British insects: the families of Coleoptera
British insects: the families of Coleoptera |
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Telephoridae, Chauliognathidae.
Soldier-beetles, Leatherwing beetles.
General appearance. 2–15 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 2.05–6.2. Elytral length/pronotal length 1.4–6.25. Base of prothorax not or scarcely narrower than the combined elytral bases, or distinctly narrower than the combined elytral bases. Greatest prothoracic width not narrower or only slightly narrower than the greatest elytral width, or distinctly narrower than greatest elytral width. Beetles elongate-oval to slender; dorsally flattened; not necked; somewhat waisted to conspicuously waisted. Upper surfaces of body non-glabrous; not bristly; with neither scales nor scale-like setae.
Detailed morphology. The head not covered by the thorax. Inclination of the head slight to very strong. Eyes strongly protuberant, or not strongly protuberant; without bristles; finely facetted. Antennae short to longer than the insect's head to tail length; 11 segmented. Antennal scape not swollen. Antennae filiform. Antennal insertions visible from above; not in fossae. Mandibular prosthecae well developed to absent. Prothorax about as long as wide. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.46–1.25. Prothorax at its widest markedly narrower than the adjoining part of the abdomen, or not markedly narrower than the adjoining part of the abdomen. Prothorax without notopleural sutures. The scutellum not elevated. Metaventrite without a transverse groove. Tarsal segmentation formula 5, 5, 5. The tarsi exhibiting bilobed segments; without ‘hidden’ segments. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 5-segmented. Mid-leg tarsi 5-segmented; pentamerous. The claws of the mid-leg tarsi not appendaged. The claws of the mid-leg tarsi simple, or one-toothed or bifid; without an associated empodium. Hind tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 5-segmented. Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 0.95–3.1. Elytra meeting along the length of the mid-line, or not meeting along the full length of the mid-line; covering most to all of the abdomen, or short, exposing several terminal abdominal tergites; exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite to at least three complete abdominal tergites; truncate (often), or not truncate; soft; smooth. Scutellary striole absent. Elytra non-glabrous. Wings well developed, or absent or much reduced. Exposed abdominal sternites 7–8; all articulated and movable. Abdominal segment 8 with apparently functional spiracles.
Adult habitat, ecology. Predacious (feeding on soft-bodied insects); in living vegetation (active, common on flowers).
Larvae. Larvae predacious (feeding on soft-bodied insects); in the ground, or in moss. Larvae equipped with channelled mandibles associated with paralyzing and extra-oral digestion of prey.
Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Infraorder Elateriformia; Superfamily Cantharoidea.
Worldwide and British representation. Genera about 50. 41 species in Britain; genera in Britain 6; Cantharis, Malthodes, Malthinus, Podabrus, Rhagonycha, Silis. E.g., Cantharis abdominalis var. cyanea; Cantharis decipiens; Rhagonycha testacea.
General comments. Adults elongate, flattened and parallel-sided, soft-bodied and usually finely pubescent.
Illustrations. • Cantharis abdominalis var. cyanea Curtis (B. Ent. 215). • Cantharis abdominalis var. cyanea (details, B. Ent. 215). • Cantharis abdominalis var. cyanea: B. Ent. 215, legend+text. • Cantharis abdominalis var. cyanea: B. Ent. 215, text cont.. • Rhagonycha testacea (Testaceous Zonitis: B. Ent. 112. • Rhagonycha testacea (B. Ent. 112, legend+text). • Rhagonycha testacea (B. Ent. 112, text cont.). • Cantharis (10 spp., as Telephorus), Rhagonycha unicolor, R. fuscicornis and R. fulva: Fowler 4, 112 (1890). • Fowler 4, 112 (1890): original legend. • Rhagonycha (4 spp.), Malthinus (4 spp.), Malthodes (5 spp.): Fowler 4, 113 (1890). • Fowler 4, 113 (1890): original legend. • Cantharis (6 spp.), Podabrus and Silis, with Lampyridae: Fowler 4, 111 (1890). • Fowler 4, 111 (1890): original legend. • Cantharis figurata, with unrelated taxa: Fowler Suppl. 15, 1913. • Fowler Suppl. 15, 1913: original legend. • Cantharis decipiens (Rye & Fowler IX4).
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Coleoptera. Version: 2nd January 2012. http://delta-intkey.com’.
