Length 6 to 8 mm. This soldier beetle has an orange body, a partially black head and a dark but diffuse mark on its pronotum, sometimes reduced to a few spots. It also has dark femora which change to orange before the tibial joint.

Rushy pasture, open damp woodland, waterside vegetation

Late May to end of July

Widespread and fairly frequent in Britain

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 19 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.