Cryptocephalus rufipes (Goeze) (Chrysomelidae) in southeast London

摘要

May I be one of the many to react after the last issue of The Coleopterist plopped through their letterbox: "Hah! I thought it looked different", when they suddenly realized that the small black-and-red Cryptocephalus they'd found was none other than C. rufipes as reported by Telfer (2019). I swept a single specimen at Sue Godfrey Nature Park, TQ374774, VC 16,West Kent, on 3 June 2019.I had assumed it was a strongly marked variant of C. pusillus Fabricius, but had got no further other than to make a mental note to have another look...at some time in the indeterminate future. Although I swept it near a mixed hedge of privet and hawthorn, there was a large sallow tree, its putative host, less than 20m away.