Rhagonycha fulva
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Rhagonycha fulva, the common red soldier beetle, also misleadingly known as the bloodsucker beetle, and popularly known in England as the hogweed bonking beetle is a species of soldier beetle (Cantharidae). Rhagonycha fulva was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763 in Entomologia Carniolica as Cantharis fulva.
Rhagonycha fulva measures 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) in length. Its antennae are black, occasionally the first segment is orange. The head and pronotum are orange and shiny, with fine pubescence visible on the head. The shape of the pronotum is variable, but it narrows towards the head. The elytra cover the wings and most of the abdomen and are a dark shiny red, and terminate in a clearly visible black patch on the apical end – this is one of the key identifying features. The femora and tibiae are orange, but the tarsi are black; the third segment of the tarsi is simple rather than bilobed.
All soldier beetles are soft-bodied, resulting in the German name of this species as Roter Weichkäfer (meaning "red soft beetle"). This beetle is very common in Europe and Anatolia. Introduced to North America, it is well... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 5 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 12 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 14 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 15 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 4 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Lyon | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Rome | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 9 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 10 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Red Soldier Beetle sighting in Białowieża National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 158 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Common Red Soldier Beetle in Białowieża National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Białowieża National Park's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain against 35 mm in March.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Red Soldier Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Common Red Soldier Beetle sightings, Białowieża National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%), Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%) and Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 20%).
Same family: Cantharidae
The closest relatives of the Common Red Soldier Beetle that you can see in Białowieża National Park (family Cantharidae, Soldier Beetles) are Rustic Sailor Beetle (about 10%) and Cantharis livida (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Red Soldier Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Białowieża National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
