Metacantharis clypeata

Metacantharis clypeata is a species of soldier beetle belonging to the family Cantharidae.

Metacantharis clypeata
Metacantharis clypeata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Cantharidae
Genus:	Metacantharis
Species:	M. clypeata
Binomial name
Metacantharis clypeata (Illiger, 1798)
Synonyms
Cantharis clypeata Illiger, 1798 Cantharis haemorrhoidalis Fabricius, 1792 nec Gmelin, 1790 Metacantharis haemorrhoidalis (Fabricius) [1]

Etymology

The Latin genus name Metacantharis is composed by meta (meaning middle) and Cantharis (other genus of Soldier beetles), while the Latin species name clypeata means distinguished by the clypeus.^[2]

Description

Metacantharis clypeata can reach a length of 6.5–10 millimetres (0.26–0.39 in). Elytrae are pale yellowish or pale brownish, with a dark suture and sparse short semi-erect pubescence. The head is black to the front of the eyes. Pronotum shows a basic yellow color with two black spots often merged and located on the rear half. Scutellum is black.^[3] These soldier beetles occur from April to July, mostly on pines and oaks.^[4]

Habitat

Metacantharis clypeata lives in lowland and upland areas up to an altitude of about 1900 m above sea level. It is a xerophilous species, may be a relic of the cold and dry climate of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene.^[4]

Distribution

This species can be found in Albania, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, eastern Palaearctic realm, and North Africa.^[5]