British Insects: the Families of Coleoptera
British Insects: the Families of Coleoptera |
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Brachinidae, Omophronidae, Paussidae, etc.
Ground-, Hunting-, Carnivorous-, Bombardier- (etc.) Beetles.
General appearance. 2–30 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 1.3–4.25. Elytral length/pronotal length 1.58–5.4. Base of prothorax not or scarcely narrower than the combined elytral bases, or distinctly narrower than the combined elytral bases. Greatest prothoracic width not narrower or only slightly narrower than the greatest elytral width, or distinctly narrower than greatest elytral width. Beetles oval to elongate; not necked; conspicuously waisted; conspicuously long-legged (often), or neither particularly long- nor short-legged. Upper surfaces of body glabrous or subglabrous, or non-glabrous; exhibiting stiff, erect, dark bristles, or not bristly; with neither scales nor scale-like setae.
Detailed morphology. Beetles without a rostrum; prognathous. Inclination of the head slight. Eyes strongly protuberant, or not strongly protuberant; bristly, or without bristles. Antennae short to long, but not exceeding the insect’s head to tail length; (2–)9–11 segmented; filiform (or flattened). Antennal insertions visible from above to hidden from above; not hidden by lateral extensions of the frons (inserted between eyes and mandibles, under a frontal ridge); not in fossae. Mandibular prosthecae well developed to absent.
Prothorax shorter than wide to about as long as wide. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.35–2.25. Prothorax at its widest markedly narrower than the adjoining part of the abdomen, or not markedly narrower than the adjoining part of the abdomen. Prothorax with notopleural sutures. Metaventrite with a transverse groove, or without a transverse groove. Fore coxal cavites closed behind, or open behind. Hind coxae immoveable. The tarsi mostly without bilobed segments; without ‘hidden’ segments. Mid-leg tarsi 4-segmented, or 5-segmented; pentamerous, or tetramerous. Claws of the mid-leg tarsi not appendaged. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented, or 5-segmented. Hind tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented, or 5-segmented. Tarsal claws simple, or one-toothed or bifid, or serrate, denticulate or pectinate; with an empodium between them (this with no more than two setae), or without an associated empodium. Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 0.93–3.1. Elytra covering most of the abdomen; exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite to at least three complete abdominal tergites; usually striate (with characteristic, ‘fixed’ setiferous punctures). Scutellary striole present, or absent. Wings well developed, or absent or much reduced; when present, fringed with long hairs on the hind margin, or not fringed.
Visible abdominal sternites 6 (mostly), or 7–8 (Brachyninae); immovably joined 3. Abdominal segment 8 with apparently functional spiracles, or apparently without functional spiracles.
Habitat, ecology. Land-dwellers; mostly predacious; ubiquitous, often hunting in the open.
General comments. The fore tibia usually with an anterior cleaning organ, or flattened and toothed for digging; the hind trochanters projecting, longer than the diameter of the femur, and the coxae fused to the underside of the thorax.
Larvae. Larvae predacious.
Classification. Suborder Adephaga; Superfamily Caraboidea.
British representation. Genera 62; 342 species. E.g., Aepus marinus (Tawny Aepus); Agonum sexpunctatum; Amara fulva; Bembidion pallidipenne; Broscus cephalotes (Large-headed Badister); Tachys micros (Narrow Blemus); Blethisa multipunctatum (Large-punctured Carabus); Brachinus scolpeta (Single-spotted Bombardier Beetle); Calathus punctipennis (Broad Calathus: a mainland-European species); Callistus lunatus (Kent Carabus); Calosoma sycophanta (Splendid Carabus); Carabus violaceus (Violet Ground-beetle); Cillenus (Bembidion) lateralis; Clivina collaris (Winged Clivina); Cychrus caraboides ssp. rostratus (Long-headed Carabus); Dichirotrichus obsoletus; Dromius spilotus (Epaulet Dromius); Drypta dentata (Blue Drypta); Dyschirius nitidus (Simple-legged Dischirius); Elaphrus uliginosus (Dark-legged Elaphrus); Feronia macra; Feronia madida var. concinna (Mountain Steropus); Harpalus latus (Red-headed Harpalus); Nebria gyllenhali (Gyllenhal's Helobia Beetle); Lebia cyanocephala (Black-knee Lamprias); Lebia scapularis (Yellow-shouldered Lebia); Miscodera arctica (Readian Leiochiton); Leistus fulvibarbis (Orange-mouthed Leistus); Licinus depressus (Flattened Licinus); Masoreus wetterhalli Sturm (Portland Carabus); Nebria livida (Yellow-margined Nebria Beetle); Notiophilus rufipes (Red-legged Notiophilus); Odacantha melanura (Green-and-orange Odacantha); Pterostichus aterrimus (Black Omaseus Beetle); Diachromus germanus (Red and Blue Ophonus); Patrobus septentrionis (Winged Patrobus); Pelophila borealis (Irish Nebria); Poecilus lepidus (= Pterostichus lepidus: Narrow Poecilus); Pogonus luridipennis (Burrellian Pogonus); Polistichus connexus (Sea-shore Polystichus); Demetrias monostigma (Single-spotted Demetrias); Cymindis vaporariorum (Yorkshire Tarus).
