Orange Beetle for ID

skippyyy · #1 (**permalink**) 13-12-2011, 01:58 AM

Hi,

Please could somebody ID this beetle for me?

I have been asked to find 9, and this one is proving elsuive.

Thanks

(Sorry for the bad picture)

MattPrince · #2 (**permalink**) 13-12-2011, 06:28 AM

Hello Skippy, was that quite large (15mm) and fast moving and found along the shoreline?

It looks like the nationally scarce "Beach Comber" beetle Eurynebria Complanata, (Linnaeus 1767) to me.

A very nice find.

Regards,
Matt

Paul mabbott · #3 (**permalink**) 13-12-2011, 07:59 AM

I'm sure you're right Matt. Very different in appearance from our other Nebria spp. I hadn't realised it was 'scarce' - where found it can be quite abundant. Where was this found, for interest?

skippyyy · #4 (**permalink**) 13-12-2011, 10:35 AM

Thanks for your help! That looks just like it, and to be honest, I have no idea as it was homework - but I could find out for you

Klaas Reißmann · #5 (**permalink**) 13-12-2011, 03:06 PM

ID is absolutely right. No question. And would be nice to know where it was found and when. Never saw this one.

Regards
Klaas

Paul mabbott · #6 (**permalink**) 13-12-2011, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skippyyy

Thanks for your help! That looks just like it, and to be honest, I have no idea as it was homework - but I could find out for you

I wish I'd had homework like that!

I've looked in Luff who says,"On sandy beaches above the high tide line ..... Very local in south-west England and south-east Ireland; sometimes abundant."

I recall finding it several times on the Gower Peninsula on moist silty/sandy beaches with some organic content usually under large debris. An interesting beast.

MattPrince · #7 (**permalink**) 14-12-2011, 12:17 PM

I've looked for it only once at Braunton Burrows, I'm sure its present there but no joy in an hours search. Will have another, more determined, go as I'd like to see this one (actually that goes for a lot of our distinctive carabids that I have looked for but failed to catch up with - big blue, buzzing snail hunter, blethisa multipunctata, heath goldsmith, nebria nivalis, the list goes on and on and on!) need more of the old Percy Veerance.

Paul mabbott · #8 (**permalink**) 14-12-2011, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattPrince

I've looked for it only once at Braunton Burrows, I'm sure its present there but no joy in an hours search. Will have another, more determined, go as I'd like to see this one (actually that goes for a lot of our distinctive carabids that I have looked for but failed to catch up with - big blue, buzzing snail hunter, blethisa multipunctata, heath goldsmith, nebria nivalis, the list goes on and on and on!) need more of the old Percy Veerance.

You'' stand a far better chance of finding E. complanata, especially at Braunton. Nebria/Boreonebria nivalis is a seriously rare species confined to very cold, montane areas in Scotland! Would be interesting though! There are, certainly, a lot of interesting ground beetles to see - just needs a bit of rummaging ... and a lot of luck!

MattPrince · #9 (**permalink**) 15-12-2011, 06:55 PM

The wife and I took one of the guided botany walks up Ben Lawers back in summer, there were Nebria (the upland species I forget its name) all over the place, I sampled a few with a field microscope as we got up near the summit - but alas I misunderstood the diagnostic field characters for nivalis ~ if I'd understood where the diagnostic ridge was I could have checked a lot more with a hand lens. A missed opportunity, typically the weather started closing in and I had to yomp back down. Still reckon there is a good chance of them being up at the summit in small numbers. Better than at Braunton anyway !