Rutpela maculata (Poda, 1761)

Generally common throughout Europe from the Mediterranean to southern Scandinavia, and from Portugal to the Near East and Russia. In the U.K. it is our most common medium sized cerambycid, occurring throughout England and Wales and into southwest Scotland and there are a few records from the Western Isles. The typical habitat is wooded borders, parkland, hedgerows and gardens etc. where decaying timber is left undisturbed. Adults occur from May into August and are active in warm weather, they feed on nectar and pollen and occur on a wide variety of flowers; early in the season on Crataegus blossom and then more generally but especially on various Apiaceae, hogweed and cow parsley, Rubus and thistles. They are easily observed when feeding and will generally be present in numbers but they fly readily when disturbed, mating occurs on the flowers and ovipositing begins in late spring after a period of maturation feeding, eggs are laid in bark crevices etc. on fallen timber and, especially, old decaying stumps. They are widely polyphagous on a range of broadleaved trees e.g. Sorbus, Fagus, Quercus, Salix, Fraxinus, Alnus, Populus and Corylus etc. but the principal host is Betula and they have also been recorded developing in Picea and Pinus. The larvae develop in moist decaying wood in larger branches, trunks and roots, the entire life-cycle takes 2 or 3 years with pupation occurring in a cell within the wood from March onwards and adults eclose from late April or May, they are short-lived, 2-4 weeks but the season is relatively long with peak emergence in June or July.

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13-20mm and very distinctive with the head and pronotum black and the elytra usually patterned; the extent of the dark markings varies widely and in extreme cases they may be entirely black or entirely yellow, but generally some indication of the basic pattern is obvious, many colour varieties have been (pointlessly) named and in general when the adults are found in numbers a good range of variation will be seen.  Dorsal surface quite strongly and densely punctured and with fine and rather dense pale pubescence. Head produced anteriorly and strongly constricted behind the eyes to a distinct neck