Size: 11.3-18.4mm

Seasonality: March-November

Distribution; Europe into Russia; introduced and invasive in North America: NL-BC, AK, NS-VA, w. to SD, s. to AZ, n. from CA-WA.

Information: may be found in almost every habitat type; carnivorous, both a scavenger and predator.

Description: body: elongate-oblong, moderately robust; dorsal and ventral colouration should be fully semi-matte and glossy black. Head somewhat long, triangular; face longish; surface of the head smooth aside form two indentations between the eyes; two setae over each eye-the seta over the front of the eye should be rather short, while the seta over the back of the eye should be quite long. Small ridge spanning from the front margin of the eye, to the dorsal base of the scapus. Mandibles long, broad; curved tips, dorsally wrinkled. Palpi dark with pale tips. Eyes bulging laterally, weakly reduced. Antennae black, pale antennal pubescence begins on the second antennomere following the pedicel. Pronotum semi-ovate, quadrate; front margin curves inward, without lateral bead; lateral margins of the pronotum flattened somewhat, bordered with lateral bead; basal margin without lateral beading. Front angles obtuse, lateral margins rounded, hind angles sharply obtuse. Most of the pronotal disk should be smooth, lateral dorsal margins flattened somewhat, rough; median line shallow, very deep near base-lower median bulge weak, with a shallow triangular indentation on either side, beside which, between these indents and the hind angles, should be another, elongate-trangular, slender indentation, well-defined, and rather deep. The basal margin of the pronotum should be weakly micropunctate. Basal margin does not overlap the entire scutellum, leaving most of it exposed. Laterobasal ridges enire, humeral shoulders rounded, apices sinuous. 8-9 deep, well-defined striae per elytron, intervals elevated slightly. Interval 3 should have two small fovea each with one short seta, each touching the 2nd stria. NO additional pubescence. 

All Pterostichus species are sexually dimorphic-males have broadened, padded protarsi, while females' are normal.