Brachinus crepitans

Brachinus crepitans is a species of ground beetle in the Brachininae subfamily that can be found in Europe, central Asia, the Middle East, and northern Africa.

Brachinus crepitans
Museum specimen
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Carabidae
Genus:	Brachinus
Species:	B. crepitans
Binomial name
Brachinus crepitans (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Brachinus abdominaly Dallatorre, 1877 [unav.] Brachinus altaicus Motschulsky, 1864 Brachinus annulatus Reitter, 1919 [unav.] Brachinus atripennis Motschulsky, 1864: 215 [suppressed] Brachinus coerulescens Dallatorre, 1877 [unav.] Brachinus costatus G.Muller, 1911 Brachinus fallax Apfelbeck, 1904 [nec Peringuey, 1896] Brachinus femoratus Letzner, 1851 [unav.] Brachinus fimbriolatus Lucas, 1846 Brachinus flavosuturatus Eichler, 1924 Brachinus gracilis Motschulsky, 1844 Brachinus jeanneli Razet, 1951 Brachinus joenius Patti, 1844 Brachinus immaculatus Letzner, 1851 [unav.] Brachinus kirghis Iljin, 1925 Brachinus morio Gagliardi, 1941 Brachinus nigripennis Letzner, 1851 [unav.] Brachinus obscuricornis Brulle, 1834 [nec Menetries, 1832] Brachinus obscurus Heer, 1837 Brachinus rufothoracicus Marcu, 1929 Brachinus siculus Patti, 1844 Brachinus scoteinus Kolenati,1845 Brachinus strepitans Duftschmid, 1812 Brachinus sulcatulus Motschulsky, 1850 Brachinus tibialis Letzner, 1851 [unav.] Brachinus virescens Letzner, 1851 [unav.] Brachinus virescens Dallatorre, 1877 [unav.] Carabus crepitans Linnaeus, 1758

Etymology

The name of the species derived from a Latin word which means crackle because it makes crackling noise.

Description

Brachinus crepitans can reach a length of 7–10.2 millimetres (0.28–0.40 in), with an average of 8 millimetres (0.31 in). Head and protum are brown, while elytrae are greenish. The species is very similar to Brachinus efflans.

Distribution

Ukrainian distribution

In Ukraine the species is found in the steppes of Lviv, near Osovitsa village of Podolian Province in western Ukraine. It is also found in Zolochiv, Kharkiv Oblast.

UK Distribution

The species can be found in southern England and southern Wales where it is abundant in coastal areas. The inland locations have been sited as well through, the most recent of which are Cotswolds and Northamptonshire where it was discovered in limestones. It was also found in boulder clay in Huntingdonshire, and in Brotheridge Green, an old railway line and wildlife reserve that was located near Malvern, Worcestershire. The species was found in the 1970s by Ian L. Crombie.

Ecology

Brachinus crepitans

The species fly from May to June. The lifecycle is not known but the larvae are thought to be external parasites that feed on the pupae of other beetle species including Amara convexiuscula and a staphylinid beetle, Tasgius ater (Gravenhorst, 1802).

When disturbed, the species shoot liquid from two glands through their anus. Since one of the glands contains hydrogen peroxide and the other hydroquinone, when two the contents mix with enzymes in a "firing chamber", the liquid explodes, and harms the attackers.

Habitat

The species can be found in dry and sunny areas, and usually under stones. It can also be found in calcareous grasslands, arable land, and chalk quarries.

External links

• Brachinus crepitans
• Brachinus crepitans on Flickr