Taxonomy
Kingdom:	Phylum:	Class:	Order:	Family:	Genus:	Species:
Animalia	Arthropoda	Insecta	Coleoptera	Cerambycidae	Pachytodes	P.cerambyciformis

This beetle can be found in most of Europe and in western Asia. As it prefers more warm areas it avoids the North Europe but in Central Europe it is one of the most common species. in the UK it is locally common in the south of England and the west midlands, throughout Wales and more local and scarce through most of Scotland. Adults are active from May until July although in higher mountain areas they occur until the end of August.

Larvae mostly develop in exposed roots, especially where these are covered in soil and patches of moss, they produce longitudinal galleries as they feed and are capable of moving through the soil to reach other roots if their food is exhausted, they develop through to the following spring when they enter the soil and construct an earthen cocoon in which to pupate, this is usually near the surface and adjacent to the roots but in order to find the correct conditions it may be as deep as 30 cm. or more. Adults form in early spring but remain in situ until May or June and freshly emerged specimens have been observed tunnelling through the soil from even the deepest cocoons.

For a longhorn beetle it is rather small, the adult reaches the length of 6.5-12.5 mm. Adults are readily recognized by the broadly-rounded shoulders and comparatively narrow, campanulate pronotum, the forebody and legs are black or dark grey and the elytra orange or yellow with various dark markings. The patterns and coloration occur in about forty variations.

Unfortunately I managed to take only this single picture before the beetle disappered in the bushes.