Soldier Beetle (Cantharis rustica)

Photographed on the Wednesday 01 June 2016.
There are about 40 species of Soldier Beetles in the UK of which this beetle Cantharis rustica is the most common. The adults tend to hunt on flowers where they are carnivorous and also their larvae are carnivorous too. This beetle belongs to the Class Insecta, Order Coleoptera, Family Cantharidae and Genus Cantharis. For beetles their Elytra (wing sheaths) are relatively soft.
The beetles or Coleoptera are a diverse group of insects that occur worldwide except the sea (though can be found in other aquatic areas) and Polar Regions. There are about 370 000 species described worldwide with approximately the same amount still waiting to be discovered. These are the largest group of insects and Darwin even remarked on Gods fondness for beetles due to their numbers of species and distribution. In the UK this trend is bucked however, with beetles having about 4 100 species ranked 3rd behind Diptera (flies) and Hymenoptera (bees wasps and ants etc.). The term Coleoptera is from the Greek koleos meaning ‘’sheath’’ and pteron meaning ‘’wing’’. Like flies in beetles one pair of wings is modified in this case the front pair of wings (elytra) are hardened and thickened into shell-like sheath covering and protecting the rear pair of wings and abdomen.
More information can be found here:
http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/cantharis-rustica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantharis
http://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds6/insectssoldierbeetles.htm
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6314340407836672
http://www.thewcg.org.uk/cantharidae/0023G.htm
http://insecta.pro/taxonomy/992533
http://www.coleoptera.org.uk/home

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