Southern Marsh Orchids

Southern Marsh Orchids

Tuesday 6 June 2017

Cantharis fusca query

Saw this at Cosmeston last week - certainly a soldier beetle, possibly Cantharis fusca .... ?


5 comments:

  1. Could be Cantharis rustica, but tricky to tell from a photo.

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  2. Bottoms ... ! that's the one I meant - with the central black mark on the pronotum. Thanks Dave - I'll just log it as Cantharis sp possibly C. rustica

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  3. There is a good key here:
    https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeys/Home/keys-to-coleoptera/cantharidae
    Doesn't really help with yours as you can't see the head but it gives an idea as to what characters to look for in the field.

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  4. Thanks Dave. I've downloaded the keys and having read through the Cantharis section I think I would have to pot a specimen to get the angles for ID ... so that's not going to happen often.

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  5. Hi Howard
    Found this site which might be of use to you and others it allows you to compare beetle photos so you can see the difference between them.Kerbtier.de
    All the best Mike

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