black beetle with white spots for ID please

[Lemars]

I wonder if anyone could id this beetle for me, please. It was seen on the honeysuckle (half-way down France) this morning - but quickly took flight.

It was about 1.5cm long.

I've looked online, but can't find it - probably not the correct words in the search ?

Many thanks

[Paul mabbott]

Well, it's a vegetarian member of the Scarabaeidae - a chafer. I'd think one of the Cetoniinae such as Orythryea funesta but there are other spotty ones and I'm not at all familiar with them.

[Klaas Reißmann]

It is Oxythyrea funesta for sure.

Regards
Klaas

[Lemars]

Thank you both - Paul and Klauss.

I hadn't seen one of those before.

Let's hope there aren't too many in the garden, if what I've just read on Wiki is to be believed. It doesn't sound as though they're particularly rare, so perhaps they've been keeping themselves hidden.

Thank you both again.

[Klaas Reißmann]

In Germany in the northern parts of their spread (the northern south of Germany) they develope in compost. I don't know what wiki tells about this beetle, but wiki is useless. To often I have seen wrong informations I corrected and just half an hour later someone else "corrected" in back to the wrong way. Wiki is, I'm sorry to say it this way, xexexexe.

The beetles are fed by pollen and petals, but I never heard about any important damage of these beetles.

Regards
Klaas