There were so many of these cantharid beetles on the hedge parsley in the clearing (of the woods right near my home). It’s obviously an extremely common species around here!
Coleoptera: Cantharidae: Podabrus heydeni (kubiboso joukai)
Natural-Japan.net
Nature in Japan
Are these poisonous?
Hi Vijay,
These beetles are harmless to us, but their bodies contain toxins which make them unpalatable to birds. In fact, I’ve read that cantharid beetles (also known as “soldier beetles”) are pretty good things to have in your garden because they eat pests like aphids and so on.
Thanks for your question.
Nigel