Cantharis fusca

Cantharis fusca, the dark soldier beetle, is a species of soldier beetle.

Cantharis fusca
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Elateriformia
Family:	Cantharidae
Genus:	Cantharis
Species:	C. fusca
Binomial name
Cantharis fusca Linnaeus, 1758

Cantharis fusca reaches a length of 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in).^[1] Except for parts of the head and thorax, which are red or orange, this species is completely black. The body is flat and long, with a weak exoskeleton. These beetles have long feathery antennae, and comparatively long legs.

This species is common in large parts of Europe, and lives in bushes, edges of forests, and meadows. They hunt for small insects.

The larvae have black hairs, and also eat small insects. They are very cold-resistant, and can be seen crawling on the snow in winter.

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  Mating
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