Pyrochroa coccinea larva and beetle in pupal cradle

Found these side by side one day under bark of a rotting log. The larvae of Pyrochroidae usually take a few years hunting under bark to fully develop, so the larva in this image is still moving along and growing. The beetle was still in its pupating chamber (pupal cradle) waiting for a good moment to emerge from it.

comments (3)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

A few years? I didn't know it would take that long for a larvae to develop! Posted 8 years ago
1. Pudding4brains
  
  Lion
  
  It's not unusual at all in insects for larvae to have a development time of 2-3 years or even much longer (some Cicada are known for their cycles of up to 17 years with the adults only emerging all together once every 17 years orso). Additionally the pupa may decide to "skip" a year and not emerge the year the pupa was formed, but stay safely in the ground (or wherever) for another winter - probably depending on temperature/moisture etc. but we don't fully understand the mechanisms in most cases. Posted 8 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Thank you, I did saw a documentary once about that 17 year cycle, crazy! And now that you mention it, I also saw a documentary reporting about an insect somewhere far in the north where due to the temperature, the larvae would have only a few weeks to grow, then it would have to wait another year, and so on. Posted 8 years ago

The Cardinal beetle

The name cardinal beetle typically refers to three different species of beetles. The red-headed or 'common' cardinal beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) is a red to orange beetle with, as the name suggests, a red head. It is about 20 millimetres (0.79 in) long, and is found throughout Britain. The rarer black-headed cardinal beetle (P. coccinea), similarly found at sites across Britain, is larger and a deeper blood red.

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Similar species: Beetles

Species identified by Pudding4brains