Cardinal Beetle

Cardinal Beetle - Pyrochroa serraticornis

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Description

One of several Cardinal Beetles, this species has a red head to distinguish it from P. coccinea which has a black head.

Identification difficulty

Adult Larva

Habitat

On flowers, trunks and stumps where it hunts other insects.

When to see it

Between May and July.

Life History

It is a predator.

UK Status

Widespread and fairly frequent in England and Wales.

VC55 Status

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 108 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.

  • David Gould
    Narborough Bog, Leics
    21 May 2015
  • Annie Smith
    Old Ingarby
    07 May 2018
  • David Nicholls
    Grace Dieu
    06 June 2008
  • AJ Cann
    Narborough Bog
    18 June 2015
  • Mark Skevington
    Whetstone
    12 May 2021
  • David Gould
    Enderby, Everards Meadows
    08 March 2020
    larva

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

All NatureSpot records