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Arocatus longiceps / roeselii Family: Lygaeidae An abundant species of Arocatus was found on plane trees in London and southern England from 2007 onwards, as well as across parts of western Europe. After much debate it was concluded that this species referred to A. longiceps, rather than A. roeselii, largely on the basis that A. roeselii was only known to feed on alders. However, several years later very similar bugs were discovered on alders and although these were generally more intensely red and black in colour, work in Germany concluded that there were no significant morphological or genetic differences between the two 'forms'. Some European heteropterists are now using the names longiceps and roeselii to refer to these plane-feeding and alder-feeding forms, but it seems much more probable that they belong to the same species, albeit one which develops slightly different adult colouration according to the host plant on which development takes place. Both species feed on the seeds of the host tree and can be found widely in the southern half of England. Adults overwinter under bark and are very easy to find under the characterstically flaky bark of planes, often in large numbers. Adult: All year Length 6-7 mm
	Adult 'roeselii' on alder: Bedfordshire (September 2014) ©Mark Gurney
Adult 'longiceps' on plane: London (August 2008) ©Tristan Bantock	Adult 'longiceps' on plane: London (March 2009) ©Tristan Bantock
Adult 'longiceps' on plane: London (August 2008) ©Tristan Bantock	Nymph 'longiceps' on plane: London (August 2008) ©Tristan Bantock