Cantharis Explained
Cantharis is a large genus of soldier beetles in the family Cantharidae with narrow and soft elytra.
The poisonous Spanish fly is superficially similar and is associated with the scientific name Cantharis vesicatoria. It is also sometimes called "cantharis" in the vernacular, but it is actually unrelated to Cantharis and is not a member of the Cantharidae at all. It was classified there erroneously until Johan Christian Fabricius corrected its name in his Systema entomologiae in 1775. He reclassified the Spanish fly in the new genus Lytta as Lytta vesicatoria. It belongs to the family Meloidae.[1]
European species
Subgenus Cantharis
- Cantharis allosensis Pic, 1924
- Cantharis annularis Menetriez, 1836
- Cantharis antennalis (Marseul, 1864)
- Cantharis ariasi (Mulsant, 1862)
- Cantharis assimilis Paykull, 1798
- Cantharis atrata (Marseul, 1864)
- Cantharis basithorax Pic, 1902
- Cantharis beckeri (Pic, 1902)
- Cantharis brevicornis (Kiesenwetter, 1852)
- Cantharis brullei (Marseul, 1864)
- Cantharis cedricola Wittmer, 1971
- Cantharis cornix (Abeille de Perrin, 1869)
- Cantharis coronata Gyllenhal, 1808
- Cantharis corvina Moscardini, 1962
- Cantharis cretica Wittmer, 1971
- Cantharis cryptica Ashe, 1947
- Cantharis cypria (Marseul, 1864)
- Cantharis darwiniana Sharp, 1867
- Cantharis decipiens Baudi, 1871
- Cantharis decolorans Brullé, 1832
- Cantharis delagrangei Delkeskamp, 1939
- Cantharis dissipata Gemminger, 1870
- Cantharis edentula Baudi, 1871
- Cantharis ephippigera (Brullé, 1832)
- Cantharis europea Pic 1921
- Cantharis falzonii Fiori 1914
- Cantharis figurata Mannerheim, 1843
- Cantharis flavilabris Fallén, 1807
- Cantharis franciana Kiesenwetter, 1866
- Cantharis fusca Linnaeus, 1758 - type species
- Cantharis fuscipennis (Mulsant, 1862)
- Cantharis hellenica Heyden, 1883
- Cantharis ictaria Fiori, 1914
- Cantharis inculta Gene, 1839
- Cantharis instabilis Kiesenwetter, 1866
- Cantharis italica Fiori, 1914
- Cantharis kervillei Pic, 1932
- Cantharis liburnica Depoli, 1912
- Cantharis livida Linnaeus, 1758
- Cantharis merula Moscardini, 1862
- Cantharis monacha Moscardini, 1862
- Cantharis montana Stierlin, 1889
- Cantharis morio Fabricius, 1792
- Cantharis nevadensis Pic, 1908
- Cantharis nigra (De Geer, 1774)
- Cantharis nigricans Müller, 1766
- Cantharis nigricornis (Laporte de Castelnau, 1840)
- Cantharis obscura Linnaeus, 1758
- Cantharis ochreata (Reiche, 1878)
- Cantharis paganettii (Flach, 1907)
- Cantharis palliata Gyllenhal, 1808
- Cantharis pallida Goeze, 1777
- Cantharis paludosa Fallén, 1807
- Cantharis paradoxa Hicker, 1960
- Cantharis paulinoi Kiesenwetter, 1870
- Cantharis pellucida Fabricius, 1792
- Cantharis peninsularis Fiori, 1914
- Cantharis praecox Gene, 1836
- Cantharis prusiensis (Marseul, 1864)
- Cantharis pulicaria Fabricius, 1781
- Cantharis pyrenaea Pic, 1906
- Cantharis quadripunctata (Müller, 1776)
- Cantharis reichei Mulsant, 1862
- Cantharis rufa Linnaeus, 1758
- Cantharis rustica Fallén, 1807
- Cantharis schrammi Pic, 1907
- Cantharis seidlitzi Kiesenwetter, 1865
- Cantharis sicula Pic, 1906
- Cantharis smyrnensis (Marseul, 1864)
- Cantharis terminata Faldermann, 1835
- Cantharis torretasoi Wittmer, 1935
- Cantharis tristis Fabricius, 1797
- Cantharis versicolor (Baudi, 1871)
- Cantharis xanthoporpa Kiesenwetter, 1860
Subgenus Cyrtomoptila
See also
Further reading
- Wittmer W., Kasantsev S. (1997) On the classification of the genus Cantharis Linné (Coleoptera, Cantharidae). Entomologica Basiliensia 20: 367–372.
External links
Notes and References
- Selander, R. B. (1991). On the nomenclature and classification of Meloidae (Coleoptera). Insecta Mundi 5(2): 65–94.
