Glen Able wrote:
"Padger" wrote in message
. uk...
Found a beetle highly irridescent mainly green, about 1/2" long and
almost same wide. Humped back like a ladybird. Slow moving. Would I
be correct in thinking this is a 'Jewel Bug'? no pictures, sorry.


Assuming you're in the SE of England, I'd guess the Rose Chafer,
which is a kind of scarab beetle.

According to my book (/The Illustrated Book of Insects/ by John Burton) the
Rose Chafer is a little on the large side as it's nearly 1" (25mm) long.

One question to ask: - did it have a discernable thorax (ladybirds don't)?

To be entymologically correct, beetles aren't bugs; bugs are a distinct
order with piercing mouthparts (the term really shouldn't be used to mean
'insects').

Jewel bugs really /are/ bugs (genus of shieldbug) so, no, you wouldn't.
Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, there are no species of jewel bug
native to the UK. When I googled for 'jewel bug' about 85% of the hits were
for Australian and New Zealand sites, so I would hazard a guess that the
antipodes are where they are most prevalent.

There are several species of ground beetle (so called because they are poor
fliers) which might fit the bill but, unfortunately, none have common names
(at least according to the book I'm consulting).

Sorry, that's the best I can do. You could try posting to
uk.rec.natural-history see if you have better luck there.

Sarah

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