Other Common Names
Forest Caterpillar Hunter
Explanation of Names
Calosoma sycophanta (Linnaeus 1758)
Range
native to w. Palaearctic (east to Siberia)
(1); introduced intentionally and established in e.US (so.ME-MD-WV-w.PA)
(2)Food
Gypsy moth larvae and pupae are especially attractive but they will feed on other species of insects.
(3)Life Cycle
Adults spend winter in the soil. Emerge in June and hunt for spongy moth caterpillars (Lymantria dispar). Its life history is closely synchronized with that of spongy moths and this is why it is thought that it is not likely to cause damage to other caterpillars.
Larvae pupate in the ground.
(3)Remarks
Introduced in 1905 to control spongy moth (
Lymantria dispar) and
Euproctis chrysorrhoea(2)