Ctesias serra (Fabricius, 1792)
Known commonly as the Cobweb Beetle, the larva of Ctesias serra lives in crevices and under the bark of ancient trees, feeding on the left-over meals of spiders. The hairs are part of it's defence mechanism against attack by spiders - thrusting them forward when threatened. The adult beetle is dark brown in colour and rarely seen it seems in its natural habitat, so this beetle is more commonly recorded as a larva. Included here, are six photographs showing the pupation and adult emergence. The whole process took eight days to complete.
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Nottinghamshire (VC56) distribution of Ctesias serra
 
 
 
 
The records for the Nottinghamshire distribution map are currently provided by the following contributors - Trevor and Dilys Pendleton. M L Denton (2002 Sherwood Forest Coleoptera survey). K N A Alexander (Invertebrate assemblage condition at Birklands and Bilhaugh SSSI and Birklands West and Ollerton Corner SSSI survey reports 2009-10). Natural England - Invertebrate Site Register 2006. Stuart Warrington. The National Trust (Clumber Park invertebrate records). NBGRC. Paul and Helen Brock. John and Denise Bingham. Natural England - Birklands and Bilhaugh SSSI & Birklands West and Ollerton Corner SSSI, Nottinghamshire Saproxylic invertebrate survey, Natural England Field Unit, April-October 2018. Clumber Park SSSI Saproxylic Invertebrate Survey - A report to Natural England by EMEC Ecology 2019.

You can contribute your own records to help us gain an accurate status of this species in Nottinghamshire. Send an Excel spreadsheet of your records via the 'contact us' link at the top of the homepage.

Updated January 2022

copyright © Trevor and Dilys Pendleton (www.eakringbirds.com) . .
Beetle Photo Gallery - Thumbnail version
Beetle Photo Gallery - Text version