Al, Not got any real Idea ;( but if you take a look here, it;s a vast library of bug Identification.
By the way what ever it is it's a great shot :)
Best regardsNigel
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it looks like a thick legged flower beetle
But not 100%
Ray
Edit the Latin name is ishnomera cyanea
a good laugh is better than a tonic
Very nice shot Al, it's one of the Cardinal Beetles called Oedemera Nobilis Funnily enough I saw them today as well, on a Dog Rose in the lane, so will post on this thread you've started if that's alright. I can even tell you that yours is a lady because the male has enormous thighs as you'll see!
John, Looks like this could well be the beastie - prefer the name - thick legged flower beetle, rather than a Cardinal, ( I automatically expect a Cardinal to wear red ;) ) - though of the same group by it's general appearance info here ... en.wikipedia.org/.../Oedemera_nobilis
Great shots of the males By the way :)
Thanks Nigel! What my reference says about the Cardinal Beetles is 'Dressed in ecclesiastically rich colours Cardinal beetles are showy and conspicuous insects'. understand what you mean re. Cardinal red and the most familiar Cardinal is the red Pyrochroa Serraticornis as in your 'Summer Things to do' post. It may also be known as 'Thick Legged Flower Beetle' but this is definitely also one of the Cardinal Beetle family!
So Thick Legged Flower Beetle was right but ectemnius literatus is a wasp Ray!
It is indeed Oedemera Nobilis (Thick legged flower beetle) but is only in the same 'Superfamily' as the Cardinal beetles! It's like Swallows and Larks being 'related', both being in the same Superfamily Sylvioidea.
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
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Thanks All, Cracking Shots John :-)
sorry about latin name Thats with writing names on same paper
ishnomera cyanea, edited my first post. the wasp was one i checkedout for Barman. could still be wrong with Latin lol
That's O.K. Ray, we've all done it - just appreciate your contribution. You were the first and right with 'Thick-Legged Flower Beetle', which my book didn't even mention, so it was a brilliant I.D. and it's great that through this thread we're all learning! ;)
It's all Greek to me :)
I quite like the name "Oedemera Nobilis Funnily" :)
"He had softly and suddenly vanished away---For the Snark was a Boojum, you see." The Hunting of the Snark, Lewis Carroll
Look what turned up in my garden this week! ;o)
Thick Legged Flower Beetle
Ant
Copycat :-)
Dawn wasn't very happy .. I was supposed to be helping her in the garden .. instead I was looking for the 30mm macro lens so I could get a picture for the message board! ;o)