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Metacantharis clypeata

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Metacantharis clypeata
Metacantharis clypeata
Scientific classification
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Species:
M. clypeata
Binomial name
Metacantharis clypeata
(Illiger, 1798)
Synonyms
  • Cantharis clypeata Illiger, 1798
  • Cantharis haemorrhoidalis Fabricius, 1792 nec Gmelin, 1790
  • Metacantharis haemorrhoidalis (Fabricius)

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

Etymology

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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

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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

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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

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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]

References

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