# Black-headed Cardinal Beetle

*Pyrochroa coccinea*

Their brilliant red color is aposematic, acting as a visual warning to birds that they contain bitter-tasting chemicals.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Pyrochroidae › Pyrochroa
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous woodlands and forest edges, particularly near old or decaying broadleaf trees.
- **Diet:** Adults consume nectar, pollen, and tree sap; larvae are predatory, hunting other insects under tree bark.
- **Range:** Europe, United Kingdom, Central Asia
- **Size:** 14-18 mm in length.
- **Lifespan:** 2 to 3 years (mostly as larvae); adults live only a few weeks.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Loss of ancient woodland and the removal of standing or fallen deadwood (necromass) which larvae require.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These beetles are safe to observe from any distance. They do not sting or possess venom. If handled roughly, they may attempt a tiny, non-harmful pinch with their mandibles. Simply enjoy their vibrant colors.

## About

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. The scarce cardinal beetle ( Schizotus pectinicornis ) also has a black...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/c5bd155a-f8a4-4fcf-9342-1d946394701d
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51680
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrochroa coccinea
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/285751118/medium.jpg (saydelah, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.