Brachinus crepitans

{{Taxobox
|image= Carabidae - Brachinus crepitans.JPG
|image_caption=Brachinus crepitans, Museum specimen
|regnum=Animalia
|phylum=Arthropoda
|classis=Insecta|ordo=Coleoptera|familia=Carabidae
|genus=Brachinus|subgenus=Brachinus (Brachinus)
|species=B. crepitans|binomial=Brachinus crepitans
|binomial_authority=(Linnaeus, 1758)|synonyms=
Brachinus abdominaly Dallatorre, 1877 [unav.]
Brachinus altaicus Motschulsky, 1864
Brachinus annulatus Reitter, 1919 [unav.]
Brachinus atripennis Motschulsky, 1864: 215 [suppressed]
Brachinus coerulescens Dallatorre, 1877 [unav.]
Brachinus costatus G.Muller, 1911</small>
Brachinus fallax Apfelbeck, 1904 [nec Peringuey, 1896]
Brachinus femoratus Letzner, 1851 [unav.]
Brachinus fimbriolatus Lucas, 1846
Brachinus flavosuturatus Eichler, 1924
Brachinus gracilis Motschulsky, 1844
Brachinus jeanneli Razet, 1951
Brachinus joenius Patti, 1844Brachinus immaculatus Letzner, 1851 [unav.]Brachinus kirghis Iljin, 1925Brachinus morio Gagliardi, 1941Brachinus nigripennis Letzner, 1851 [unav.]Brachinus obscuricornis Brulle, 1834 [nec Menetries, 1832]Brachinus obscurus Heer, 1837Brachinus rufothoracicus Marcu, 1929Brachinus siculus Patti, 1844Brachinus scoteinus Kolenati,1845Brachinus strepitans Duftschmid, 1812Brachinus sulcatulus Motschulsky, 1850Brachinus tibialis Letzner, 1851 [unav.]Brachinus virescens Letzner, 1851 [unav.]Brachinus virescens Dallatorre, 1877 [unav.]Carabus crepitans Linnaeus, 1758|synonyms_ref=}}Brachinus crepitans is a species of ground beetle in the Brachininae subfamily that can be found everywhere in Europe, except for Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Vatican City, and some islands such as Cyclades, Gibraltar, Iceland, Madeira, Malta, North Aegean, Novaya Zemlya, and Savage Islands.
 It can also be found in every Central Asian and Middle Eastern country except for Afghanistan. North African countries have them too.

Etymology
The name of the species derived from a Latin word which means crackle because it makes crackling noise.

DescriptionBrachinus crepitans can reach a length of , with an average of . Head and protum are brown, while elytrae are greenish. The species is very similar to Brachinus efflans.

Distribution

Ukrainian distribution
In Ukraine the species was found in steppes of Lviv, near Osovitsa village of Podolian Province in Western Ukraine. It was also found in Zolochiv, Kharkiv Oblast.

UK Distribution
Most of the time the species can be found in southern England and southern Wales where its abundant in coastal areas. The inland locations have been sited as well through, the most recent of which are Cotswolds and Northamptonshire where it was discovered in limestones. It was also found in boulder clay in Huntingdonshire, and in Brotheridge Green, an old railway line and wildlife reserve that was located near Malvern, Worcestershire. The species were found in the 1970s by Ian L. Crombie.

Ecology

The species fly from May to June. The lifecycle is not known but the larvae are thought to be external parasites that feed on the pupae of other beetle species including Amara convexiuscula and a staphylinid beetle, Tasgius ater'' (Gravenhorst, 1802).

When disturbed, the species shoot liquid from two glands through their anus. Since one of the glands contains hydrogen peroxide and the other hydroquinone, when two the contents mix with enzymes in a "firing chamber", the liquid explodes, and harms the attackers.

Habitat
The species can be found in dry and sunny areas, and usually under stones. It can also be found in calcareous grasslands, arable land, and chalk quarries.

References

External links
Brachinus crepitans
Brachinus crepitans on Flickr

Category:Beetles described in 1758
Category:Beetles of Asia
Category:Beetles of Europe
Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus