Anthocomus fasciatus

This is a tiny little beetle only 4 mm long. It has to be seen in good light to appreciate that it has red markings on its black elytra.

Anywhere a food source is to be found such as low vegetation or even on the sills of outbuildings etc. where tiny gnats and flies congregate. Often swept from long grass beneath trees.

Best time is May and June.

Despite its size the adult is a predator of even smaller insects. The larvae of Anthocomus are predatory on the larvae of wood-boring beetles.

Most records seem to come from the southern half of Britain.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 14 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.