Description: A 3-4mm brown ground beetle with 4 cream spots on elytra (like D. quadrimaculatus but smaller). Lives under bark, often on apple trees but also other broadleafs and on conifers. Locally common.

NI account: Widespread but less common than the similar but larger D. quadrimaculatus.

Ecology: Arboreal, and, according to Lindroth (1986) and Luff (1998), almost exclusively on conifers. Modern records suggest that deciduous trees may be more important in Ireland: sycamore (3); apple (2); horse chestnut (1); Sitka spruce (1); Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L. (1).

Distribution: A European Southern-temperate species (83) distributed across Europe except the extreme north through the Mediterranean to Asia Minor and the Crimea.

Similar Species: Dromius quadrimaculatus: larger (5.2-6.4mm); hind angles in this species of pronotum rounded, not protruding or sharp (Fig. 98)

Key Identification Features:

• 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 3.8-4.6mm
• Elytra black with two large yellow spots on each
• Pronotum with hind angles protruding, sharp

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

iNaturalist: Calodromius spilotus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Calodromius spilotus | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Calodromius

Thumbnails for genus Calodromius