Ground Beetles of Ireland
Agonum nigrum
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 © Roy Anderson |
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Agonum nigrum Dejean, 1828
Description: 7-9mm long predatory black ground beetle of vegetated riverbanks and marshland along the coast. Very local.
World Distribution: Primarily a Mediterranean-Atlantic species found along coasts from the British Isles south to the Mediterranean and east into Asia Minor, though recorded very rarely from scattered sites in Europe east to Switzerland (Luka et al., 1997) which would denote a Suboceanic Southern-temperate distribution (82).
Irish Status: Some confusion surrounds the habitat preferences of this species. In Ireland at least, it is primarily an estuarine species and although widespread is very local and usually rare. In Britain its predilection for coastal habitats does not appear to be so marked.
Ecology: Probably exclusively coastal in Ireland, and found on sandy or gravelly, vegetated streambanks and estuaries near the sea. Rare and usually recorded singly.