Omaloplia ruricola
Description
A small (5 mm to 7.5 mm) and rather hairy beetle, the head, pronotum and scutellum are black, and the elytra reddish-brown with black border.
Identification difficulty
Habitat
Associated with dry calcareous grassland.
When to see it
Usually encountered in summer when it will fly both by day and night.
Life History
The larvae feed on roots.
UK Status
British records of this species come mainly from the south east of England. It is scarce nationally (Notable B).
VC55 Status
Rare in Leicestershire and Rutland. The specimen from Bloody Oaks Quarry on 2nd Jul 2015 is possibly the first record of this species in VC55.
David Nicholls
Bloody Oaks
02 July 2015
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015