Description: A moderately large (9-13mm) bronze-black, predatory ground beetle living under decaying tree bark in woodlands. Very localised in Ireland but common where it occurs.

NI account: Of very restricted distribution in Ireland, with sites in Cork and Waterford as well as in north-east Antrim (Johnson & Halbert, 1902), but for nowhere in between. The Antrim populations may have had a Scottish origin, as the Mull of Kintyre is only 18km distant and the species is extant there (Luff, 1998). In the British Isles generally, this species has a curiously patchy distribution.

Ecology: Confined to woodland in its Antrim localities, mainly native hazel scrub or planted 19th-century mixed woodland. Occurs in cavities of red-rotted fallen timber (including conifers), or under stones in dryish woodland edge habitats. On the Continent, it is recorded about equally in deciduous and coniferous forest. Day et al. (1993) pitfall-trapped this species from both native oakwood and planted Sitka spruce at Breen Wood, Antrim.

Distribution: A Eurasian Boreo-temperate species (55), found across the whole of Europe, except southern Spain and Italy, to Siberia and Japan.

Similar Species: Pterostichus adstrictus: bronze reflection weaker; lateral bead of pronotum in front as well as hind half; tibiae dark

Key Identification Features:

• Medium/large species, with moderate bronze reflection
• Hind angles of pronotum sharp (Fig. 64)
• Pronotum with a single basal fovea
• Lateral bead of pronotum present in front half as well as hind half
• Tibiae paler than femora

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

iNaturalist: Pterostichus oblongopunctatus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

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

Thumbnails for genus Pterostichus