Common Red Soldier Beetle
Common Red Soldier Beetle - Rhagonycha fulva
Alternative names
Soldier Beetle
Description
It has a red-orange body with a black tip.
Identification difficulty
Habitat
Often seen on umbelifer flowers, such as Hogweed and Cow Parsley.
When to see it
The adults are seen in July and August.
Life History
They are predatory on other insects visiting the flower they are resting on but also eat nectar and pollen.
UK Status
A very common beetle throughout most of Britain.
VC55 Status
Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 188 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.
David Nicholls
Cossington NR
08 July 2010 M69 Island Sapcoe SP 4635 9382 (taken 5.7.2007)..JPG)
Graham Calow
M69 Island, Sapcote
05 July 2007
HAPeacock
Billa Barra
21 July 2012
David Nicholls
Fosse Meadows
08 July 2011
mating pair
David Gould
The Spearwort Fields
06 July 2014
Douglas Maas
Ashby Canal, near Congerstone
21 July 2012
 M69 Island Sapcoe SP 4635 9382 (taken 5.7.2007)..JPG)
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020
UK Map
Additional images
