Common Springtail-stalker

Notiophilus biguttatus

Date First Recorded in the Garden: 08/04/2023

Family Carabidae: Ground Beetles

A large family of beetles with online sources stating around 40,000 species worldwide. They are mostly carnivorous and there are only around 270 species in the UK.

Common Springtail-stalker – Notiophilus biguttatus

This small beetle is according to most reference material easy to identify by the second elytral interval being wider than the 3rd to 5th combined and on the 4th interval there is a single and clearly distinguishable indentation.

According to Chinery, M. (2005):Collins Complete British Insects. London. HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd, the orange tibia (central section of the leg) stands out against the other bronze sections. As can be seen above. The same source suggests this is a common insect and well distributed across the country.

In the Garden

The above specimen was recorded scuttering across the concrete steps, which just happen to be partially covered in moss, which itself just happens to support its favourite food sources, including springtails and mites.

In order to encourage this species into your garden, common sense would therefore suggest creating habitats suitable for its main food source to thrive. For us it would seem that allowing areas of moss to develop was what brought this beetle to the Garden.