soldier beetle, any member of the approximately 3,500 species of the widely distributed insect family Cantharidae (order Coleoptera). These slender, soft-bodied beetles are brown or black and trimmed like a soldier’s uniform—with red, yellow, or orange. The adults range between 5 and 15 mm (0.2 and 0.6 inch) and are usually found on vegetation. Some soldier beetles have a pair of long fleshy filaments attached to the mouthparts; the filaments are used for feeding on pollen and nectar. Other species are carnivorous. Among the common soldier beetles in North America are Chauliognathus marginatus, which has an orange head and legs, and C. pennsylvanicus, which is yellow with black spots and is usually found on goldenrod. Common European genera are Cantharis and Rhagonycha.
There has been some confusion concerning the family name. The beetles now placed in the blister beetle (q.v.) family Meloidae were for many years known as the family Cantharidae.