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Genus Amara

Amara rubrica Carabidae - Amara Seed-Eating Ground Beetle - Amara quenseli - female Common Sun Beetle - Amara aenea - female Amara rugulifera - Amara Harpalini? - Amara Tribe Harpalini ? - Amara apricaria Amara conflata - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Adephaga
Family Carabidae (Ground Beetles)
Subfamily Harpalinae
Supertribe Pterostichitae
Tribe Zabrini (Seed-Eating Ground Beetles)
Genus Amara
Pronunciation
ă-MĀ-ră (Classification of Insects by CT Brues, Dorland's Medical Dictionary, &c); ĂM-ă-ră (The Century Dictionary); ă-MĂ-ră (casual use) [PWM]
Explanation of Names
Amara Bonelli 1810
Greek a- + mairo 'to shine'(1)
Numbers
105 spp. in 11 subgenera in our area, ~600 spp. in 47 subgenera worldwide(1)
Size
5‒11 mm(2), usually 6‒9 mm
Identification
Species identification is difficult • habitus photos of 52 spp. occurring in PNW(3)
Old Key to Nearctic subgenera modified from (4)
1. Protibial spur trifid ⇒ZEZEA (9 spp.)
Protibial spur simple ⇒2
2. Prosternal process not margined at apex ⇒CURTONOTUS (15)
Prosternal process margined at apex ⇒3
3. Prosternal process apically plurisetose ⇒4
Prosternal process apically asetose, or 2- or 4-setose ⇒5
4. Pronotum with posterolateral impression delimited laterally by a pronounced carina; transcontinental ⇒PERCOSIA (1)
Pronotum with posterolateral carina suggested; OK‒TX ⇒NEOPERCOSIA (1)
5. Pronotum basally ±constricted, sinuate or not in front of hind angles, or very narrow, with dense and pronounced punctation across basal area; dorsum rufopiceous to black, not metallic. ⇒BRADYTUS - fulva group (10)
Pronotum basally broad, sides slightly curved or straight towards hind angles, but not sinuate; dorsal surface dark, dull, to metallic ⇒6
6. Elytron with stria 7 preapically with 4‒5 punctures; California ±BRADYTUS - insignus group (2)
Elytal stria 7 preapically with 0-3 punctures ⇒AMARA s.str. (~40), CELIA (12), PARACELIA (1), AMAROCELIA (12), XENOCELIA (12)

Below is an updated work-in-progress key after Ball & Bousquet 2001; modified/expanded by PW Messer 2024, 2025

Updated Key to the Nearctic subgenera of Amara
Abbreviations. E7:0, E7:1, E7:2, … = 0, 1, 2, … setigerous punctures subapically in elytron stria #7; m/s = microsculpture.

01. Front tibia with apical spur trifid; 9 species => Zezea
–– Front tibia with apical spur simple, not forked => 2

2(1). Prosternum with intercoxal process not margined at apex; E7:1; 15 species => Curtonotus
–-- Prosternum with intercoxal process margined at apex; E7:1 or more => 3

3(2). Prosternum with intercoxal process apically plurisetose (≥ 6) => 4
–– Prosternum with intercoxal process apically asetose, or bi- or quadri-setose => 5

4(3). Pronotum with posterolateral impression delimited laterally by a pronounced carina; geographical range
Transcontinental. 1 species (A. obesa) => Percosia
–– Pronotum with posterolateral carina suggested, only; geographical range, Texas only. 1 species (A. fortis) => Neopercosia

5(4). Pronotum basally more or less constricted, sinuate or not anteriad posterolateral angles, or very narrow, with dense and pronounced punctation over entire basal area; dorsal surface dark (rufopiceous to black), dull or shiny, not metallic; E7:1 except for insignis group with E7:4–5. 12 species. => Bradytus
–– Pronotum basally broad, lateral margins slightly curved, straight or slightly sinuate anteriad posterolateral angles; dorsal surface dark, dull, to metallic => 6

6(5). E7:4–5; male prosternum centrally with small impunctate fovea; geographical range, California. 2
species => Bradytus insignis species group
–– E7:0 or E7:2–3 => 7

7(6). Six subgenera below. Most require male structures for secure recognition. The males are distinguished externally by the presence of vestiture scales beneath their relatively expanded segments of the protarsi.

Xenocelia [Hieke 2001:71]: Male with 2 pairs anal setae (subapical abdomen); male prosternum modified centrally (punctate fovea); dorsum not metallic; antenna not strongly bicolored, yellowish but often from 2 or 3 slightly darker, never black; appendages often dark; pronotum never cordate; pronotum with isodiametric m/s; elytral m/s distinctly isodiametric; E striae fine, seldom finely punctulate, never deepen apically; 7th str w 2 punc; male metatibia often with brush. 11 species.

Reductocelia: Pronotum very narrow; E7:1–2; aedeagal right paramere with strong apical hook; 1 species (A. colvillensis in far northwestern North America; see Lindroth 1968: 687).

Celia: Male prosternum not modified (except in A. californica); male metatibia without brush; pronotum with m/s absent, obsolete, or transverse, not isodiametric (except in A. californica). 13 species.

Amarocelia: Essentially like Amara s. str. except for no metatibial brush in males; [male prosternum not modified; elytral striae not deepened apically & without scutellar puncture]. 12 species.

Amara sensu stricto: Metallic dorsum in most species; most with palps & at least femur dark (except A. familiaris and A. anthobia); antennae strongly bicolored; male metatibia with linear brush on inside surface (difficult to see without best viewing angle); E7:2–3; 28 species among three subgroups below.

----impuncticollis group = Elytron with scutellar setigerous puncture; E7:3; antennomeres 1–3 much lighter. 6 species.

----cupreolata group = very metallic; elytron without scutellar puncture; E7:2; only basal antennomere light; pronotum with front angles strongly projected forward; 5 species.

----incertae sedis = the remaining 17 species.

Paracelia: Prosternal intercoxa with 2 setae; eyes flat. 1 species (A. q. quenselli, see Lindroth 1968: 694).
Range
mostly Holarctic; across NA(5)
Habitat
Commonly found on wet sand/mud or beneath logs or rocks in damp areas(6), though tend to favor dry open areas in these habitats(5)
Food
Most feed on seeds; a few (e.g., A. obesa), on grasshopper eggs(7)(6)
Life Cycle
Some species overwinter as adults(7)
Works Cited
1.Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico
Bousquet Y. 2012. ZooKeys 245: 1–1722.
2.A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America
Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence. 1961. Row, Peterson, and Company.
3.Photo gallery of the Spencer Entomological Collection
4.The ground-beetles (Carabidae, excl. Cicindelinae) of Canada and Alaska, parts 1—6
C.H. Lindroth. 1961. Opuscula Entomologica Supplementa XX, XXIV, XXIX, XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXV.
5.American Beetles, Volume I: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia
Arnett, R.H., Jr., and M. C. Thomas. (eds.). 2000. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
6.Ground Beetles and Wrinkled Bark Beetles of South Carolina
Janet Ciegler. 2000. Clemson University.
7.An illustrated descriptive catalogue of the Coleoptera or beetles (exclusive of the Rhynchophora) known to occur in Indiana.
Blatchley, W. S. 1910. Indianapolis,Nature Pub. Co.