#3368 · 🪲 beetles
Red Soldier Beetle
🇳🇱 Rood soldaatje ·Cantharis rufa
🪲 Beetles 📍 in the Netherlands
📍 Wederikweg, Peize, Drenthe, NL
📍 Lexmond, Lexmond, Zuid-Holland, NL
📍 Overvecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
📍 Nationaal Park De Biesbosch, Werkendam, North Brabant, NL
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © André MIQUET · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © Allan Harris · CC0
- 3. © Roger Rittmaster · CC BY 4.0
- 4. © Barry Walter · CC BY 4.0
- 5. © Barry Walter · CC BY 4.0
- 6. © Vytautas · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. Wederikweg, Peize, Drenthe, NL:© ronvisser · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Lexmond, Lexmond, Zuid-Holland, NL:© no rights reserved · CC0
- 9. Overvecht, Utrecht, Netherlands:© djhiker · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. Nationaal Park De Biesbosch, Werkendam, North Brabant, NL:© no rights reserved · CC0
what is it?
Cantharis rufa is a species of soldier beetles native to Europe....
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 42 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 4,322 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Red Soldier Beetle
- Nederlands
- Rood soldaatje
- scientific name
- Cantharis rufa
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Coleoptera
- family
- Cantharidae
- sightings in NL
- 42
- sightings in Europe
- 1,010
- sightings worldwide
- 4,322
- GBIF records in NL
- 192
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
relatives· Cantharidae
#3165 📷 8Common Red Soldier Beetle
🇳🇱 Kleine rode weekschild
Rhagonycha fulva
👀 1.6k in NL
#3171 📷 9Dark Sailor Beetle
🇳🇱 Zwartpootsoldaatje
Cantharis fusca
👀 779 in NL
#3172 📷 10Geel soldaatje
Cantharis livida
👀 770 in NL
#3233 📷 10Cantharis decipiens
Cantharis decipiens
👀 148 in NL
#3246 📷 7Zwart soldaatje
Cantharis pellucida
👀 132 in NL
#3269 📷 10Zwart soldaatje
Cantharis obscura
👀 93 in NL
#3274 📷 10Grey Sailor Beetle
🇳🇱 Gestreepte weekkever
Cantharis nigricans
👀 87 in NL
#3314 📷 10Moerasweekschildkever
Silis ruficollis
👀 64 in NL
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 216011, Wikidata Q1765637, GBIF 4308856, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.