Ground Beetles of Ireland
Bembidion cruciatum
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 © Roy Anderson |
© Roy Anderson |
 W. W. Fowler |
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Bembidion cruciatum Dejean, 1831
Description: 4.5-5.5mm long black ground beetle with 4 orange-brown spots on the elytra. On gravel banks of rivers, also sometimes on the seashore. Very local.
World Distribution: Eurosiberian Wide-temperate (64) as various subspecies are distributed across most of Europe to the Caucasus and western Siberia.
Irish Status: Crawford (1936) recorded this species from a marshy streambank at Newtownards Down. Specimens in the National Museums & Galleries of Northern Ireland,Ulster Museum so labelled are all B. tetracolum (R. Anderson). Genuine B. andreae has been recorded from gravelly streambanks on the River Dodder, Dublin (Johnson & Halbert, 1902; Anderson, 1987). Very recently (September 2000) a specimen was taken on a tributary of the River Roe in the Sperrins, Londondery so it may have a wider distribution. Possibly overlooked due to confusion with similar species. Luff (1998) records it as scattered across the north and west of Britain.
Ecology: Primarily recorded from sand or fine gravel riparian habitats up to moderate altitudes.