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''Calosoma sycophanta'', the forest caterpillar hunter, is a species of ground beetle belonging to the family Carabidae.
/ref>
, Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin–Madison] As a predator the species has been researched for the effect of its predation upon the caterpillars with microsporidian pathogens, finding a preference for ''
Fauna Europaea
/ref> In 1905 it was imported to New England for control of the gypsy moth.
File:Carabidae - Calosoma sycophanta-001.jpg, Adult of ''Calosoma sycophanta'' preying on a caterpillar of ''
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 ab. corvinum'' Heller, 1897 * ''Calosoma sycophanta ab. anthracinum'' Houlbert, 1907 * ''Calosoma sycophanta prasinum'' Lapouge, 1907 * ''Calosoma sycophanta ab. solinfectum'' Jänichen, 1914 * ''Calosoma sycophanta var. lapougei'' Breuning, 1927 * ''Calosoma (Callipara) sycophanta'', Lapouge, 1932 * ''Calosoma sycophanta nigrosuturale'' Jaquet, 1930 * ''Calosoma sycophanta nigroaeneum'' Polentz, 1937 * ''Calosoma (Calosoma) sycophanta'', Jeannel, 1940 * ''Calosoma (Calosoma) sycophanta'', Gidaspow, 1959 * ''Calosoma (Calosoma) sycophanta'', Deuve, 1997 * ''Calosoma (Calosoma) sycophanta'', Erwin, 2007 Calosoma of the world/ref>
Description
''Calosoma sycophanta'' can reach a length of about . This large ground beetle has characteristic metallic bright green elytra, while scutellum is metallic bluish. The head is black. These colors 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.Behavior
This ground beetle is a voracious consumer of caterpillars (especially ''Lymantria dispar
''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''L. d. dispar'' and ''L. d. japonica'' bei ...
'', ''Thaumetopoea processionea
The oak processionary (''Thaumetopoea processionea'') is a moth whose caterpillars can be found in oak forests, where they feed on oak leaves, causing significant damage. They travel in nose-to-tail processions (hence their name), often arrow-he ...
'', ''Thaumetopoea pityocampa
The pine processionary (''Thaumetopoea pityocampa'') is a moth of the subfamily Thaumetopoeinae in the family Notodontidae, known for the irritating hairs of its caterpillars, their processions, and the economic damage they cause in coniferous ...
'' and ''Euproctis chrysorrhoea
The brown-tail moth (''Euproctis chrysorrhoea'') is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is native to Europe, neighboring countries in Asia, and the north coast of Africa. Descriptions of outbreaks, i.e., large population increases of several year ...
'') during both its larval stage and as an adult.Ground Beetles, Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin–Madison] 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
''Vairimorpha'' is a genus of microsporidian parasites.
Species include:
* ''Vairimorpha cheracis'' - a parasite of the Australian freshwater crayfish, ''Cherax destructor''
* ''Vairimorpha disparis'' - a parasite of the moth, ''Lymantria disp ...
'' infected larva.
Distribution
This species is native to Europe. It is present in most European countries, in the eastern Palearctic realm, in theNearctic realm
The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface.
The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...
, in the Near East
The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...
, and in North Africa./ref> In 1905 it was imported to New England for control of the gypsy moth.
Gallery
Lymantria dispar
''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''L. d. dispar'' and ''L. d. japonica'' bei ...
''
File:Calosoma sycophanta larva.jpg, ''Calosoma sycophanta'', larva
File:Calosoma sycophanta larva eats Lymantria dispar larva.jpg, ''Calosoma sycophanta'' larva eating a ''Lymantria dispar
''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''L. d. dispar'' and ''L. d. japonica'' bei ...
'' larva
File:Calosoma sycophanta pupa.jpg, ''Calosoma sycophanta'', pupa
References
* * sycophanta Beetles of Europe Beetles described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Calosoma-stub