Description: Moderately large (10-14mm) black ground beetle living in dryish or well-drained habitats, mainly under stones on mountain summits, or in dry open sites in peatlands, occasionally on the coast. Generally much more local and uncommon than the very similar but hygrophilous Nebria brevicollis.

NI account: Widely distributed in Ireland but localised and generally much less abundant than Nebria brevicollis.

Ecology: A xerophilic species occupying open ground on well-drained soils in peatlands or on mountains. It is particularly widespread on the summit moraine of mountains. Burning and grazing, or other management which reduces the canopy in dwarf shrub heaths, appears to be important for its survival. Surprisingly, there are few records for coastal dunes which do not appear to be an important habitat, except where acid dune heath occurs.

Distribution: A Suboceanic temperate species (72), commonest near the western seaboard of Europe, but extending locally to eastern France and central Germany, and south to southern Spain. In Fennoscandia it is found only in southern and western coastal areas (Lindroth, 1992).

Similar Species: Nebria brevicollis: as per salina but slightly larger and basal segments of middle and hind tarsi pubescent on upper surface

Key Identification Features:

• Pronotum transverse, cordate (Fig. 7)
• Four basal segments of antennae glabrous
• Antennae and palpi pale
• Basal segments of middle and hind tarsi glabrous
• In open sites, never woodland

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

iNaturalist: Nebria salina at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Nebria salina | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Nebria

Thumbnails for genus Nebria