Chrysanthia viridissima

Chrysanthia viridissima is a species of beetles belonging to the family Oedemeridae subfamily Nacerdinae.

Subspecies
Subspecies include:


 * Cantharis viridissima var. cuprina Pic

Distribution and habitat
These quite common beetles are present in most of Europe and in the eastern Palearctic realm (Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic (Bohemia, Moravia), Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland). These beetles inhabit flowery meadows and woodlands.

Description
Chrysanthia viridissima can grow up to 7 - 10 mm long. These beetles have a soft and rather elongated bodies. The head is elongated. The mandibles are bifid. Antennae are long and filiform, composed by eleven segments. Pronotum is hearh-shaped. Elytra are densely punctured and have four longitudinal ribs. On the legs all pairs of coxae are enlarged. The legs and antennae are dark. Adults are metallic green (hence the Latin epithet viridissima, meaning very green), blue or coppery.

This species is rather similar to Chrysanthia geniculata, but they can be distinguished by the hair, the shape of the throat plate, the ribs on the elytra and the color.

Biology
Adults are phytophagous. They can mostly be encountered from May through July feeding on pollen and nectar mainly of Apiaceae species, especially Angelica sylvestris and Heracleum sphondylium, but also on Cistus salviifolius (Cistaceae) and Achillea millefolium (Asteraceae). The larvae live inside roots or in dead wood, being xylophages.