COLEOPTERA > POLYPHAGA > TENEBRIONOIDEA > Pyrochroidae

With their large size and bright crimson colour, cardinal beetles are unmistakable, plus there are only three British species that are very distinct and cannot be confused.

The most common and widespread form is the Red-headed Cardinal Beetle, Pyrochroa serraticornis. This regularly photographed species occurs across much of the country, although it's less common further north. Adults may be seen from April through to early July, generally in more shaded habitats such as woodland edge. Early in the season they like basking on herbaceous vegetation, whereas later on they're more likely to be found on flowers, typically umbellifers, where they hunt small insects as well as feeding on pollen.

The Black-headed Cardinal Beetle, Pyrochroa coccinea, is common across some southern counties, but more localised elsewhere. Apparently, the adults of this species are short-lived, appearing in April, peaking in May and early June, but rarely being encountered later. The individual I photographed at Kitt's Grave in June was very early in the month, but the other in Garston Woods was on the 9th July. Was this due to the fact that April and the first half of May in 2021 were unseasonably cold, and were then followed by a reasonably long period of wet weather before settling down in June? Those conditions definitely affected some species in certain areas of the country. Pyrochroa coccinea averages 14-20mm long, whereas Pyrochroa serraticornis is noticeably smaller at 10-14mm.

Schizotus pectinicornis is the darkest and rarest form, only being found in the Scottish Highlands around Inverness.

Updated, June 22 (v.2)