Adults are usually about 8–10 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Rhagonycha fulva
A flower-top predator, pollinator and chemical defender better known for mass summer mating on hogweed.
About this species
Common Red Soldier Beetle
Rhagonycha fulva(Scopoli, 1763)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Rhagonycha fulva is a soft-bodied soldier beetle abundant on summer flowers. Adults hunt aphids and other small insects while also feeding on pollen and nectar, and they often mate conspicuously on hogweed and other umbels.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Cantharidae · Rhagonycha
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and western AsiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Europe and western Asia
Grassland, hedgerows, gardens and woodland edges rich in summer flowers.
Diurnal and most conspicuous in mid to late summer.
Small insects, pollen and nectar.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
This beetle synthesises the defensive polyacetylene dihydromatricaria acid, a rare chemical weapon released against predators and microbes.
An adult can act as predator and pollinator during the same flower visit, eating aphids while carrying pollen between blooms.
Dense gatherings on hogweed become open-air mating arenas, giving the species its memorable British nickname “hogweed bonking beetle”.
More photographs
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