''Calosoma'' is a genus of large
ground beetle
Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family (biology), family of beetles, the Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, around 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe. As of 2015, it ...
s that occur primarily throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and are referred to as caterpillar hunters or caterpillar searchers. Many of the 167 species are largely or entirely black, but some have bright metallic coloration. They produce a foul-smelling spray from
gland
A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...
s near the tip of the abdomen. They are recognizable due to their large
thorax
The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen.
In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...
, which is almost the size of their abdomen and much wider than their head.
[Powell & Hogue (1979), California Insects. p. 262.]
''Calosoma'' has about 20 subgenera, including some former genera such as ''Callisthenes''.
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History
In 1905, ''Calosoma sycophanta
''Calosoma sycophanta'', the forest caterpillar hunter, is a species of ground beetle belonging to the family Ground beetle, Carabidae.
Subspecies and varietas
* ''Calosoma sycophanta var. severum'' Chaudoir, 1850
* ''Calosoma sycophanta var. n ...
'' was imported to New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
for control of the spongy moth
''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae native to Europe and Asia. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as '' L. d. dispar'' ...
. The species is a voracious consumer of caterpillars during both its larval stage and as an adult, as are other species in the genus. For this reason, they are generally considered beneficial insects
Beneficial insects (sometimes called beneficial bugs) are any of a number of species of insects that perform valued services like pollination and pest control. The concept of ''beneficial'' is subjective and only arises in light of desired outcom ...
. Several species of this beetle, most notably the black calosoma (''Calosoma semilaeve'') are especially common in the California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
area.
See also
* List of Calosoma species
References
* Friedrich Weber 1801: ''Obs. Ent''., 20; Fabricius 1801, ''Syst. Eleuth''., 1: 211.
Ground beetles of the genus ''Calosoma'' (Carabidae): atlas of beetles of Russia
* Powell & Hogue (1979), California Insects. p. 262.
External links
*
*
Susan Mahr,University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Forest Caterpillar Hunter
BioLib.cz.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1317479
Carabidae genera
Insects used as insect pest control agents