Can anyone tell me what kind of beetle is this?

[manuel2p]

Since I was a child, I used to spent my holidays at the beach, and there was always an insect prowling around in the sand and places near the beach. I think I have also seen it in the country, but never in the town.

Well, I CAN'T find any information about its name or taxonomic description. I am from Spain and here is where I have seen this bug. My family and nearly people have always called it "curiana", but I have noticed that word is a synonym of "cockroach", but it is NOT any kind of cockroach at all, so I don't even know its name.

All I know is it is very similar to a "ground beetle", small size, it does not fly nor has it wings, it is inoffensive, and I see it running very often, or walking quickly.

Well, here is a photo of it (the only one I have found) and I have also posted a picture of a ground beetle in order to make it easier to compare them.





Please tell me its binomial name, if you know. Thank you.

[Chris Grinter]

It might be helpful to tell us where you saw this beetle - that's a key part of narrowing down an identification.

it is a beetle in the Tenebrionidae though.

[thanos]

Genus for sure Akis. It looks like A. granulifera which occurs in Spain.


Thanos

[manuel2p]

Sept 16, 2012 16:10:07 GMT -8 Chris Grinter said:

It might be helpful to tell us where you saw this beetle - that's a key part of narrowing down an identification.

it is a beetle in the Tenebrionidae though.

Of course. It is in Spain, in seaside regions.

[manuel2p]

Sept 16, 2012 16:34:13 GMT -8 @thanos said:

Genus for sure Akis. It looks like A. granulifera which occurs in Spain.


Thanos

Thanks a lot. That's it. I don't know why there is so little information about this insect.