Description: A small (2.5-3.5mm) pale brown ground beetle with a black head and red pronotum. Common in sedge and reed litter near freshwater or in marram tussocks in sand dunes along the coast. Climbs tall vegetation.

NI account: Widespread in suitable localities but rare in the west.

Ecology: Particularly common in tussocks and litter of sand dunes and, more locally, riverine marshes and lakeshores, where it climbs tall vegetation.

Distribution: A Mediterranean-Atlantic species (91) distributed from west and central Europe south to north Africa, Asia Minor and the Caucasus, and rare in the eastern part of its range.

Similar Species: Dromis notatus: larger, less brightly coloured

Key Identification Features:

• Very small, flat, elongate, with small pronotum
• Elytra parallel-sided and truncate
• 4th tarsal segments sometimes emarginate at apex, never broad or bilobed, claws dentate
• Size 2.5-3.4mm
• Elytra pale, only suture narrowly darkened
• Pronotum bright reddish

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

iNaturalist: Philorhizus melanocephalus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Philorhizus melanocephalus | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Philorhizus

Thumbnails for genus Philorhizus