Help with beetle ID please

Taryn · #1 (**permalink**) 23-08-2009, 01:20 AM

I have been trying to ID this beetle I saw today online and so far it looks like it is a Cryptocephalus species maybe a sericeus, but I'm not sure. Can anybody help please?

aeshna5 · #2 (**permalink**) 23-08-2009, 05:41 AM

Agree Cryptocephalus. Not sure about species; what about C. hypochaeridis?

Taryn · #3 (**permalink**) 26-08-2009, 01:18 PM

Thanks aeshna5.

I looked C. hypochaeridis and I still don't know, they look so similar. Maybe if my pic was a bit better it would help.

tristanba · #4 (**permalink**) 27-08-2009, 09:47 PM

It's either hypochaeridis or aureolus - I think separating them from a photo is difficult

Rossco · #5 (**permalink**) 02-09-2009, 05:16 PM

If this was found in the UK it could only be C. hypochaeridis or C. aureolus as these are the only two large metallic species in this genus that sit on flowers in the UK.

It looks like the former to me as this species very variable ranging in colour from bluish, green through to red. Check out this site: Cryptocephalus hypochaeridis

Where was it found exactly? Records for all the Cryptocephalus species are welcome because none of them are encountered commonly.