Variimorda villosa

A tumbling flower beetle has blackish elytra with very visible paler patches. They are sometimes known as pintail beetles, because of the elongated and pointed abdominal tip which aids them with tumbling movements to escape predators.

Can be found on flowers such as members of the daisy family and on umbellifers.

June to August.

Local and mainly confined to the southern half of England.

Uncommon and local in Leicestershire and Rutland which is on the northern edge of its range – it may appear in numbers when found. It had not been recorded in Warwickshire as at June 2014. There were only 2 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.