---
title: "Pennsylvania Dingy Ground Beetle"
description: "Harpalus pensylvanicus — Insekten & Spinnen. Harpalus pensylvanicus, the Pennsylvania ground beetle or Pennsylvania dingy ground beetle, is a species of ground beetle in the subfamily Harpalinae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/de/animal/pennsylvania-dingy-ground-beetle
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Pennsylvania Dingy Ground Beetle

> Harpalus pensylvanicus — Insekten & Spinnen. Harpalus pensylvanicus, the Pennsylvania ground beetle or Pennsylvania dingy ground beetle, is a species of ground beetle in the subfamily Harpalinae.

- Scientific name: *Harpalus pensylvanicus*
- Category: `insects` (Insekten & Spinnen)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Wiese & Feld)
- iNaturalist observations: 8324
- Wikidata: [Q13656403](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13656403)
- iNaturalist taxon: [147935](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/147935)

## Names

- en: Pennsylvania Dingy Ground Beetle
- fr: Harpale de Pennsylvanie

## Countries with the most observations

US (1785), CA (273)

## Summary

Harpalus pensylvanicus, the Pennsylvania ground beetle or Pennsylvania dingy ground beetle, is a species of ground beetle in the subfamily Harpalinae. It is found throughout North America. It was described by Degeer in 1774.
The adults of the species are shiny black on the top, reddish brown underneath, and the elytra have lines. The larvae are black with a reddish head and the body is tapered with two long cerci. The species' food includes the seeds of ragweed and assorted grasses. They are important weed seed predators. They prefer small seeds such as lamb's quarter and waterhemp seeds. They favor high hayfields…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpalus_pensylvanicus

## Photo

![Pennsylvania Dingy Ground Beetle](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/pennsylvania-dingy-ground-beetle/medium.jpg)

Photo: andrew2285 · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/245761443

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/pennsylvania-dingy-ground-beetle?lang=de` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).