# Agonum

Agonum beetles are shiny and often have beautiful colors! They love to scurry around in leaf litter and help keep the environment clean.

- **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Forests, grasslands, and near water bodies.
- **Also known as:** Agonum Beetle, Shiny Beetle

![Agonum](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Agonum_cupripenne_%28Say%29.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Michael K. Oliver, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agonum_cupripenne_%28Say%29.jpg)

## Appearance

The Agonum is a medium-sized ground beetle, often showcasing a shiny, metallic green, blue, or coppery sheen. Its flattened body and long, slender legs differentiate it from many rounder beetles, making it appear streamlined.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Insecta
- **Order:** Coleoptera
- **Family:** Carabidae
- **Genus:** Agonum

## Interesting facts

- Agonum beetles use their sensitive antennae to 'smell' their prey in the dark.
- Many Agonum species existed during the time of the dinosaurs!
- Some Agonum beetles can live for over a year as adults, quite long for an insect!
- Their larvae look like tiny, fierce monsters with big jaws!

## Special abilities

- **Chemical Shield:** Agonum can spray irritating chemicals because it helps them deter hungry predators.
- **Night Vision:** Agonum has large compound eyes that help them hunt small prey in the dark.
- **Super Speed:** Agonum can run very quickly because of their long, powerful legs that help them chase down food.

## Measurements & details

- **Wingspan:** 10-30 mm
- **Size:** 5-15 mm
- **Lifespan:** 365-730 days
- **Flight Speed:** 8 km/h
- **Leg Count:** 6

## Diet & Feeding

Agonum beetles are fierce insect predators, hunting down small invertebrates to eat.

- **Age differences:** Larvae are also predatory, feeding on similar small invertebrates in the soil.
- **Primary Foods:** slugs, earthworms, aphids, insect larvae, small snails
- **Foraging Method:** Pursuit

## Ecological connections

- **Hunts:** common earthworm (*Lumbricus terrestris*) — An important food source for Agonum beetles.
- **Hunts:** grey field slug (*Deroceras reticulatum*) — Agonum beetles actively hunt these slow-moving mollusks.
- **Eaten by:** [common blackbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-blackbird) (*Turdus merula*) — Birds, like blackbirds, often prey on Agonum beetles.
- **Eaten by:** common toad (*Bufo bufo*) — Toads are natural predators, consuming ground beetles.

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.

## Collections

- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Agonum?

Look for hard wing covers meeting in a line down the back, then compare the antennae, body shape, legs and markings. Metallic colors shift a lot with lighting. Beetle Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### What is Agonum's wingspan?

10-30 mm

### How big is Agonum?

5-15 mm

### How long does Agonum live?

365-730 days

### How fast can Agonum fly?

8 km/h

### What does Agonum eat?

Agonum beetles are fierce insect predators, hunting down small invertebrates to eat.

### Where is Agonum usually found?

Forests, grasslands, and near water bodies.

### How does Agonum hunt?

Pursuit

## Where to spot

- [Eudora Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/eudora-park) — Virginia, US · Park

## More Insects

- [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*)
- [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*)
- [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*)
- [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*)

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Source: [Agonum: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/agonum)