Blue Ground Beetle

carabus intricatus

The Blue Ground Beetle (Carabus intricatus) is one of Europe's most striking and rarest beetles. Renowned for its brilliant, iridescent blue-violet coloration, this impressive insect is a denizen of ancient, damp deciduous woodlands where it plays a vital role as a top invertebrate predator. Because of its specific habitat requirements and sensitivity to forest management, it serves as an excellent bioindicator of healthy, mature forest ecosystems. Encountering one of these glittering giants climbing a moss-covered oak at night is a thrilling highlight for any nature enthusiast. Historically widespread but now highly localized, it has become a major focus of conservation efforts, particularly in the United Kingdom where it was once thought to be extinct. Its remarkable survival in isolated pockets of old-growth temperate rainforest highlights the critical importance of preserving ancient woodland habitats.

Lebensraum: Typically found in damp, ancient deciduous woodlands, especially those with high humidity and abundant mossy tree trunks.

Aussehen

Measuring up to 3.8 centimeters in length, this large beetle is easily recognized by its spectacular metallic purplish-blue sheen, which covers its head, thorax, and heavily textured elytra. Its body is elongated and somewhat flattened, with long, slender legs designed for rapid running rather than climbing. The elytra (wing cases) are covered in intricate, rough ridges and grooves, giving them a distinctively rugged appearance, and they are fused together, rendering the beetle completely flightless. Its head features powerful, forward-pointing jaws (mandibles) and long, thread-like antennae that it uses to navigate the dark forest floor.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungColeopteraFamilieCarabidaeGattungCarabus

Blue Ground Beetle

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

During the day, it avoids predators and desiccation by squeezing into tight crevices beneath damp bark or deep inside rotting logs.

It was thought to be extinct in the United Kingdom for several decades until a small, surviving population was rediscovered in Devon in 1994.

The Blue Ground Beetle is completely flightless, as its hind wings are vestigial and its beautiful blue elytra are completely fused together.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Equipped with long, narrow mandibles designed specifically to reach inside snail shells and slice through soft mollusc tissue.

When threatened, it can spray a foul, noxious liquid from its abdomen to deter birds, small mammals, and other predators.

Unlike many ground beetles, it has evolved highly grippy tarsi, allowing it to scale vertical mossy tree trunks at night to hunt tree slugs.

Maße und Details

Länge: 2-4 cm
Gewicht: 0.001-0.003 kg
Lebenserwartung: 2-3 Jahre
Gelegegröße: 10-30
Brutzeit: 14-20 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

A predatory carnivore that specializes in hunting large land snails, slugs, and earthworms on the forest floor and up mossy tree trunks at night.

Hauptnahrung

Ashy Black Slug
Lemon Slug
Land Snails
Earthworms

Nahrungssuche

Pursuit Division Search To Active Capture Of Prey. It Scales Trees At Night To Search For Arboreal Slugs. Used: Pursuit. Check Constraints: Pursuit, Ambush, Foraging, Grazing, Filtering. Let Us Use Pursuit. Wait, Diet Details.huntingmethod Is Nullable. Yes, Let Us Put: Pursuit. Just One Of Those Is Fine. Let's Write 'pursuit'. Check Schema: Required: ['maindiet', 'dietsummary', 'primaryfoods']. 'huntingmethod' Is Optional/nullable. Let's Use 'pursuit'. Let's Correct The Flat Json String To Avoid Any Issues. Let Us Re Verify: "huntingmethod":"pursuit" Is Fine. Let's Do That. Wait, Primaryfoods Can Just Be Names. Let's Do: ["ashy Black Slug", "lemon Slug", "land Snails", "earthworms"]. Dietchangeswithage: String Or Null. Let's Write "both Larvae And Adults Are Predatory, But Larvae Are Strictly Ground Dwelling And Target Smaller Soft Bodied Invertebrates."

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

hunts

Ashy Black Slug

Limax cinereoniger

The Blue Ground Beetle is a specialized predator that actively hunts and feeds on this large forest mollusc.

competitor

Violet Ground Beetle

Carabus violaceus

Competes for prey resources, shelter, and territory within the same ancient woodland leaf litter habitats.

eaten by

Eurasian Badger

Meles meles

A nocturnal mammalian predator that digs through forest litter and consumes large beetles as part of its opportunistic diet.

Merkmale

Für dieses Objekt sind noch keine Merkmal-Badges vergeben.

Auch bekannt als

Noch keine Alternativnamen vorhanden.

Sammlungen

Sammlungen für dieses Objekt erscheinen hier, wenn weitere Themen hinzugefügt werden.

Sicherheit

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Wie identifiziert man Blue Ground Beetle?

Der einfachste Weg, Blue Ground Beetle zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.

Was ist der/die/das länge von Blue Ground Beetle?

2-4 cm

Was ist der/die/das gewicht von Blue Ground Beetle?

0.001-0.003 kg

Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Blue Ground Beetle?

2-3 Jahre

Was frisst Blue Ground Beetle?

A predatory carnivore that specializes in hunting large land snails, slugs, and earthworms on the forest floor and up mossy tree trunks at night.

Wo findet man Blue Ground Beetle normalerweise?

Typically found in damp, ancient deciduous woodlands, especially those with high humidity and abundant mossy tree trunks.

Wie jagt Blue Ground Beetle?

Pursuit Division Search To Active Capture Of Prey. It Scales Trees At Night To Search For Arboreal Slugs. Used: Pursuit. Check Constraints: Pursuit, Ambush, Foraging, Grazing, Filtering. Let Us Use Pursuit. Wait, Diet Details.huntingmethod Is Nullable. Yes, Let Us Put: Pursuit. Just One Of Those Is Fine. Let's Write 'pursuit'. Check Schema: Required: ['maindiet', 'dietsummary', 'primaryfoods']. 'huntingmethod' Is Optional/nullable. Let's Use 'pursuit'. Let's Correct The Flat Json String To Avoid Any Issues. Let Us Re Verify: "huntingmethod":"pursuit" Is Fine. Let's Do That. Wait, Primaryfoods Can Just Be Names. Let's Do: ["ashy Black Slug", "lemon Slug", "land Snails", "earthworms"]. Dietchangeswithage: String Or Null. Let's Write "both Larvae And Adults Are Predatory, But Larvae Are Strictly Ground Dwelling And Target Smaller Soft Bodied Invertebrates."

Was ist der/die/das gelegegröße von Blue Ground Beetle?

10-30