The Red-headed Cardinal and the Black-headed (further down the page) are found throughout Britain. They eat smaller insects. Their red colour tells potential predators that they are toxic.

They are some 20mm long. The Red-headed is a duller red, has a red scutellum (triangle between thorax and wing cases) and a black body beneath the red wing cases.

The Black-headed looks a little similar to the Red or Scarlet Lily Beetle, but the latter has a shinier, dimpled wing case and is only some 5-10mm long. It also resembles the Scarce Cardinal, which is only half its length and is limited to a few sites in Wales and Scotland.