Specimens of Trichodes apiarius (Linnaeus) (Cleridae) from a house in Norfolk

摘要

Trichodes apiarius (Linnaeus) is a distinctive red and blue-black striped beetle. Adults are found on flowers, probably mainly feeding on other insects, while the bright red larvae are associated with the nests of Hymenoptera, particularly solitary bees (Gerstmeier, 1998). The species was once regarded as an occasional import to Britain (e.g. by Fowler, 1890 and citations therein), and was omitted, presumably for this reason, by Joy (1932). Subsequently, Allen (1967) made an excellent case that it should be treated as a native species that became extinct in Britain during the 19th century, and this interpretation has been followed by subsequent workers (e.g. Shirt, 1987; Hyman, 1992; Hodge and Jones, 1995). There were no breeding records in Britain during the 20th century.