Ground beetle

From Freepedia

Ground beetles
Image:Carabus auratus with prey.jpg
Golden ground beetle, Carabus auratus
with prey (an earthworm)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Subphylum:Hexapoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Coleoptera
Suborder:Adephaga
Family:Carabidae
Latreille, 1802
Genera

Many genera; see text.

The ground beetles are a large family (Carabidae) of common and widespread beetles.

The family is among the largest of the animal kingdom, with about 40,000 species and considerable variation among them. Common features include a generally dark appearance, possibly iridescent, large head and mandibles, a pronounced marginal ridge on the pronotum, and striate elytra. Sizes range from 0.7 mm (0.03 inches) up to 66 mm (2.6 inches).

Ground beetles are found in all habitats and at up to 5,300 m (17,400 ft) in the Himalayas. Most are nocturnal predators and scavengers, but some, such as the tiger beetles are active in the daytime, using their eyesight to capture small arthropods.

Several types of ground beetles, in particular the bombardier beetles, are notable for being able to squirt a jet of hot foul-smelling liquid from their abdomens.

When the life cycle is known, it is one year, with adults living for two to four years.

They often feed on soft-bodied creatures and are sought after to control ant populations.

Classification

This is a very incomplete list of subfamilies and genera.


References

  • E. Reitter Fauna Germanica. Käfer, 1908, I:67-201
  • C. H. Lindroth Svensk Insectenfauna 9, Coleoptera, Carabidae. Stockholm, 1942 : 1-260
  • E. Csiki Die Aäferfauna des Karpaten-Beckens. Budapest 1946, 1:71-546
  • K. Kult Klic k urcovani brouku celedi Carabidae Ceskoslovenske republiky. Praha 1947:1-198


External link

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Ground_beetle.html"


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