Description: Very small (2.5mm) dark brown ground beetle living among riverine shingle, often at depth within the shingle. Has a western distribution in the British Isles and rare in Ireland.

NI account: Only recorded from the extreme south-west, in Kerry and Cork (Speight et al., 1983).

Ecology: Stenotopic for gravelly/stony riverbanks, although it may occur at some distance from the water's edge (Lindroth, 1985). It is recorded from gravelly streambanks at its Cork and Kerry sites.

Distribution: A Eurosiberian Southern-temperate species (84), scattered across Europe into west Siberia; also in the Mediterranean, north Africa and Asia Minor.

Similar Species: Trechus micros: larger (>4mm); colour uniform; terminal segment of palpi larger (Fig. 31)

Key Identification Features:

• Very small, (<3mm)
• Flat, parallel-sided
• Pubescent
• Trechus-like but terminal joint of palpi reduced (Fig. 31)
• Dark; legs and central part of elytra paler

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

iNaturalist: Perileptus areolatus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Perileptus areolatus | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Perileptus

Thumbnails for genus Perileptus