Bug FAQPlague Soldier Beetle
Chauliognathus lugubris · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Cantharidae
Also called: Soldier Beetle
The plague soldier beetle is a flattened beetle up to 15 mm long with a bright yellow-orange stripe behind a black prothorax and olive-green wing covers that hide a yellow-orange abdomen. It lives in temperate south-east Australia, sometimes appears in the south-west, and gathers in large groups on shrubs and trees, especially in spring and early summer.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
A vivid yellow-orange stripe runs just behind the black prothorax.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are flattened and can reach about 15 mm (1 in) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are most common in the temperate regions of south-east Australia and occasionally found in the south-west. Large, localized swarms form on shrubs and trees.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adult beetles feed on pollen and nectar. Larvae live in soil and eat small soft-shelled invertebrates.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults appear in spring and early summer and live for 2 to 3 months.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are most abundant during spring and early summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Also called the green soldier beetle or banana bug, it belongs to the soldier beetle family (Cantharidae).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 46 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
What do plague soldier beetles look like?
They are flattened, up to 15 mm long, with a yellow-orange stripe behind a black prothorax and olive-green wing covers that hide a yellow-orange abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find plague soldier beetles?
They are native to temperate south-east Australia and sometimes appear in the south-west, often gathering on shrubs and trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Cantharidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauliognathus_lugubris
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.