Soldier beetle

Soldier beetle
Chauliognathus lugubris
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Superfamily:	Elateroidea
Family:	Cantharidae Imhoff, 1856
Synonyms
Chauliognathidae

Soldier beetle filmed in Hesse, Germany

The soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are relatively soft-bodied, straight-sided beetles. They are cosmopolitan in distribution. One of the first described species has a color pattern reminiscent of the red coats of early British soldiers, hence the common name. They are also known commonly as leatherwings because of their soft elytra.

Historically, these beetles were placed in a superfamily "Cantharoidea", which has been subsumed by the superfamily Elateroidea; the name is still sometimes used as a rankless grouping, including the families Cantharidae, Drilidae, Lampyridae, Lycidae, Omalisidae, Omethidae, Phengodidae (which includes Telegeusidae), and Rhagophthalmidae.

See also

• List of Cantharidae genera

External links

• Delta key
• Key to the British genera of Cantharidae
• Key to the British species of genus Cantharis
• Media related to Cantharidae at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Cantharidae at Wikispecies