Elaphrus
Elaphrus viridis in characteristic
The Rasch beetles or Sandpiper ( Elaphrus ) are a genus of beetles in the family of ground beetles ( Carabidae ) within the subfamily Elaphrinae. It occurs in Europe with eleven species and sub-species, five are also native to Central Europe.
Features
The medium sized beetles have a certain resemblance to the sandy ground beetles, however, are much smaller. Her head is large, the compound eyes stand out laterally. The pronotum is heart-shaped. The elytra have four rows of large, shallow, often inside blue or green colored mirror spots, between which the gap is tightly structured punctiform.
The larvae have on her head a longitudinal keel, which is pulled forward to a horn. This makes them look the larvae of the genus Omophron similar, but differ from them by their short legs on which the tarsi have two claws.
Occurrence and life
The diurnal imagines are very fast runners and live in muddy waters and shores in damp Uferauen. The larvae are nocturnal. They overwinter mostly as adult animals.
Types (selection)
- Elaphrus lapponicus Gyllenhal, 1810
- Elaphrus angusticollis R. F. Sahlberg, 1844
- Elaphrus aureus P. Müller, 1821
- Elaphrus ullrichii W. Redtenbacher, 1842
- Elaphrus hypocrita Semenov, 1926
- Elaphrus lheritieri Antoine, 1847
- Elaphrus riparius (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Elaphrus tuberculatus Mäklin, 1878
- Elaphrus cupreus Duftschmid, 1812
- Elaphrus pyrenoeus Motschulsky, 1850
- Elaphrus uliginosus Fabricius, 1792