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| 1 | 2 |  » Stats |
Members: 50,148
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05-10-2009, 10:52 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,289
| | | handsome red, white and black beetle with spiny legs
Stockgrove Country Park, Beds.
Help with identification appreciated. 
Bruce  |
05-10-2009, 11:13 AM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Herts
Posts: 182
| | | Re: handsome red, white and black beetle with spiny legs
Bruce
This is a beetle in the family cleridae. Commonly known as chequered beetles they are interesting insects that are active predators. This one looks like Thanasimus formicarius, although I'll check back with you in a while as there are two very similar species in the UK. Both species prey on bark beetles.
They're nice beetles to see as they're not massively common and they rarely appear in large numbers.
Ross
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05-10-2009, 11:19 AM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Herts
Posts: 182
| | | Re: handsome red, white and black beetle with spiny legs
Bruce, definitely T. formicarius.
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05-10-2009, 06:22 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,289
| | | Re: handsome red, white and black beetle with spiny legs
Rossco - Thanks for your help with identification and for extra info - much appreciated.
Is it possible to identify gender with this species?
Bruce |
05-10-2009, 08:05 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Herts
Posts: 182
| | | Re: handsome red, white and black beetle with spiny legs
Not really from that photo, Bruce. Going on general proportions I'd say male, but to be certain you'd either need to have a specimen or a good photo of the underside of the abdomen. Look out for other species in this family when you're out and about as they're generally uncommon and because there are no more than nine species in the UK they're relatively easy to identify by photos alone.
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06-10-2009, 09:40 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: South Northants
Posts: 3,289
| | | Re: handsome red, white and black beetle with spiny legs
Thanks for your advice Rossco.
I did a bit of Googling with the id that you gave me and came across this interesting photo of T. formicarius with prey: Picasa Web Albums - Torsten
Bruce |
06-10-2009, 10:07 AM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Herts
Posts: 182
| | | Re: handsome red, white and black beetle with spiny legs
Those are brilliant photos. The T. formicarius is punishing a click beetle, which is unusual as these beetles aren't the regular prey of clerids.
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