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ground beetle
ground beetle (Amphasia interstitialis)
Illinois Status: common, native
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
Habitats
Aquatic Habitats
bottomland forests; peatlands; wet prairies and fens
Woodland Habitats
bottomland forests; southern Illinois lowlands; upland deciduous forests
Prairie and Edge Habitats
edge