Illustrations. • Aepus marinus (Tawny aepus: B. Ent. 203). • Aepus marinus (B. Ent. 203, legend+text). • Aepus marinus (B. Ent. 203, text cont.). • Bembidion (Cillenus) laterale (B. Ent. 200). • Bembidion (Cillenus) laterale (B. Ent. 200, legend+text). • Bembidion (Cillenus) laterale (B. Ent. 200, text cont.). • Blethisa multipunctatum (Large-puntured Carabus: B. Ent. 326). • Blethisa multipunctatum (details, B. Ent. 326). • Broscus cephalotes, Badister bipustulatus (B. Ent. 139). • Broscus cephalotes, Badister bipustulatus (B. Ent. 139, legend+text). • Broscus cephalotes, Badister bipustulatus (B. Ent. 139, text cont.). • Brachinus scolpeta (Single-spotted Bombardier: Extinct? B. Ent. 554). • Brachinus scolpeta (details, B. Ent. 554). • Brachinus scolpeta: B. Ent. 554, legend+text. • Calathus punctipennis (Not British: B. Ent. 184). • Calathus punctipennis: B. Ent. 184, legend+text. • Calathus punctipennis: B. Ent. 184, text cont.. • Callistus lunatus (Kent Carabus: B. Ent. 180). • Callistus lunatus (B. Ent. 180, legend+text). • Callistus lunatus (B. Ent. 180, text cont.). • Calosoma sycophanta (Splendid Carabus: B. Ent. 330). • Calosoma sycophanta (details, B. Ent. 330). • Carabus violaceus (Violet Ground-beetle: B. Ent. 446). • Carabus violaceus (details, B. Ent. 446). • Clivina collaris (Winged Clivina: B. Ent. 175). • Clivina collaris: B. Ent. 175, legend+text. • Clivina collaris: B. Ent. 175, text cont.. • Demetrias monostigma (Single-spotted Demetrias: B. Ent. 119). • Demetrias monostigmas: B. Ent. 119, legend+text. • Demetrias monostigmas: B. Ent. 119, text cont.. • Odacantha melanura (Green-and-orange Odacantha: B. Ent. 227). • Cychrus caraboides s. rostratus (Long-headed Carabus: B. Ent. 426). • Cymindis vaporariorum (Yorkshire Tarus: B. Ent. 235). • Diachromus germanus (Red-and-blue Ophonus: B. Ent. 191). • Diachromus germanus: B. Ent. 191, legend+text. • Diachromus germanus: B. Ent. 191, text cont.. • Drypta dentata (Blue Drypta: B. Ent. 454). • Dyschirius nitidus (Simple-legged Dyschirius: B. Ent. 354). • Elaphrus uliginosus (Dark-legged Elaphrus: B. Ent. 179). • Elaphrus uliginosus: B. Ent. 179, legend+text. • Elaphrus uliginosus: B. Ent. 179, text cont.. • Harpalus latus (Red-headed Harpalus: B. Ent. 458). • Lebia cyanocephala (Black-knee Lamprias: B. Ent. 282). • Lebia scapularis (Yellow-shouldered Lebia: B. Ent. 087). • Lebia scapularis: B. Ent. 087, legend+text. • Lebia scapularis: B. Ent. 087, text cont.. • Leistus fulvibarbis (Orange-mouthed Leistus: B. Ent. 176). • Leistus fulvibarbis: B. Ent. 176, legend+text. • Leistus fulvibarbis: B. Ent. 176, text cont.. • Licinus depressus (Flattened Licinus: B. Ent. 075). • Licinus depressus: B. Ent. 075, legend+text. • Licinus depressus: B. Ent. 075, text cont.. • Masoreus wetterhalli (Portland Carabus: B. Ent. 287). • Miscodera arctica (Readian Leiochiton: B. Ent. 346). • Nebria gyllenhali (Hyllenhal's Helobia: B. Ent. 103). • Nebria gyllenhali: B. Ent. 103, legend+text. • Nebria gyllenhali: B. Ent. 103, text cont.. • Nebria livida (Yellow-margined Nebria: B. Ent. 006). • Notiophilus rufipes Curtis (Red-legged Notiophilus: B. Ent. 254). • Notiophilus rufipes: B. Ent. 254, legend+text. • Notiophilus rufipes: B. Ent. 254, text cont.. • Patrobus septentrionis (Winged Patrobus: B. Ent. 192). • Patrobus septentrionis: B. Ent. 192, legend+text. • Patrobus septentrionis: B. Ent. 192, text cont.. • Pelophila borealis (Irish Nebria: B. Ent. 302). • Pogonus luridipennis (Burrellian Pogonus: B. Ent. 047). • Pogonus luridipennis: B. Ent. 047, legend+text. • Pogonus luridipennis: B. Ent. 047, text cont.. • Polistichus connexus (Sea-shore Polistichus: B. Ent. 223). • Pterostichus aterrimus (Black Omaseus: B. Ent. 015). • Pterostichus aterrimus: B. Ent. 015, legend+text. • Pterostichus aterrimus: B. Ent. 015, text cont.. • Pterostichus lepidus (Narrow Poecilus: B. Ent. 187). • Pterostichus lepidus: B. Ent. 187, legend+text. • Pterostichus lepidus: B. Ent. 187, text cont.. • Pterostichus madidus var. concinnus (Mountain Steropus: B. Ent. 171). • Pterostichus madidus var. concinnus: B. Ent. 171, legend+text. • Pterostichus madidus var. concinnus: B. Ent. 171, text cont.. • Tachys micros (Narrow Blemus: bent310). • Agonum, Amara, Bembidion, Callistus, Dichirotrichus, Feronia (Rye & Fowler II).
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Coleoptera. Version: 18th September 2008. http://delta-intkey.com’.
