Green Soldier Beetle
Chauliognathus lugubris
Family: Cantharidae
Order: Coleoptera
The Green Soldier Beetle was sometimes referred to as the Plague Beetle. It will occasionally turn up in large quantities in mating aggregations on a particular tree - then disappearing from sight a few days later!
Soldier beetles exude a white viscous fluid from abdominal glands as a defence against infection and as a deterrent to potential predators. The chemicals in this fluid include an exotic fatty acid called dihydromatricaria acid, or DHMA, which is one of a group of chemicals called polyynes that are known to have anti-microbial properties and which have promise as anticancer drugs.
This particular individual was on his own in bushland at Tidbinbilla, ACT, Australia.
DSC05315
Green Soldier Beetle
Chauliognathus lugubris
Family: Cantharidae
Order: Coleoptera
The Green Soldier Beetle was sometimes referred to as the Plague Beetle. It will occasionally turn up in large quantities in mating aggregations on a particular tree - then disappearing from sight a few days later!
Soldier beetles exude a white viscous fluid from abdominal glands as a defence against infection and as a deterrent to potential predators. The chemicals in this fluid include an exotic fatty acid called dihydromatricaria acid, or DHMA, which is one of a group of chemicals called polyynes that are known to have anti-microbial properties and which have promise as anticancer drugs.
This particular individual was on his own in bushland at Tidbinbilla, ACT, Australia.
DSC05315