Caliroa cinxia (Klug, 1816)

Caliroa cinxia

Recorded locally in England and Wales north to Yorkshire (Musgrove, 2023).

A black insect. The third antennal segment clearly shorter than the fourth and fifth combined. Clypeus subtruncate. Hind tibia with white basally (basal one-third in female and basal one-quarter in male). Hind tarsus entirely black on basal segment.

All Caliroa larvae are slug-like in that the trunk is coated with a translucent mucus membrane. Consequently, the body colour of the larva is largely dependent on the colour of the gut contents. It is generally considered that Caliroa cinxia have a more yellow tint than does annulipes, though this may be constricted to the thoracic region and, according to Schönrogge, may not be at all apparent. The primary characteristic for separating the two species is the colour of the head capsule that in dorsal view is hidden by the thoracic mantle. In early instar cinxia larvae the head capsule is dark becoming uniformly reddish brown in later instars. Early instar annulipes have a pale head capsule which also becomes reddish brown in older instars but retaining a dark bar between the temples. They pupate in the ground.

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Size: 4 - 6mm

GB IUCN Status: Least Concern
GB Rarity Status: None

Distribution: England, Wales

Flight period: June to August

Plant associations: Quercus spp. (oaks.)