Subject: Above: Shore Ground Beetle, Elaphrus ruscarius, dorsal view

Below: Mating pair of Shore Ground Beetle, Elaphrus ruscarius

Location: Stonecoal WMA, West Virginia

Stock Numbers: 5-6885 above, and 5-7098 below

Comments: In the southeastern U.S. this is the most common beetle in the tribe Elaphrini. It ranges north from Texas and Florida to New England, southern Canada, and west to Minnesota.

This species’ metallic green coloration and striking markings remind us of tiny Tiger Beetles, and indeed they are in the same family as Tiger Beetles, the Carabidae or Ground Beetles. Behavior is also reminiscent of Tiger Beetles, hunting by running down their prey.

The larvae of this species pass through three instars, and like the adults they live where soil meets water—especially on the shores of rivers and large creeks.