Europe and temperate western Asia
Fine-art photographic collection
Notiophilus biguttatus
A ground beetle with enlarged forward-looking eyes built for visual pursuit of springtails.
About this species
Notiophilus biguttatus(Fabricius, 1779)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Notiophilus biguttatus is a small predatory ground beetle found in litter and open woodland habitats. Unlike many ground beetles that rely heavily on chemical or tactile cues, it visually detects and chases tiny springtails.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Carabidae · Notiophilus
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and temperate western AsiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Leaf litter, woodland edges, grassland and other ground habitats with abundant small arthropods.
Runs rapidly by day or in bright conditions while searching the ground surface.
Primarily springtails and other very small arthropods.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
Each eye contains roughly 900–1,250 facets and includes a forward-facing high-resolution zone that gives the beetle a visual hunting fovea.
Its combined visual field spans about 200 degrees, allowing it to detect a springtail’s movement and launch a rapid ground pursuit.
When prey is plentiful it selects smaller springtails, but as density falls it broadens the menu and attacks larger individuals as well.