''Chauliognathus lugubris'', the plague soldier beetle, green soldier beetle or banana bug, is a species of soldier beetle (Cantharidae) native to Australia. It has a flattened body to long with a prominent yellow-orange stripe behind the black

prothorax The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...

. The abdomen is yellow-orange but is mostly obscured by the metallic olive green elytra. Plague soldier beetles are most common in spring and early summer, and have an adult lifespan of 2-3 months. They are most commonly found in the temperate region of southeast Australia, and are occasionally found in parts of the southwest. The beetles often swarm in large, localised groups around flora such as shrubs and trees, primarily to mate. These swarms can include hundreds of thousands of beetles.

External links

Sightings on Canberra Nature Map

References

Cantharidae Beetles described in 1801 Endemic fauna of Australia {{Cantharidae-stub