Species of the Month May 2022

Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa)

 

Bloody-nosed Beetle is a large black beetle which can be found throughout south Wales in springtime (April-June). It is 11-18 mm in length, and is entirely black, sometimes with a blue sheen. The common name comes from a defence mechanism of the adult beetle; they produce bright red liquid from the mouth when threatened. This is harmless to humans, though rather pungent.

They can be found in a variety of open habitats including grassland, meadow and agricultural borders, hedgerows, coastal sandy areas, heaths and moorland. The adults are mainly active at night, and hide under rocks and vegetation during the day. You may also spot the rotund metallic larvae, shown in the lower photo.

 You can find more identification information for Bloody-nosed Beetle on UK Beetles and additional photographs on NatureSpot

Bloody-nosed Beetle are scattered throughout south east Wales, but we only hold 471 records at SEWBReC; you can view the 1km distribution for SEWBReC here and the 10km Wales wide distribution here.

If you spot a Bloody-nosed Beetle during May (or at any other time of year), please send us the record, ideally via SEWBReCORD or the LERC Wales App. Instructions on how to submit records are available here.