Mustard Beetle

Mustard Beetle - Phaedon cochleariae

Description

3 to 4 mm. Elongate oval and metallic blue in colour. Humeral calli are distinct (bulges at the front of the pronotum). The antennae are black except for the underside of the first two segments which are yellow/orange.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Found around most wetland areas, but also in other habitats. They feed on a variety of plants, but generally on brassicas, garlic mustard etc.

When to see it

Peak time is June and July but adults are found throughout the year, during the winter under debris, loose bark and deep within grass tussocks, especially near water.

Life History

Larvae feed on various cress and mustard species.

UK Status

Fairly common and widely distributed throughout Britain although records are scattered north of southern Scotland.

VC55 Status

Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 86 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

No additional images available for this species.

All NatureSpot records