Agencies
Services
ground beetle
ground beetle (Amphasia interstitialis)
Photo © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
This species of ground beetle ranges from three-tenths to four-tenths inch long. Its general body shape is elongated. The mouthparts are directed downward. Its head, pronotum, legs and antennae are red-brown. The wing covers are black. The pronotum is wider than long. The spaces between the grooves on the wing covers have gold-colored setae.
BEHAVIORS
These ground beetles live under rocks, logs and leaf litter and overwinter in these locations. They feed on insects as well as insect eggs, larvae and pupae.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Illinois Status: common, native
