Carabus is a genus of beetles in family Carabidae. The genus is highly diverse with 94 subgenera, 959 species and 2300 subspecies, thus is the largest genus in the subfamily Carabinae.[1][2][3] The vast majority are native to the Palearctic, but 16 Nearctic species are also known.[1][3] Carabus spp. are 12–50 mm (0.47–1.97 in) long, and most species are wingless and often very colourful.[1] These are nocturnal, predatory beetles that feed on snails, earthworms, and caterpillars.[1][4] Most Carabus species were thought to have inhabited the Eurasian forest, but the species' low dispersal abilities altered the distribution of lineages within the genus.[5]
Adult Carabus feeds on both small live and dead animals such as slugs, snails, earthworms, and insects in all stages, sometimes dead vertebrates. The ways of feeding on snails are different for their adaptations, as macrocephalic beetles feed snails by crushing shells, and stenocephalic beetles feed snails by inserting the head into the shell.[6]
Carabus contains the following 960 species:[3][7]
Carabus ulrichii, Romania 
Carabus auratus, Germany 
Carabus granulatus, Canada 
Carabus glabratus, UK 
Carabus nemoralis, Canada 
Carabus lineatus lateralis, Spain 
Carabus nymph, Switzerland 
Carabus rossii, Italy Carabus is a genus of beetles in family Carabidae. The genus is highly diverse with 94 subgenera, 959 species and 2300 subspecies, thus is the largest genus in the subfamily Carabinae. The vast majority are native to the Palearctic, but 16 Nearctic species are also known. Carabus spp. are 12–50 mm (0.47–1.97 in) long, and most species are wingless and often very colourful. These are nocturnal, predatory beetles that feed on snails, earthworms, and caterpillars. Most Carabus species were thought to have inhabited the Eurasian forest, but the species' low dispersal abilities altered the distribution of lineages within the genus.
