Description: 5-7mm long black ground beetle. Very common in most habitats, in particular damper ones. Fairly easily confused with the very common Pterostichus strenuus and perhaps not quite as common as that species.

NI account: Widespread and common, particularly on hill land.

Ecology: A small, eurytopic Pterostichus with very similar habitus to P. strenuus, and like that species, somewhat variable in puncturation of the elytra and colouration of the legs, at least in Irish material we have seen. Generally darker than strenuus, but best separated on the almost smooth prosternum. The dullness of the upper surface ascribed by Lindroth (1974) does not appear to be constant in Irish specimens and should not be relied upon as a distinguishing character. In general it has been recorded more frequently from wetlands, particularly in more exposed or oligotrophic conditions, than P. strenuus.

Distribution: A Eurasian Boreo-temperate species (55) distributed across the whole of Europe except the extreme south, and eastwards in Siberia to the River Lena.

Similar Species: Pterostichus strenuus: pronotum with a longer sinuation behind hind angle (Fig. 65), shiny; prosternum coarsely punctate

Key Identification Features:

• Medium/small species,
• Hind angles of pronotum sharp (Fig. 65); pronotum cordate
• Pronotum with a single basal fovea
• Pronotum with a shorter sinuation in front of hind angles (Fig. 65), dull
• Prosternum impunctate

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

iNaturalist: Pterostichus diligens at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Pterostichus diligens | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichus

Thumbnails for genus Pterostichus