Description: A 6-9mm bright bronze ground beetle with a typical squat, oval, Amara appearance. Largely phytophagous. Found on dry sandy ground with sparse vegetation, or on bare soil in gardens, arable land, river gravels etc. Very common.

NI account: Widespread and fairly common, especially near the coast.

Ecology: Mostly recorded from better-drained, open situations, but on most soil types including deep peat. Common in gardens and on sandy soils near the coast.

Distribution: A Eurosiberian Southern-temperate species (84) found across Europe to Macaronesia and the Mediterranean and east into western Siberia. Introduced to N. America.

Similar Species: Generally distinguishable from other species on the very flat elytral intervals, simple spur on pro-tibia and lack of pore puncture on scutellar striae

Key Identification Features:

• Body stout and a characteristic 'oval' shape
• Head with two supra orbital punctures
• Elytra lacking pore-puncture at base of scutellar stria
• Terminal spur of pro-tibia simple
• Hind angles of pronotum simple
• Antennae with 3 (or 4) pale basal segments
• Elytral striae fine, intervals quite flat
• Femora dark

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

iNaturalist: Amara aenea at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Amara aenea | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Amara

Thumbnails for genus Amara