Description: Small (2.8-3.5mm) black ground beetle with obscure red spots at apex of elytra. Common in lowland vegetated river and lake margins.

NI account: Johnson & Halbert (1902) cite a single record, that of Hardy (1897) for Rathlin Island, Antrim. Like the rest of Hardy's Rathlin records, we prefer not to rely on this. The absence of Irish specimens in the National Museum and lack of literature records suggests that it may not have been present in Ireland until comparatively recently. The earliest verifiable record we can trace relates to a specimen collected by W. M. Crawford at Linfield, Belfast, Antrim on 8 April 1938 (Ulster Museum). Currently it is one of the commonest Bembidions in wetlands below 200m altitude.

Ecology: A hygrophilous species recorded mostly from eutrophic riverbanks, lakeshores and inter-drumlin fens. Also widespread but less abundant on poorly drained agricultural soils. Tolonen (1995) records B. guttula as a generalist epigeic predator of cereal aphids.

Distribution: A Eurosiberian Wide-temperate species (64), distributed across Europe to western Siberia. Introduced to N. America.

Similar Species: Bembidion mannerheimi: legs and base of antennae clear reddish-yellow; pronotum strongly rounded at sides and hind angles completely rounded (Fig. 45) B. aeneum: larger; pronotal sinuation deeper (Fig. 51); legs uniformly dark

Key Identification Features:

• Small (2.8-3.5mm)
• Terminal segment of palpi much reduced (Fig. 31)
• Pronotum shallowly sinuate at base and hind angles of pronotum sharp (Fig. 52)
• Subapical spot on elytra distinct
• Pronotum less dull, shiny
• Legs and base of antennae rufous but femora dark

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

iNaturalist: Bembidion guttula at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

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

Thumbnails for genus Bembidion