Dromius meridionalis Dejean, 1825

Description: A 6-7mm long red brown 'ground' beetle found under bark of deciduous trees, occasionally on conifers. Widespread and locally common.

NI account: Widespread but local.

Ecology: An arboreal species found on a variety of tree species e.g. sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus L. (2 records), Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr (2 records), horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum L. (1 record) and European spruce Picea abies (L.) Karst. (1 record). Mostly recorded under flakey bark on the lower trunks of trees in winter.

Distribution: A Eurosiberian Southern-temperate species (84), recorded from Denmark (very rare), and the British Isles south to Iberia and north Africa and into the Mediterranean, but in central Europe reliably recorded only from Holland and Italy. Lindroth (1986) gives a record for central Siberia.

Similar Species: (D. agilis: 3rd elytral interval with 5 coarse, shallow punctures; pronotum - Fig. 98)

Key Identification Features:

  • Small, flat, elongate, with small pronotum
  • Elytra less parallel-sided, broader, truncate
  • 4th tarsal segments sometimes emarginate at apex, never broad or bilobed, claws dentate
  • Size >5mm
  • Elytra with complete basal bead
  • 3rd elytral intervals with single setiferous punctures near apex
  • Colour reddish-brown

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

iNaturalist: Dromius meridionalis at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Dromius meridionalis | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Dromius

Thumbnails for genus Dromius

 Anderson, R., 2024. Dromius meridionalis. Dejean, 1825. [In] Ground Beetles of Ireland.
https://www2.habitas.org.uk/beetles/species.php?item=7471. Accessed on 2024-12-26.