Vivid Metallic Ground Beetles

Chlaenius is a large and diverse genus of ground beetle. It is native to the Palearctic realm (including Europe, the Near East, and North Africa), Afrotropical realm, and Nearctic realm. Worldwide, roughly 1,000 species are currently recognized with the majority of known species occurring in the Oriental and Afrotropical regions. The genus is divided into many subgenera.

Total length = 16.0–17.0 mm (mean = 16.8), width = 5.60–6.13 mm (mean = 5.86); HW = 2.60–2.95 mm (mean = 2.82), EYL = 0.95–1.10 mm (mean = 1.03), ratio Ant3/Ant1 = 1.56–1.72 (mean = 1.64), PL/PW = 0.76–0.84 (mean = 0.81), EL/EW = 1.68–1.91 (mean = 1.79), EL/ PL = 1.37–1.49 (mean = 1.42). Head and pronotum black with green or coppery metallic luster; elytra black; ventral surface black; mandibles and trochanters dark brown; antennomere 1, femora, tibiae yellow to brown; antennomeres 2–11, palpi and tarsi dark brown to nearly black. Head with vertex smooth medially, coarsely punctate behind eyes; labrum slightly emarginate at apex; antennomere 1 coniform (Fig. 52). Pronotum with disk smooth, very sparsely punctate along midline in a few specimens; lateral furrow sparsely pubescent and coarsely punctate; medial longitudinal furrow deep, impunctate; basal foveae narrow, deep, sparsely pubescent and punctate. Elytral intervals convex, intervals 1–5 glabrous medially, with a row of setae laterally (Fig. 80), pubescent in apical one-fifth in a few specimens, intervals 6–9 pubescent throughout; striae deep, punctate; humeral angles obtuse (Fig. 66). Abdominal sterna IV–VI sparsely pubescent medially, densely pubescent laterally; sternum VII narrowly rounded apically in both sexes (Figs 94–95). Lamella of aedeagus round at apex (Fig. 117), thin and straight in lateral view (Fig. 118).

Fig. 158. Known only from Guizhou and Sichuan Provinces, China.