Small beetle ID (Cumbria, UK) (1 Viewer)

[gillean55]

Hello

I found this small beetle (about 2mm long) on ground vegetation by the side of a river near Carlisle earlier today. Despite having quite distinctive markings on its back I've not been able to find a convincing match. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Paul

 

[salticus]

I know next to nothing about beetles but wondered about a Longitarsus species

 

[gillean55]

Thanks for that, salticus.

I was thinking along those lines myself, as when I did an image search last night several photos of Longitarsus species were flagged up. The problem is that none of them had comparable markings on the back.

However, I've had another look this morning and came up with the following:

Flea Beetle - Longitarsus

An online resource devoted to North American insects, spiders and their kin, offering identification, images, and information.

bugguide.net

which is certainly the best match I've managed to find - although unfortunately it's not identified down to species level.

Paul

 

[salticus]

On Flickr you can find one or two Longitarsus pics that show similar markings, but they're not identified to species

https://flic.kr/p/2j88cJR

 

[gillean55]

Thanks, salticus!

Paul