Description: Small (6-8mm) reddish brown beetle with a black head but darker, brown forms also occur (see plate), at least in Ireland. Under stones, loose bark, in grass tussocks etc, primarily in damp places.

NI account: Common, sometimes abundant, across Ireland.

Ecology: Strongly hygrophilous and usually found in grass or sedge litter and moss of wet alder scrub or other shaded and damp habitats, including montane dwarf shrub heath.

Distribution: An Eurosiberian Boreo-temperate species (54) widespread in west and central Europe, including the British Isles, to west Siberia.

Similar Species: Leistus ferrugineus: pronotum brown, never red; hind angles of pronotum parallel at base

Key Identification Features:

• Dilated, very flat mandibles (Fig. 1)
• Neck constricted with a lace (Fig. 1)
• Pronotum cordate
• Pronotum usually red or reddish-brown, contrasting brown body
• Hind angles of pronotum not parallel at base (converging) (Fig. 3)

Distribution Map from NBN: Leistus terminatus at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Leistus terminatus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Leistus terminatus | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Leistus

Thumbnails for genus Leistus