Calosoma sycophanta

Calosoma sycophanta, the forest caterpillar hunter, is a species of ground beetle belonging to the family Carabidae.

Calosoma sycophanta, male and female. Mounted specimen

Calosoma sycophanta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Adephaga
Family:	Carabidae
Genus:	Calosoma
Species:	C. sycophanta
Binomial name
Calosoma sycophanta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Carabus sycophanta Linnaeus, 1758 [1] Calosoma azureum Letzner, 1850 Calosoma cupreum Letzner, 1850 Calosoma marginatum Letzner, 1850 Calosoma nigrocyaneum Letzner, 1850 Calosoma purpureoaureum Letzner, 1850 Calosoma severum Chaudoir, 1850 Callipara rapax Motschulsky, 1866 Calosoma smaragdynum G.Rossi, 1882 Calosoma habelmanni Schilsky, 1888 Calosoma purpureipenne Reitter, 1891 Calosoma corvinum Heller, 1897 Calosoma anthracinum Houlbert, 1907 Calosoma prasinum Lapouge, 1907 Calosoma solinfectum Jännichen, 1914 Calosoma lapougei Breuning, 1927 Calosoma nigrosuturale Jacquet, 1930 Calosoma nigroaeneum Polentz, 1937

Subspecies and varietas

• Calosoma sycophanta var. severum Chaudoir, 1850
• Calosoma sycophanta var. nigrocyaneum Letzner, 1850
• Calosoma sycophanta var. marginatum Letzner, 1850
• Calosoma sycophanta var. azureum Letzner, 1850
• Calosoma sycophanta var. purpureoaureum Letzner, 1850
• Calosoma sycophanta var. cupreum Letzner, 1850
• Callipara sycophanta rapax Motschoulsky, 1865
• Calosoma sycophanta var. smaragdinum Rossi, 1882
• Calosoma sycophanta var. habelmanni Schilsky, 1888
• Calosoma sycophanta var. purpuripenne Reitter, 1891
• Calosoma sycophanta prasinum Lapouge, 1907
• Calosoma sycophanta var. lapougei Breuning, 1927
• Calosoma sycophanta nigrosuturale Jaquet, 1930
• Calosoma sycophanta nigroaeneum Polentz, 1937

^[2]

Description

Calosoma sycophanta can reach a length of about 21–35 millimetres (0.83–1.38 in). This large ground beetle has characteristic metallic bright green elytra, while scutellum is metallic bluish. The head is black. These colours have iridescent shades that change (green, blue, bronze, copper, gold black) according to the direction and quality of light. Pronotum is transverse shaped, posteriorly sharply narrowed, wrinkled and punctured. Elytra are flattened with clearly visible punctures in the striae.^[2]

Behavior

This ground beetle is a voracious consumer of caterpillars (especially Lymantria dispar, Thaumetopoea processionea, Thaumetopoea pityocampa and Euproctis chrysorrhoea) during both its larval stage and as an adult.^[3][4][5][6]

As a predator the species has been researched for the effect of its predation upon the caterpillars with microsporidian pathogens, finding a preference for Vairimorpha disparis infected larva.^[7]

Distribution

This species is native to Europe. It is present in most European countries, in the eastern Palearctic realm, in the Nearctic realm, in the Near East, and in North Africa.^[8] In 1905 it was imported to New England for control of the gypsy moth.^[3]

Gallery

• 
  Adult of Calosoma sycophanta preying on a caterpillar of Lymantria dispar
• 
  Calosoma sycophanta, larva
• 
  Calosoma sycophanta larva eating a Lymantria dispar larva
• 
  Calosoma sycophanta, pupa