The number of new to me beetles species I have seen in the last few weeks on the Llŷn is truly staggering! For an entomologist like myself to find so many new species of insects in such a short period is akin to a kid let loose in a sweet shop :-))

Rhagium bifasciatum, sometimes called the two-banded longhorn beetle, is one of the most commonly found Longhorn Beetles. It may reach 22mm long and can be distinguished by the two prominent pale yellow bands on each of the elyta, although up to seventeen different patterns have been recognised. Its colouration and patterning enable it to camouflage and blend into its coniferous habitat and this can prevent potential predation. I found my first specimen of this specieson the Llŷn this week at a clear felled commercial woodland I have been working. The photos show the beetle "posed" on a log in my garden. The hole showing in the log is nothing to do with the beetle by the way its one of the holes I drilled into the log to encourage some wasps and bees to use it.