Description: 5-6mm long black ground beetle with 4 orange-brown spots. Very common in in a variety of habitats including grassland, wetland margins, riverbanks, gardens etc.

NI account: One of the commonest Bembidion species in our area and found in a great variety of disturbed as well as riparian habitats. Throughout, but less common in the west.

Ecology: Eurytopic, occurring on a variety of sparsely vegetated soils including gardens, but commonest along riverbanks and lakeshores. It features frequently in pitfall catches of Carabidae from pasture and arable land.

Distribution: A widespread Eurosiberian Wide-temperate species (64) distributed over the whole of Europe and into western Siberia and introduced into North America.

Similar Species: Bembidion bruxellense: smaller; darker; second antennal segment and femora dark B. femoratum: smaller; pronotal base nearly unpunctured; antennae with two basal segments pale

Key Identification Features:

• Small (4.9-6.1mm)
• Terminal segment of palpi much reduced (Fig. 31)
• Elytral striae disappearing apically and 2nd weaker than 1st
• Pronotum strongly cordate
• Elytra four-spotted
• Seventh elytral striae present at least near base
• Base of pronotum strongly punctate
• Antennae with 2 or 3 pale basal segments

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

iNaturalist: Bembidion tetracolum at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Bembidion tetracolum | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidion

Thumbnails for genus Bembidion