Ground Beetles of Ireland
Calodromius spilotus
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 © Roy Anderson |
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Calodromius spilotus (Illiger, 1798)
Description: A 3-4mm brown ground beetle with 4 cream spots on elytra (like D. quadrimaculatus but smaller). Lives under bark, often on apple trees but also other broadleafs and on conifers. Locally common.
World Distribution: A European Southern-temperate species (83) distributed across Europe except the extreme north through the Mediterranean to Asia Minor and the Crimea.
Irish Status: Widespread but less common than the similar but larger D. quadrimaculatus.
Ecology: Arboreal, and, according to Lindroth (1986) and Luff (1998), almost exclusively on conifers. Modern records suggest that deciduous trees may be more important in Ireland: sycamore (3); apple (2); horse chestnut (1); Sitka spruce (1); Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L. (1).