Chauliognathus lugubris

Chauliognathus lugubris, the plague soldier beetle, green soldier beetle or banana bug,[1] is a species of soldier beetle (Cantharidae) native to Australia.[2] It has a flattened body to 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long with a prominent yellow-orange stripe behind the black prothorax.[3] The abdomen is yellow-orange but is mostly obscured by the metallic olive green elytra.[3]

Chauliognathus lugubris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cantharidae
Genus: Chauliognathus
Species:
C. lugubris
Binomial name
Chauliognathus lugubris
Fabricius, 1801

Plague soldier beetles are most common in spring and early summer, and have an adult lifespan of 2-3 months.[4] They are most commonly found in the temperate region of southeast Australia,[5] and are occasionally found in parts of the southwest.[6]

The beetles often swarm in large, localised groups around flora such as shrubs and trees, primarily to mate and eat.[3][5][7] These swarms can include hundreds of thousands of beetles.[8]

As adults, plague soldier beetles are thought to feed on pollen and nectar.[5] While in their larval stage, plague soldier beetles live in soil and are thought to feed on smaller, soft-shelled invertebrates.[5][9]

References
  1. "Plague Soldier Beetles". What's That Bug?. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  2. "Chauliognathus lugubris (Fabricius)". CSIRO. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  3. "Plague Soldier Beetles". Museum Victoria. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  4. Shohet, D.; Clarke, A.R. (1997). "Life History of Chauliognathus lugubris (F.) (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) in Tasmanian Forests". Australian Journal of Entomology. 36 (1): 37–44. doi:10.1111/j.1440-6055.1997.tb01429.x.
  5. Pullen, Kim (8 November 2012). "The Plague Soldier Beetle isn't nearly as bad as it sounds". CSIRO. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  6. "Chauliognathus lugubris: Plague Soldier Beetle". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  7. "Plague Soldier Beetle". Australian Museum. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  8. Hawkeswood, Trevor J.; Dunn, K. L. (2011). "An instance of mass swarming by the Australian soldier beetle, Chauliognathus pulchellus (Macleay) (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) at Leura, Blue Mountains, New South Wales". Calodema. 155 (1): 1–4. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  9. Chauliognathus lugubris (Fabricius, 1801), Plague Soldier Beetle, Museums Victoria, retrieved 12 May 2023


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