New

"I've found a new beetle," I said to R. "Not new new. Not new to science, obviously. But new to me." "Oh good," said R, clearly thinking about something else. Well, I was pleased, anyway.

I first spotted it through the macro binoculars, lowered them, lost it (I never learn), raised them and found it again, noted which bit of the aucuba it was strolling across, and then homed in on it with the camera. My first thought had been Oedemera nobilis, the Thick-legged Flower Beetle, which is common here through the spring and summer, but I quickly spotted that there was no gap between the wing cases, whereas Oedemera nobilis wears its elytra like a jacket it's now too fat to fasten past the first button. This one also lacks thick hind femora, of course, but so do female Oedemera nobilis. They do have separated wing cases though, which in fact is absolutely characteristic of all four UK species of Oedemera.

A very small amount of research has told me that this is a cousin of the Oedemera, falling within the same family but under the genus Ischnomera. There are four Ischnomera species here, one of which is distinctive for having a bright red neck, while the other three are similar enough that they were once lumped together as a complex. Of those three, much the most common is called Ischnomera cyanea, so I'm happy to take a punt on that being the identity of my new friend.

Ischnomera cyanea is about 12mm long. It's common throughout England, especially in woodland settings, and like O. nobilis it's a spring/summer insect, with records peaking in May. The adults feed on a range of flowers including tree blossom, and the larvae develop in the rotting heartwood of a range of broad-leaved trees. I rather like it, and I'm glad to find another woodland specialist here in my semi-wooded garden.