It is the most common species of the genus, and maybe even of the family, in the whole of Central Europe.

[citation needed] The beetles can cause severe pain if they come into contact with the human eye.

Anotylus tetracarinatus reaches a length of 1.7 to 2.1 mm.

Often the imagines swarm in spring or early summer in great numbers, especially in the afternoons or evenings of warm days.

Anotylus tetracarinatus was first described from Plauischer Grund near Dresden,[3]: 1403  but is found natively in Algeria, Europe, Russia, Turkey, Iran, United States and Canada.