Meligethes aeneus

Easily the commonest Meligethes species and can be found on many different flowers. It also sometimes comes to light and I've often found them in pheremone lure traps. Some of the latter have been females and I suspect they are not attracted to the traps by the pheremone but are trapped accidentally, rather like in a vane trap, or perhaps more likely are attracted to the coloured plastic top. I've also found them in vane traps.

It may not always be necessary to dissect this species to identify it but as I've been getting to grips with the genus it has certainly helped my confidence (with this species and others in the genus) to be able to confirm the males with reference to their genitalia.

This was potted from a Common Nettle. When examining the median lobe of the aedeagus it can be quite hard to see the shape of the membranous tip as there are two lobes one above the other and with the membranous bit being see-through the sclerotised part of one lobe is hard to differentiate from the sclerotised lobe visible through the unsclerotised membrane. For the last photo below I have pulled the tip of the fully sclerotised lobe down so you can see the shape of the membranous section more clearly.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, tegmen and median lobe (3 views), Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 2nd June 2022

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Currant Shoot Borer Lampronia capitella.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, tegmen and median lobe, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 19th April 2021

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Spruce Seed Moth Cydia strobilella.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, median lobe and tegmen, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 18th April 2021

This was in my garden moth trap.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, pronotum (faded) and aedeagus (2 views), North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 1st July 2020

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Hornet Moth.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia and aedeagus, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 11th July 2022

One of these was on Scabious and the other was on Scentless Mayweed.

2x male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia and aedeaugs, and for one pronotum and clypeus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 9th July 2021

This was swept on or around Sea Wormwood.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, tegmen (2 orientations) and median lobe, between Titchwell and Thornham Point (Norfolk, UK), 10th June 2022

This one was on a Dandelion flower.

female Meligethes aeneus shwoing fore tibia and mid femur, Broom Green (Norfolk, UK), 18th March 2022

This one was on Hazel.

female Meligethes aeneus shwoing fore tibia, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 14th May 2022

This one was of several on Mistletoe.

female Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, County School Station, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 23rd March 2022

This one was at a pheremone lure trap for Yellow-legged Clearwing.

female Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 12th June 2020

This one was at a pheremone lure trap for Orange-tailed Clearwing.

female Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia and mid femur, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 2nd July 2021

This one was at a pheremone lure trap for Orange-tailed Clearwing.

female Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 23rd June 2022

This was on Elder. The tibial teeth look a bit larger than usual but although I didn't make a good job of the dissection so didn't photograph the genitalia, the aedeagus seemed to match aeneus - which is what I had been expecting from its general appearance.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham chapel (Norfolk, UK), 7th April 2023

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Lunar Hornet Moth.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia and pronotum, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 14th June 2022

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Six-belted Clearwing.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 15th June 2020

This was in the garden moth trap.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 18th June 2022

This was in a vane trap.

male Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 18th March 2024

This was one of scores of Meligethes on Hypericum growing in my garden. I imagine they were all this species but I only checked one.

male Meligethes aeneus shwoing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 23rd June 2023

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Red-belted Clearwing.

male Meligethes aeneus shwoing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 25th June 2020

These were swept but I didn't record what they were on.

2x Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 25th March 2020

This was on a Dandelion.

Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, St Mary's churchyard, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 16th May 2021

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Hornet Moth. When I first looked at it I tentatively identified it as matronalis. At the time I think I was only using Hackston's key and if memory serves me right I didn't have Duff's key available. Reviewing the photos more recently and after just spending a couple of days going through lots of Meligethes specimens (including some real matronalis) I now think my original identification was wrong and it is in fact aeneus. The sides of the V in the tegmen are straighter than they're shown in Duff and how they often are, but I think is just normal variation - matronalis shows a more rounded bottom of the V and the overall impression of the beetle is rather different too (colour, pronotum shape, etc.).

male Meligethes aeneus shwoing median lobe (2 orientations) and tegmen (2 views), North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 23rd June 2019

This time the lure was for Large Red-belted Clearwing and like the last was originally misidentified.

male Meligethes matronalis shwoing fore tibia, tegmen and median lobe (2 orientations), North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 28th June 2019

These two were swept from Dog's Mercury (the first and second photos are the same individual; the third is the other one).

2x Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, Elmham Park (Norfolk, UK), 25th March 2022

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Large Red-belted Clearwing.

Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 14th May 2019

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Hornet Moth.

Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 23rd June 2019

This one was swept from Garlic Mustard.

female Meligethes aeneus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 28th April 2021

These two were also swept from Garlic Mustard.

2x female Meligethes aeneus showing fore tibia, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 7th May 2021

This was in a pheremone lure trap for Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana.

male Meligethes aeneus, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 3rd April 2023

This was one of two Meligethes beaten from blossom (Hawthorn if I remember rightly).

Meligethes aeneus, Bittering (Norfolk, UK), 13th April 2018

This was on Viburnum.

Meligethes aeneus, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 11th April 2022

This was swept from Garlic Mustard.

Meligethes aeneus, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 30th April 2022

This was one of many on Creeping Buttercup.

Meligethes aeneus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 13th June 2020

This was beaten off gorse.

Meligethes aeneus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 17th April 2021

This was on Meadowsweet.

Meligethes aeneus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 20th July 2020

I omitted to record how I found this one.

Meligethes aeneus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 20th March 2019

These were swept from pussy willow.

2x Meligethes aeneus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 22nd March 2019

These were swept from Broom.

3x Meligethes aeneus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 25th April 2020