Stats

Lifespan

About 1 year

Size

Small

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

North America

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

A slender soldier beetle with soft, leathery wing covers colored buff-orange with a bold black margin, common in gardens and meadows across the eastern US. Adults are frequent visitors to goldenrod and other late-summer flowers, where they feed on both nectar and small insects.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Cantharidae

Genus

Chauliognathus

Species

Chauliognathus marginatus