Adults are usually 13–20 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Rutpela maculata
A wasp-like beetle that spends years hidden as a grub, then emerges for only a few weeks of visible adult life.
About this species
Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle
Rutpela maculata(Poda, 1761)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Rutpela maculata is a conspicuous European longhorn beetle. Its black-and-yellow pattern resembles a stinging wasp, while its larvae develop slowly inside damp, decaying hardwood.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Cerambycidae · Lepturinae · Rutpela
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and western AsiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Europe and western Asia
Woodland edges, hedgerows and flower-rich clearings near dead broadleaf timber.
Adults fly and visit flowers mainly from late spring through summer.
Adults consume pollen and nectar; larvae tunnel in rotten hardwood.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The larva can spend two or three years tunnelling unseen through decaying wood, while the winged adult may live only a few weeks.
Its yellow-and-black pattern and jerky flower-top movements create a convincing wasp impression even though the beetle has neither sting nor venom.
Adults are important pollen feeders, but their hidden larvae also accelerate the physical breakdown of dead wood, linking flowers above ground with decomposition inside trunks.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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