Soft-winged flower beetle for ID if poss

[Dillybythesea]

Am struggling with this today on the ragwort, smaller than the soldier beetles around it, pretty colouring, feel I probably should know it but am going round in circles, would love some help please?!

[Matt Smith]

Oedemera lurida

[Dillybythesea]

Brilliant. Thanks Matt!

[Jason Green]

Afternoon Rhona,

I'm pretty sure this is an aged female Oedemera nobilis - lurida's wing-cases are wider at the back.

Take care,

Jason

[Dillybythesea]

Afternoon Jason! Well that's got me reading even more - including a previous thread where you're discussing the ill-fitting wings on O.nobilis, and I can see what you mean. I'll add another angle in case it makes any difference, but I think not. (And clearly the pretty ruby red colouring has nothing to do with anything and is just done to confuse the likes of me!) ATB, Rhona

[Jason Green]

Yes, nobilis. Confusing, this red colour! It's just a sign of age, as happens with green-bottles that go the same colour. I think it's to do with UV exposure/pigmentation or similar.

I've been seeing reddish ones for the last month or so.

[Dillybythesea]

Thanks again Jason. Sneaky that, but all part of the delightful learning curve for the likes of me, no doubt!

[Klaas Reißmann]

The reddish colour has got nothing to do with UV exposre or similar. Metallic colours are not caused of Melanin or other colour stuff, but by light reflex caused of air pockets in different layers of the chitin. So this colour can't change, until the air pockets brake and just give a black or dark brown colour, because there is no breaking of the light anymore.

This is an aberration (different appearence caused by abiotic factors), possibly caused by the drought in spring.

Regards
Klaas

[Jason Green]

I stand corrected. Very interesting, thanks for that!