Cardinal beetle

Pyrochroa coccinea, commonly known as the black-headed cardinal beetle, is a species of cardinal beetle in the family Pyrochoidae. It is found mainly in wooded areas and pastures throughout central Europe, including southern Great Britain. Similar to other species of Ambrosia beetles, P. coccinea live and reproduce on wooden logs in early stages of decomposition. Larvae develop over the span of many years, with overlapping generations often inhabiting a single wooden territory. Adults, however, are short-lived and exist during a brief season. They typically show up in April, become more populous in May and early June, and become very rare in the remaining months.

While these beetles inhabit fallen timber, they are active during the day and live an exposed lifestyle easily detectable by predators and researchers. Adults are predatory and feed on either small insects or plants in the foliage within the wooded area.

During courtship behavior, male P. coccinea use a cranial gland apparatus to ingest a molecule known as cantharidin (CTD). In terms of sexual selection, males that are capable of ingesting this chemical are favored by females.