FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Timarcha tenebricosa, with the common name bloody-nosed beetles, is one of the most commonly found leaf beetles that are endemic to Europe. Their common name refers to its ability to produce a bright blood-like haemolymph when feeling threatened by its predators. This defensive behavior ensures that predators cannot cause any harm to them. The blood-red fluid is foul-smelling and is produced by rupturing the thin membrane inside the beetle's mouth when they feel scared or threatened. The fluid comes out in large drops and is extremely pungent.
This species has a black body with a metallic blue sheen. Their body is curved and their antennae are well-segmented. These beetles can be found in grassland regions and hedgerows. They are monophagous and feed on tender leaves and stems of bedstraws. This species is harmless to humans but is messy to handle. Their reflex bleeding phenomenon makes them a very intriguing insect to read about.
Keep reading to find out more fascinating facts about this flightless beetle. To learn about other species, check out Japanese beetle facts and whirligig beetle facts.
A bloody-nosed beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) is a type of large, round beetle found in grasslands.
The bloody-nosed beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) belongs to class Insecta, order Coleoptera, and family Chrysomelidae.
The exact number of this species living in the world is unknown.
The bloody-nosed beetle can be found in large numbers in Britain, Ireland, and southern and Central Europe.
The bloody-nosed beetle can generally be found in grassland regions, hedgerows, and heathland during the months of spring and summer.
Beetles generally lead solitary lives.
More studies need to be conducted to determine the exact lifespan of a bloody-nosed beetle. They have been reported to live up to an age of 15 months.
The mating period starts from the late spring and summer season and extends well into fall months. Oviposition begins in the spring and bloody-nosed beetle eggs are laid on the host plant. At times, these eggs can even be laid in small batches. The eggs are usually covered with leaves or plant debris. A female bloody-nosed beetle can lay about 200 eggs during the spring and the summer season. After the eggs are laid, two to three weeks later the bloody-nosed beetle larvae emerge and start developing while feeding on the host plant. Within five to eight weeks, the larvae are fully grown. Pupation mostly occurs in the month of June and adult bloody-nosed beetles emerge in another three to four weeks.
The bloody-nosed beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) is Not Evaluated in the International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN Red List. However, they have been listed as common in Britain, Ireland, and Europe.
The adult beetle is black in color throughout its body and has a bluish sheen. Their bodies appear to be domed like a Hister beetle and green scarab beetle. Their wingcases are fused together and finely punctuated. The beetle also has well-segmented thick antennae.
Adults with their all-black bodies appear to be quite scary and intimidating. These beetles do not appear to be cute at first glance, unlike tiger beetle.
Little is known about the communication patterns of bloody-nosed beetles. Beetles, in general, are known to communicate with each other through the secretion of chemicals. They, at times, also make sounds and vibrations.
The bloody-nosed beetle's body length is about 0.6-0.8 in (15-20 mm). It is somewhat smaller than a ten-lined June beetle.
Unlike some beetles who have the ability to fly, bloody-nosed beetles are flightless.
The exact weight of the bloody-nosed beetle is not known.
There are no unique names to identify male and female bloody-nosed beetles.
A baby beetle can be referred to as a grub or a larva depending on the life stage it is in. The bloody-nosed beetle larvae appear to be bloated-looking and have deep folds between their abdominal segments. The larvae, like the adults, are black in color but have a distinct blue metallic sheen on their bodies.
Most beetles of this species emerge during the month of April to feed. Adults feed on the stems and foliage of host plants. Bloody-nosed beetles also consume terminal shoots. Galium or bedstraws is the most common host plant for these beetles. Other host plants include lady's bedstraw, fen bedstraw, common madder, and hedge bedstraw. The larvae can be seen hanging from their host plants and feeding on them.
This species can be dangerous to their predators but fortunately are not poisonous and do not cause any harm to human beings.
This beetle species is not commonly kept as pets.
These beetles are flightless and move at a very slow speed on the ground, mostly during the night.
The phenomenon of secreting blood-red liquid through their mouth as a defense mechanism against predators can also be observed in ladybugs.
Female beetles of this species can lay more than 200 eggs during the spring and the summer season. Beetle eggs are large in size and are tawny-colored. Females do this over a long period so that with the two overlapping generations, all the life stages are present over these long periods. A shallow cell is constructed from the soil where secretions and pupation occurs.
This beetle species is a leaf beetle and among the largest leaf beetles species found in the United Kingdom. This beetle gets its name due to its defense mechanism of producing a foul-smelling, blood-red fluid called haemolymph when threatened by predators. When they feel threatened, they end up rupturing the thin membranes present inside their mouth. The bright red fluid secreted by this flightless beetle is harmless to humans but causes harm to predators.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our masked hunter facts and bed bug facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable beetle coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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