Quote:
Originally Posted by paul m
Okay, the first one is certainly an Amara (they mainly have the overall egg-shaped body. The sharp nicks at the back of the forebody are seen only on a few species of which A. aenea is one of the most common, particularly in urban habitats.
The second may well be a Harpalus - chunky, thickset legs and body but there are many of these and there's not enough detail to speculate.
The greenish beetle, at that size, is certainly a Poecilus (they have been split from Pterostichus by most authorities) of which P. cupreus is the most common in UK and probably NW Europe?
They don't cause leaf mines but, although most carabids are omnivores but mainly predatory, Amara species tend to be herbivorous as larvae (feeding on roots) but predatory as imagines. Harpalus, unusually, are plant-eaters in both life stages. Indeed, some species of Harpalus may become pests in strawberry crops!
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Clever eh! I start a thread about an egg/sack thing and end up with 2 beetle ID's and a probable
. Thanks Paul!
I will keep an eye out this spring for more of the leaf mines and may be lucky enough to see what makes them.