Bloody-nosed beetle  (Timarcha tenebricosa)

Widespread and common in Britain (3).

The bloody-nosed beetle is a large, flightless species, which earns its common name from its peculiar form of defence; when threatened it exudes a drop of bright red fluid from the mouth (3). The rounded body is blackish in colour, often with a shiny iridescence, and the larvae are a metallic bluish colour (4).

This species is found in southern and central Europe (2); it is widespread in Britain and common in some areas, but becomes rare in the north (1).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Often found in hedgerows (5).

This species tends to be active at night, and spends the day hidden in moss or beneath stones (2). Adults are seen between April and June (3). They feed on bedstraws (plants belonging to the genus Galium) (2).

The extraordinary defensive behaviour in which drops of foul-tasting red liquid are released from the mouth serves to deter potential bird predators from eating one of these beetles (2).

Not threatened at present.

Conservation action has not been targeted at this species.

There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

For more on invertebrates and their conservation see Buglife, the Invertebrate Conservation Trust at:
http://www.buglife.org.uk/