Bug FAQMetallic Harpalus
Harpalus affinis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Carabidae
Also called: Polychrome harp ground beetle
Metallic Harpalus beetles are 8.5 to 12 mm long and have a metallic bronze, green or blue sheen with a darker grey abdomen. They are ground beetles native to the Palearctic region and have been introduced to the Nearctic and Australasian areas. The larvae hatch in mid-May, develop for about three months, and feed on termites, showing orange mandibles in the second instar.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults have a metallic bronze, green or blue surface and a dark grey abdomen at the rear.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
They measure between 8.5 and 12 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
These beetles live on the ground and are found across the Palearctic, as well as in introduced populations in North America and Australasia.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Newly hatched larvae feed on termites, and the second-instar larvae have large dark orange mandibles.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs hatch in mid-May and the development period lasts about three months.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Hatching occurs around mid-May.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their native range extends from Europe across Siberia within the Palearctic realm.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The abdomen of this species is light grey, distinguishing it from the darker abdomens of H. pensylvanicus and H. capito larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Washington, New York, Utah, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify a Metallic Harpalus beetle?
Look for a 8.5 to 12 mm ground beetle with a metallic bronze, green or blue sheen and a dark grey abdomen at the rear.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Carabidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpalus_affinis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.