Description: Small (3.5-4.7mm) bronze-black burrowing ground beetle, predatory on rove beetles of the genus Bledius, especially B. arenarius. Found on bare sand by water on the coast, river margins, sandpits, etc.

NI account: Another coastal species in Ireland, and again, widespread but local. Johnson & Halbert (1902) quote two early records for Lough Neagh but confusion with D. obscurus seems likely and there is no evidence that it occurs at inland sites.

Ecology: Found in a wider range of sands and sandy clays than other species of the genus in Ireland. In Northern Ireland, it is mostly recorded in association with B. fergussoni. However, B. erraticus Erichson, B. gallicus and B. longulus have also been found in the vicinity of colonies.

Distribution: A Eurasian Wide-temperate species (65) found across the whole of Europe to eastern Siberia.

Similar Species: Dyschirius obscurus: elytral striae nearly smooth; at least pronotum dull; Lough Neagh only

Key Identification Features:

• Brassy, elongate, cylindrical and with a 'waist'
• Fore legs adapted for digging
• Clypeus with a median tooth (Fig. 28)
• Elytral striae evidently punctate
• Upper surface shiny
• Coastal only

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

iNaturalist: Dyschirius thoracicus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Dyschirius thoracicus | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Dyschirius

Thumbnails for genus Dyschirius