It is the largest of the British tiger beetles[1] with a length of between 15–19 millimetres (0.59–0.75 in).

It is black in colour with a blue tinge, more pronounced on the underside, and sometimes appears with a bronze sheen.

The beetle occurs throughout Europe with the exception of the Mediterranean and the extreme north.

The beetle has been given priority status under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) and has been included in the English Nature's Species Recovery Programme.

[4] The distribution list is Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, mainland France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary (doubtful), Ireland, Kaliningrad, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mongolia, the Netherlands, North Korea, North Macedonia, mainland Norway, Poland, Romania (doubtful), Russia,[5] Slovakia, Slovenia, mainland Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine.