SitkaNature: 1000 Species Project

Unidentified Beetle
Scaphinotus sp.

I noticed this beetle crawling for cover when I lifted up a piece of plastic in the backyard. The plastic had been there since last summer. This was the only one I noticed with the iridescent edging. It caught my eye. The mouth parts look pretty intimidating close up.

Thanks to the helpful comments here and at bugguide.net, I now know the genus. It does not appear to be the same as Scaphinotus angusticollis, which I believe is pretty common around here. I am not sure what species it is. An on-line Canadian reference with the Ground Beetles of British Columbia lists six other species in the genus, so I am guessing it’s one of those.