Ground beetles are beetles that are widely studied in Estonia as well. Therefore, it is a great joy to find new species here that have not been seen before.
Roosileht collected the beetle in June 2025 from Koikküla in Valga County. He found the insect on a grassy strip between a gravel road and a field. It was very cold at night, but there were still many insects. This showed that insects can be active even in cold weather.
Using a microscope, Roosileht later examined the collected insects. He found that it was a new ground beetle species that had not been found in Estonia before. The beetle is named Ophonus melletii.
Ophonus melletii is about 8–9 millimeters long. Usually, ground beetles are known as very fierce predators. However, this beetle mainly feeds on seeds lying on the ground.
The beetle is brownish and plain-looking. Male and female beetles are different. Males have wider legs, while females are longer and rounder.
This beetle lives mainly in the grasslands of Western and Southern Europe. It prefers chalky and sandy soils. The beetle has also been found in Poland, Sweden, Denmark, and the Kaliningrad Oblast.
In Estonia, Finland, and other Baltic countries, this beetle has not been found before. Six species from the same genus have been found in Estonia, but their precise identification is challenging.