1/2 #speciesaday no. 598 is Odacantha melanura. Nationally Scarce. An atypical carabid associated with Common Reed. Seems to be quite local and patchy in its distribution. I have records between March and August. Unlike any other carabid. This one was from London Wetland Centre last week.

1/2 #speciesaday no. 599 is Elaphrus riparius. A stunning carabid that is usually found on bare mud by water. Smaller and greener than E. cupreus. You can see why they call this genus peacock beetles! This one was from Broughton Sanctuary last month.

Badister bullatus today in Bengeo garden, very distinctive ground beetle. 52nd species of carabid recorded here. @carabidaeuk.bsky.social

On this note, we are aware there is a bit of a backlog of records awaiting verification, a busy year or two for the volunteer team that look after the scheme. If some of those records are yours and you'd like to give us a nudge please do get in touch coleoptera.org.uk/user/559/con...

Chris Foster discusses the Ground Beetle Recording Scheme's work with iRecord. (from 2023 Why iRecord? Virtual Symposium)

A flash of blue on the woodland floor for #BlueMonday #BlueBugs the fabulous Blue Ground Beetle, Carabus intricatus

Deliberately sharing a 'bad' photo because the right angle can be more important than sharpness! We'd love to see your snaps at irecord.org.uk and happy to help here with ID queries

Necklace Ground Beetle (Carabus monilis) last year in #Bath #Somerset #UK. A rapidly declining species that is still clinging on in the Bath area.
#Insect #Beetle #Coleoptera #Carabidae #Nature #Wildlife #Entomology

Necklace Ground-beetle, Carabus monilis. A large predatory carabid w a restricted range in western Europe, this species has declined severely in Britain and is now categorised as Endangered. Although recorded from a range of open habitats, most recent records seem to be from unimproved grasslands.

Carabus granulatus, a large predatory ground beetle of fens and wet grasslands. Mowing, grazing & inundation make floodplain hay meadows a challenging habitat for many insects but this is one of the resident species, sometimes present in large numbers.

Not all #invertebrates can be identified live. It is therefore sometimes necessary to collect insects for the purpose of research and species monitoring. We also have a code of conduct to ensure minimum impact on ecosystems. #entomology @royentsoc.bsky.social 🧪
www.benhs.org.uk/resources/co...

Fun morning introducing first year Ecology & Wildlife Conservation students to using keys for invert ID, focusing on ground beetles of course @carabidaeuk.bsky.social 😇🪲

As shown here with photographs of live specimens, amazing what you can do in the field with the right grip and a good hand lens!