Stats

Lifespan: A few months
Size: Medium
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Europe
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Warning Colors
Status: Common

About

A vivid orange-red beetle found across Europe and western Asia, frequently spotted mating on umbellifers like hogweed — earning it the nickname 'hogweed bonking beetle'. Adults are voracious predators of aphids and small insects despite their delicate appearance.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cantharidae
Genus: Rhagonycha
Species: Rhagonycha fulva