(Lygaeidae) Pterotmetus staphyliniformis


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Pterotmetus staphyliniformis
Family: Lygaeidae

An elongate species, more than 3x longer than wide, with entirely dark shiny foreparts and reddish-brown wings. Usually brachypterous; in macropterous specimens the wing membrane is mainly dark with a pale spot at the base.

Extremely rare in Britain and overlooked here until the 1960s. A clifftop species highly localised to a small stretch of coastline in west Cornwall, between Cape Cornwall and Nanjizal. Widespread in continental Europe.

A seed-feeder associated with sparsely-vegetated stony ground, in areas with a ground cover of Sedum and a thin layer of mosses and lichens. The bug is probably polyphagous.

Adult: ~All year
Length 4-5 mm