Description: Bronze, fairly shiny, ground beetle with conspicuous purple ocellate depressions on the elytra (8-9.5mm). Common in marshland and on bare mud at the side of fresh water.

NI account: Widely distributed and common.

Ecology: Characteristic of a wide range of well-vegetated wetlands including river and lake margins and well-vegetated mires. Rare at higher altitudes and not generally on peat or in association with Sphagnum mosses.

Distribution: A Eurasian Boreo-temperate species (55), widespread and common across northern and central Europe to eastern Siberia.

Similar Species: Elaphrus uliginosus: tibiae unmetallic; head with eyes not wider than pronotum

Key Identification Features:

• Eyes large
• Elytra without regular striae, uneven with mirror spots
• Tibiae metallic and tarsi blue
• Elytra shiny, usually bronze
• Head with eyes wider than pronotum

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

iNaturalist: Elaphrus cupreus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Elaphrus cupreus | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Elaphrus

Thumbnails for genus Elaphrus