Description: A small (4-5mm) bronze ground beetle with prominent eyes and and with elytra decorated by prominent depressions and microsculpture. Only recently added to the Irish list by the splitting of A flavipes. Common on bare soil in gardens and on sandy mull soils near freshwater.

NI account: Added to the British Isles list by Speight et al. (1986). Older Irish records of A. flavipes mostly refer to this species.

Ecology: Very common in the greater Belfast area in gardens with open, loamy soil, and in general lightly shaded loams appear to be its normal habitat. However, Asaphidion taken from sandy, open or partially shaded, riparian habitats in Ireland also key to this species although the habitat indicates A. flavipes.

Distribution: A recent segregate of A. flavipes and the wider distribution is poorly known. It has so far been reported widely across north and central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula, including the British Isles. It is provisionally classified as European Wide-temperate (63).

Similar Species: Asaphidion flavipes: differences subtle; angle at lateral setae on pronotum rounded not sharp (Fig. 39); at least middle and hind legs usually with dark femoro-tibial joints

Key Identification Features:

• Small (3-4.5mm)
• Eyes large, prominent
• Last segment of palpi tiny
• Elytra irregularly punctate and pubescent
• Head wider than pronotum
• Angle at lateral setae sharp (Fig. 38)
• Legs uniformly pale

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

iNaturalist: Asaphidion curtum at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Asaphidion curtum | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Asaphidion

Thumbnails for genus Asaphidion