The goldenrod soldier beetle or Pennsylvania leatherwing (''Chauliognathus pensylvanicus'') is a species of

soldier beetle The soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are relatively soft-bodied, straight-sided beetles. They are cosmopolitan in distribution. One of the first described species has a color pattern reminiscent of the red coats of early British soldiers, hence the ...

(Cantharidae).

Nomenclature

The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

' is Latin for "of Pennsylvania". The spelling with one ''n'' was in common use at the time (de Geer says in the description that the specimen was sent to him from 'Pensylvanie'), so the species name based on it cannot be corrected under the rules governing scientific names.

Distribution

The species is native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, and is one of the most common species of soldier beetle in the Midwest.

Ecology

''C. pensylvanicus'' has been identified as an important pollinator of the

prairie onion ''Allium stellatum'', commonly known as the autumn onion, prairie onion, cliff onion, or glade onion, is a North American species of wild onion in the Amaryllidaceae family that is native to central Canada and the central United States. Descrip ...

Parasites

Adult ''C. pensylvanicus'' may be infected by the fungus ''

Eryniopsis lampyridarum ''Eryniopsis lampyridarum'' is an entomopathogenic fungus and its host is the soldier beetle, either '' Chauliognathus marginatus'' or ''Chauliognathus pensylvanicus The goldenrod soldier beetle or Pennsylvania leatherwing (''Chauliognathus pens ...

''. After the fungus infects the host, it takes about two weeks for it to eventually kill its host. Before the host dies, the fungus orders the beetle to climb a plant and then attach itself to a flower by biting down with its mandibles into flower heads. About 15–22 hours later, the fungus causes the dead beetles to raise their elytra and expand their metathoracic wings in order to maximise infection of other beetles. With their wings raised, the dead beetles may still attract mates as live males were observed mating with the deceased, infected females, this then transmits spores from one insect-host to another.

References

External links

Soldier Beetles. Family Cantharidae
Canadian Bioversity Beetles of North America Cantharidae Beetles described in 1774 {{Cantharidae-stub