Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Click, Firefly and Soldier Beetles (Elateroidea) » Soldier Beetles (Cantharidae) » Cantharinae » Podabrus » Podabrus rugosulus

Species Podabrus rugosulus

another pollen-caked cantharid - Podabrus rugosulus Which beetle, please? - Podabrus rugosulus - male - female Soldier beetle - Podabrus rugosulus Soldier beetle - Podabrus rugosulus Solider Beetle with caterpillar - Podabrus rugosulus firefly mimic? - Podabrus rugosulus 8014270 - Podabrus rugosulus Podabrus rugosulus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
Superfamily Elateroidea (Click, Firefly and Soldier Beetles)
Family Cantharidae (Soldier Beetles)
Subfamily Cantharinae
Genus Podabrus
Species rugosulus (Podabrus rugosulus)
Size
7-8 mm
Identification
Medium-sized dark beetle, found on vegetation, usually actively searching. Elytra all-dark. Front of head and sides of pronoutm orange, likely mimicry of fireflies (Lampyridae).
Range
Includes eastern North America
Habitat
Found on leaves, flowers, of shrubs.
Season
May-June (North Carolina)
Food
Adults apparently predatory (see guide photos).
Print References
Dillon, p. 258, plate XXVI (1)
Arnett and Jacques, p. 210, fig. 503a (2)
Brimley p. 155 (3)
Sikes, p. 158, lists for Rhode Island (4).
Internet References
North Carolina State University Entomology Collection--110 pinned, quite common.
Oklahoma Wild Things
Works Cited
1.A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America
By Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence
2.How to Know the Beetles
By Ross H. Arnett, N. M. Downie, H. E. Jaques
3.Insects of North Carolina
By C.S. Brimley
4.The Beetle Fauna of Rhode Island, an Annotated Checklist
By Derek Sikes
Contributed by Cotinis on 14 February, 2005 - 9:51pm
Last updated 8 June, 2006 - 6:29am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2010 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.