Ground Beetle
Calosoma sycophanta
Calosoma sycophanta, the forest caterpillar hunter, is a species of ground beetle belonging to the family Carabidae.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calosoma_sycophanta
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Coleoptera
Family
Carabidae
Genus
Calosoma
Ground Beetle belongs to the family Carabidae, order Coleoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
Calosoma sycophanta, the forest caterpillar hunter, is a species of ground beetle belonging to the family Carabidae.
Calosoma sycophanta, the forest caterpillar hunter, faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss from deforestation and forest fragmentation. The species is also threatened by pesticide use in agricultural and forestry practices, which reduces both the beetle populations directly and their prey species. Climate change and altered forest management practices further compound these pressures on remaining populations.
Key Facts
Habitat & 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. In 1905 it was imported to New England for control of the gypsy moth.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Calosoma sycophanta, the forest caterpillar hunter, faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss from deforestation and forest fragmentation. The species is also threatened by pesticide use in agricultural and forestry practices, which reduces both the beetle populations directly and their prey species. Climate change and altered forest management practices further compound these pressures on remaining populations.
Habitat loss and forest fragmentation
Pesticide use in agriculture and forestry
Climate change impacts on forest ecosystems
Decline in prey species (forest caterpillars)
Intensive forest management practices
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Ground Beetle (Calosoma sycophanta). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/ground-beetle-4989308