Cylindera germanica (Linnaeus, 1758)

Widespread and often common throughout Europe east to Russia, Ukraine, Syria and Turkmenistan. The nominal subspecies occurs throughout the range but in Europe there are also several others including C. g. sobrina (Gory, 1833), from France, Italy and Spain, and C. g .meulleri (Magistretti, 1966) from Italy and Greece. In the U.K. there are coastal populations in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It was formerly more widespread along the south coast and in south west Wales. They are more or less confined to open, grassy habitats, often near fresh water, by soft substrate cliffs and, while they may be abundant where they occur, there has been a significant decline in recent decades. Adults are agile and move rapidly but unlike our Cicindela species they rarely fly. They occur between June and September. On the continent the species also occurs inland, generally on loamy soils and often on flood plains. A mesophilic species; typical habitats are beside fresh water and on grassland generally but also on agricultural land, wasteland and beside roads and pathways etc.

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The small size, 8-11mm, and characteristic appearance are distinctive. Generally much darker than Cicindela campestris Linnaeus, 1758, our other green species, and distinct in having the sides of the pro-thorax glabrous or nearly so. The elytral markings are confined to the lateral edges; the humeral and median marks are small and discreet whereas the apical mark is elongate and a little variable in extent. The head and pronotum are generally metallic coppery or bronze, and the elytra are usually dark green but this varies in hue to bronze or blue to almost black. Elytra without striae but with a row of small metallic fovea beside the suture which extends almost to the apex. Meso- and metasterna pubescent, otherwise glabrous beneath. Antennae and legs, except for the tibiae, metallic.