Description

Body length 9 - 12mm. This species has a bright metallic green, blue or maroon shine in the male and red legs and antennae. The female tends to be plainer or just black.

Habitat

Open, dry sites, where the adults feed on seeds of grasses, umbellifers or asteraceae. The larvae are predators of small invertebrates in the surface of the soil.

Status and distribution

Widespread but sparse with strongholds in the south-east, East Anglia, the Midlands or otherwise it is coastal. Fairly common in Nottinghamshire and recorded once at Netherfield Lagoons.

Best time to see

May to September.