Nebria brevicollis
Ground Beetles, also known as Carabid beetles, run in order to catch their prey. Most of them live by night. Some can be easily found by turning rocks and logs. The majority of the carabids is black or brown, even though some have metallic colours. According to Victor Shilenkov the beetle in the picture is Nebria brevicollis. This is a 10 to 15 mm. long species. In sunshine it often has metallic blue shiny colours. This probably is the most common groundbeetle in Europe. You well find it in woods, hedges, but also in gardens and parks, even in the centre of big cities. Studies show this to be the commonest species in both London and Hamburg. The eggs are deposited in late summer and the larva overwinters. It is the first groundbeetle to leave the pupa in spring. Some other species may seem to beat this one to it, but those are species of which the adults overwinter. It is a useful species in the garden, for it hunts for other beetles, such as the awful Strawberry Weevil, slugs and even aphids.
Is called the European Gazelle Beetle in Northern America, where it is considered an invasive species, found in a.o. Oregon, where it is rapidly expanding its range.
