Thanasimus formicarius  |
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| The individual photographed, was one of two found together on a one metre high Pine stump in Lound Wood Eakring on May 6th 2005. Apart from such a distinct colouration, the one aspect that makes T. formicarius stand out from most other beetles, is that it is entirely covered with hairs. The hairs vary in length - those covering the elytra (wing-cases) being very similar in casual appearance, to the elongated scales which are found on the wings of many moths. It also has a distinctly ant-like posture and general appearance - hence the reference to ants in it's latin name formicarius. T. formicarius is one of just two species in the UK, belonging to the Cleridae family. They are primarily predatory and scavenging beetles, most often found on the trunks of trees. They feed on other beetles and their larvae, helping lower the numbers of common pest species. | ||
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| The beetle is about 1 cm long and quite soft-bodied. Equipped with large mandibles, it can tear between the hard sclerotized integument of bark beetles. The adults apparently overwinter at the base of pine trees and emerge the following Spring, moving to felled pine trees in April and May. They disperse just before the flight of their prey (Tomicus piniperda and T. minor) as well as other bark beetles. Males and females mate repeatedly during the Spring. | ||
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| UK distribution of Thanasimus
formicarius |
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 The UK distribution maps on eakringbirds.com are provided by the National Biodiversity Network (NBN Gateway) Each red square on the map indicates species present in 10km grid squares. Updated September 2011 |
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