Soldier Beetle

Description:

Yellow and black Soldier Beetle, 1 cm long. Family Cantharidae, Chauliognathinae, Chauliognathus sp. possibly C. basalis (the Colorado Soldier Beetle), which looks very similar but is a long way off in distance and habitat type. This is probably the male, as the female seems to be larviform (http://bugguide.net/node/view/220305). There are 19 widely distributed Nearctic species of Chauliognathus. The last two pictures were taken on 20 August 2013 in the same place and show a different individual with more yellow on the tips of the elytra.

Habitat:

Heavy shrubbery along the highway between San Cristobal de Las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez, km 11.5, 865 meters.

Notes:

MISKIMEN. G.W: 1966. Zoogeography and systematics of North and Central American Chauliognathini (Coleoptera: Chauliognathidae). Doctoral dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville. Unpublished.