Pterostichus burmeisteri Heer, 1837

This species has a mostly central and eastern European distribution; there are two subspecies (although more will be found in the literature). ssp. burmeisteri s.str. occurs from eastern France through Northern Italy and the Balkans to Ukraine and north to Denmark and Poland, while ssp. baldensis Schaum, 1862 is endemic to mainland Italy. It does not occur in the UK and is generally rare in Northern Europe; it is otherwise generally common in upland and mountain woodlands and scrub throughout this distribution. Both adults and larvae are predatory and ground living, adults occur throughout the year, peaking in abundance during May and again, though less so, in August. Reproduction occurs in spring and early summer and fresh adults appear from September or October. Adults are nocturnal and spend the day under debris or matted vegetation; they become very active at night and are frequently recorded from forest pathways and clearings, especially on calcareous or clay soils.

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​12-15 mm. A broadly-oval species with a relatively large head and robust appendages, body dark with a distinct greenish, purple or bronzy metallic reflection, palps reddish-brown, antennae black or mostly so, legs dark brown or with darker femora. Head with two setiferous punctures beside convex and prominent eyes, frons finely wrinkled laterally and with an irregular oblique impression in front of the eyes. Terminal maxillary palpomere truncate and much shorter than the penultimate segment. Antennae densely pubescent from the fourth segment. Pronotum transverse, broadest in front of the middle and sinuate before slightly projecting posterior angles, lateral margins strongly bordered, disc smooth with a variable longitudinal median impression, basal third or quarter with sparse fine punctures and doubled fovea, the inner much longer than the oblique external fovea, basal and apical margins strongly curved, the anterior angles therefore projecting. Elytra rather strongly curved from rounded shoulders to a continuous apical margin, lateral margins widely explanate and strongly bordered, striae punctured but weakly impressed, missing in places and sometimes crossing or confused, interstices very weakly convex, with a tendency to have small punctures where the striae are abbreviated but this is variable. The only member of the genus in central Europe without crossed epipleura. Males have strongly dilated front tarsal segments.