Length 8.5 to12 mm. the male is a handsome and normally shiny ground beetle which may have a metallic sheen of blue, green, maroon or black. Only the male is metallic - the female is dull black.The elytra are pubescent only along the margins.

It is commonly found in dry places, running over the soil surface. In dull weather it hides under stones.

Unlike many ground beetles, it is active during the day. The larvae are predatory, feeding on small soil invertebrates, whilst adults feed on seeds, particularly of grasses, umbellifers and members of the Daisy family.

Common and widespread in Britain.

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 88 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.