Cryptocephalus fulvus (Goeze, 1777)

This is a very widespread and generally common Palaearctic species; it occurs throughout Europe north to the UK and middle latitudes of Fennoscandia and is widespread across North Africa and Asia Minor, extending into Iran, and to the east reaching the far east of Russia, China, Korea and Japan. It is locally common and sometimes abundant across central and south-eastern England but very local and scarce further north, it is mostly coastal in the West Country and Wales and occurs on the Isle Of Wight and Anglesey but is absent from Man, and there are so far no records from Scotland or Ireland. On the continent it has been recorded to about 1000 m but typical habitats include lowland meadows and ruderal areas; in the UK it occurs in open and sunny habitats including calcareous grassland, heath and moorland, arable margins and coastal shores and dunes. Adults occur from May until October, peaking in abundance in July and August, they feed on a wide range of foliage and mating pairs may be observed over many weeks from June until late in August, freshly eclosed adults have been observed in May but otherwise little is known if the biology. The main host is likely to be Sheep’s Sorrel, Rumex acetosella L., as locally we find the adults in huge numbers on this plant during June and July, but they have frequently been recorded from St. John’s Wort, Hypericum perforatum L., and less so from Common Stork’s Bill, Erodium cicutarium (L.), Creeping Broom, Genista pilose L., Sea Pink, Armeria maritima (Mill.), and mugworts, Artemisia L. and others including various shrubs and trees. Both adults and larvae feed on leaves and flowers and larvae also feed on developing flower buds. Adults may be sampled by general sweeping, especially among low herbaceous vegetation in open situations; they are good fliers and also occur in yellow pan-traps and flight-interception traps.