Bledius bicornis

On the face of it this seems like an extremely unlikely record, this being a rare coastal species and me having found it coming to light in my mid Norfolk garden. I hadn't identified many Staphylinids at the time - indeed I still regard myself as a beginner with this family - but in 2019 I decided to try and key this one out using the Hackston keys. I got it to Bledius bicornis, checked it, double-checked it and triple-checked it but couldn't see where I had gone wrong. Surely I wouldn't get a rare coastal species inland among the first dozen or so Staphs that I had identified? I decided to keep hold of it until I'd got a bit more experience with the family and then try it again. Well, nearly four years later and I'm going through all my outstanding Staphs and here it is, still looking bang on for Bledius bicornis. I think that *is* what it is. I suppose I do catch saltmarsh moths here from time to time, as do other inland moth-trappers, with multiple records here of Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii, Saltmarsh Bell Eucosma tripoliana, a Saltern Groundling Scrobipalpa instabilella and a Silver-streaked Case-bearer Coleophora limoniella, so I guess if coastal moths can get displaced inland so can a small beetle.

The key describes two subspecies of bicornis, nominate bicornis and jutlandensis, though it doesn't say where each occurs. Mine appears to be jutlandensis, at least from the measurements although I'm not convinced the pronotum is broader than the elytra at the shoulders.

Bledius bicornis showing clypeus (2 angles), head from rear, hind tibia, pronotum, elytra and measurement of clypeus to elytra and measurements of third antennal segment, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 24th June 2019