Description: Large (16-23mm) granulate bronze, green or black predatory beetle. Easily the commonest Carabus in Ireland. Ubiquitous in wet fields, river margins, fens, lakeshores, and upland peat. Occasional in gardens.

NI account: The commonest Irish Carabus and present at all altitudes and in most kinds of wetland habitat.

Ecology: Hygrophilous, but because of the wetness and moisture retentive character of many Irish soils, recorded from a wide variety of habitats including suburban gardens and coastal land reclamation sites. It also occurs widely on peat, including lowland bogs, montane blanket peat and the summits of mountains. Not generally recorded from woodlands although it may be common on the roughly analogous Calluna heath. In central Europe it is described as silvicolous (Koch, 1992; Marggi, 1992).

Distribution: A Eurasian Wide-temperate species (65), widespread through Europe and Siberia to the Pacific coast. Introduced in N. America.

Similar Species: Carabus arvensis: elytral ridges interrupted and sculpture less regular; pronotum less sinuate and nearly parallel-sided. (C. cancellatus: similar to granulatus but with basal segment of antennae red - vagrant, one old record for south coast)

Key Identification Features:

• Large, with sculptured elytra and metallic reflections
• Elytral sculpture regular with 3 ridges, and intervals with shorter ridges plus granulae and shallow depressions (Fig. 16)
• Pronotum strongly sinuate in front of hind angles
• Upper surface uniform greenish or brassy, occasionally black
• Antennae uniformly black

Distribution Map from NBN: Carabus granulatus at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Carabus granulatus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Carabus granulatus | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Carabus

Thumbnails for genus Carabus