Cantharis rustica
Description
Length 9 to 12.5 mm. There are several Cantharis beetles but this is one of the more common. It has black, shiny elytra (wing cases) covered in fine hairs, red femora (thighs) and a central dark mark in the centre of its red pronotum.
Identification difficulty

Habitat
Areas with tall grasses, and in open woodland.
When to see it
Mid May to late June
Life History
It is a predator and hunts mainly on flowers.
UK Status
Common throughout England and Wales
VC55 Status
Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 64 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015