Brachinus crepitans

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Adephaga

Familia: Carabidae
Subfamilia: Brachininae
Tribus: Brachinini
Subtribus: Brachinina
Genus: Brachinus
Subgenus: Brachinus (Brachinus)
Species: Brachinus crepitans
Name

Brachinus crepitans (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms

Carabus crepitans Linnaeus, 1758

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiæ: impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. i–ii, 1–824 pp DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542: 414–415. Reference page.

Links

Brachinus crepitans Taxon details on Fauna Europaea
Calosoma sycophanta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences: А.Л. Лобанов. Brachinus crepitans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Carabidae) - рисунок Ф.Северы
ZooBank: 5BA3F754-DFB5-4DF4-AEB4-2EA17646708D

Vernacular names
беларуская: Бамбардзір траскучы
Deutsch: Großer Bombardierkäfer
English: Brachinus crepitans
eesti: Paugujooksik
suomi: Pommikiitäjäinen
français: Bombardier commun
עברית: מפציצנית מרעישה
Nederlands: Grote bombardeerkever
polski: Strzel łoskotnik
русский: Бомбардир трескучий
svenska: Bombarderbagge

Brachinus crepitans is a species of ground beetle in the Brachininae subfamily that can be found in Europe, central Asia, the Middle East, and northern Africa.[2]

Etymology

The name of the species derived from a Latin word which means crackle because it makes crackling noise.[3]
Description

Brachinus crepitans can reach a length of 7–10.2 millimetres (0.28–0.40 in), with an average of 8 millimetres (0.31 in).[1][3] Head and protum are brown, while elytrae are greenish. The species is very similar to Brachinus efflans.
Distribution
Ukrainian distribution

In Ukraine the species is found in the steppes of Lviv, near Osovitsa village of Podolian Province in western Ukraine. It is also found in Zolochiv, Kharkiv Oblast.[1]
UK Distribution

The species can be found in southern England and southern Wales where it is 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 was found in the 1970s by Ian L. Crombie.[4]
Ecology
Brachinus crepitans

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).[3]

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.[3]
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.[3]
References

"Brachinus (Brachinus) crepitans (Linnaeus, 1758)". Carabidae.org. September 20, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
"Brachinus (Brachinus) crepitans (Linnaeus, 1758)". 2.6.2. Fauna Europaea. August 29, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
"Bombardier beetle (Brachinus crepitans)". ARKive. Archived from the original on 2012-08-24. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
"Bombardier Beetle Brachinus Crepitans Found Near Honeybourne". WBRC. Retrieved December 28, 2012.