Description: A moderate-sized (11-15mm) Curtonotus living under stones in dryish grassland and waste ground. Adults nocturnal, feeding on seeds of Compositae. Widespread.

NI account: Widespread and fairly common,, mainly in agricultural areas.

Ecology: A seed-eating species commonest in dry waste places or on arable land.

Distribution: A Eurosiberian Boreo-temperate species (54) distributed across Europe as far south as northern Spain, and east to western Siberia. Introduced to N. America.

Similar Species: Larger than any other Irish species of Amara or Curtonotus. Curtonotus convexiusculus: more cylindrical, less broad; hind angles of pronotum much less protruding (Fig. 84) and lateral bead reaching hind angles

Key Identification Features:

• Body medium, 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 strongly protruding, acute, lateral bead not reaching these (Fig. 84)
• Shoulder tooth weak but evident (Fig. 85)
• Body broad, solid brown-black, rarely bronzed, appendages pale, rufous

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

iNaturalist: Curtonotus aulicus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

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

Thumbnails for genus Amara