Saving the small things that run the planetLatin name: Carabus arvensis
Notable feature: Notable features: A large and copper coloured beetle with sculptured wing cases (called elytra), found in moorland and heathland habitats across the UK.
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
Where in the UK: This species is found in moor and heathland habitats across the UK although it is scarce in East Anglia and the Midlands of England.
The Moorland Ground Beetle (Carabus arvensis) is typically a shiny metallic copper or bronze in colour, but specimens with a blue, green, brown or black colour variation have been observed. The elytral wing cases have linear patterns resembling strings of sausages which are separated by two or three broken ridges, this is unlike the Sausage Ground Beetle (Carabus granulatus) which has a single ridge separating the sausage string patterning.
The adults of this beetle are incapable of flight and instead use their long thin legs to catch prey and disperse. This makes them vulnerable to the loss and fragmentation of habitat.
This native species is found in moor and heathland habitats across the UK although it is scarce in East Anglia and the Midlands of England.
Buglife is working to increase awareness of invertebrates and the Moorland Ground Beetle through specific projects and campaigns, but we need your help!
Join a recording scheme and log your finds – send any records/sightings to the Ground Beetle Recording Scheme or download the iRecord app and get recording!
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