Fiery Hunter Beetle
Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Carabidae |
| Genus: | Calosoma |
| Species: | calidum |
Overview
The Calosoma calidum is a species of ground beetle that hunts and eats moth caterpillars as both larvae and adults. They are just one of 167 species of the genus Calosoma and first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775, yet there is still little information on this species [2]. Calosoma were introduced in New England to control the spongy moth, an invasive species, so these beetles are beneficial since they target the caterpillars. [3]
Identification
The fiery hunter beetle's size can range from 19mm to 30mm. It has a black body, black elytra, and red/gold spots on the elytra as well [4]. A similar species, C. frigidum, has the rounded spots that resemble the fiery hunter in figure 1 [5].
Range and Habitat
The Calosoma calidum is prominent in southern Canada and the northern United States, showing up in states from Montana to Maine [7]. Their habitat consists of open spaces which include: vacant lots, fields, roadsides, and other disturbed habitats [8] [9].
Behavior
Calosoma calidum will climb trees to hunt its prey, which is out of the ordinary for ground beetles. When handled, this fiery hunter can also bite as a defense mechanism. Adults live anywhere from one to two years and they live in cells in the soil until they emerge in May into the late summer. Then, they overwinter back in those soil cells [10].
References
- ↑ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fiery_Hunter_Beetle_(Top_View)_-_Calosoma_tepidium_(48756614111).jpg">Yellowstone National Park</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
- ↑ Calosoma calidum. 2023, March 17. . Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calosoma_calidum.
- ↑ Calosoma calidum. 2023, March 17. . Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calosoma_calidum.
- ↑ Species calosoma calidum - fiery hunter. (n.d.). . https://bugguide.net/node/view/3012#cited.
- ↑ Contributors to Wildlife of Alberta Wiki. (n.d.). Fiery hunter. Fandom, Inc. https://wildlifeofalberta.fandom.com/wiki/Fiery_hunter.
- ↑ Create your own custom map. (n.d.). . https://www.mapchart.net/.
- ↑ Species calosoma calidum - fiery hunter. (n.d.). . https://bugguide.net/node/view/3012#cited.
- ↑ Calosoma calidum. 2023, March 17. . Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calosoma_calidum.
- ↑ Contributors to Wildlife of Alberta Wiki. (n.d.). Fiery hunter. Fandom, Inc. https://wildlifeofalberta.fandom.com/wiki/Fiery_hunter.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Effect of Prey Density on Diurnal Activity and Ovarian Development in Calosoma Calidum (Coleoptera: Carabidae): Implications for Biological Control of the Gypsy Moth, Lymantria Dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in the Midwest. (n.d.). Great Lakes Entomologist. https://doi.org/10.22543/0090-0222.1603. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "GreatLakes" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fiery_Hunter_Beetle_(Top_View)_-_Calosoma_tepidium_(48756614111).jpg">Yellowstone National Park</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
- ↑ Calosoma calidum. 2023, March 17. . Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calosoma_calidum.
- ↑ Species calosoma calidum - fiery hunter. (n.d.). . https://bugguide.net/node/view/3012#cited.
- ↑ Contributors to Wildlife of Alberta Wiki. (n.d.). Fiery hunter. Fandom, Inc. https://wildlifeofalberta.fandom.com/wiki/Fiery_hunter.
- ↑ Create your own custom map. (n.d.). . https://www.mapchart.net/.
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