Timarcha tenebricos

Bloody-nosed Beetle

09/16Posted in Animals (Invertebrates), Beetles, Insects, Nature PhotographyTagged Beetle, Beetles, Bloody-nosed Beetle, Bournemouth, Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera, Dorset, Hengistbury Head, Insects, Macro, Macro Photography, Nature, Nature Photography, Timarcha tenebricos, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography17 Comments

The Bloody-nosed Beetle is Britain’s largest leaf beetle. It is black with a bluish iridescence, flightless and is fairly slow-moving. It gets its name from releasing a drop of red fluid from its mouth when disturbed. It grows up to 23mm long.

It feeds on bedstraws. It is seen April to September. Found on coastland, farmland, grassland and heathland. Common and widespread in the south of England and Wales.

Photographs of the Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricos), taken August 2013, Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth, Dorset. © Pete Hillman 2013. Camera used Nikon Coolpix P500.