsummer to early fall, soldier beetles tend to pollinate yellow flowers of the family Asteraceae. Adults soldier beetles feed exclusively on pollen [5].
Soldier beetle eggs are laid from late August to early September. Though soldier beetle life history is not well known, larvae are assumed to predate on small invertebrates within the soil. Some soldier beetles are able to produce compounds that help stave off predators, like spiders [5].
Common Soldier Beetles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Motyka, M., Kusy, D., Biffi, G., Geiser, M., Kazantsev, S.V., Bilkova, R., Jahodarova, E., Vogler, A.P., Bocak, L.. (2023). Untangling the evolution of soldier beetles (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) and the evaluation of the morphological phylogenetic signal in a soft-bodied elateroid lineage. Cladistics. 39: 548-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12555.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hahn, Jeffrey. (2023). Soldier beetles. University of Minnesota Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/soldier-beetles#:~:text=Soldier%20beetles%20are%20beneficial%20insects&text=Because%20of%20their%20frequent%20contact,go%20away%20on%20their%20own.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 BugGuide. (2025). Family Cantharidae - Soldier Beetles. BugGuide. https://bugguide.net/node/view/118/tree.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 iNaturalist. https://www.inaturalist.org/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Colorado State University. (2017). Soldier Beetle. Western Colorado Insects. https://wci.extension.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/03/SoldierBeetles.pdf.