Dusky Darkling Beetle
Opatrum sabulosum
A small, dark ground beetle of dry sandy fields, steppes, field margins, and open disturbed soils across much of Europe and western Asia. It walks rather than relies on flight, feeding mainly on decaying plant material, seeds, and tender seedlings. When threatened it depends on its tough exoskeleton, stillness, and foul defensive secretions rather than speed. Its dusky, soil-colored body helps it blend into bare ground and litter during the day.
- Type
- Shell / Venom
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Dusky Darkling Beetle