Other Common Names
Pedunculate Ground Beetle, Blue-margined Ground Beetle--P. elongatus, Fierce Ground Beetle--P. depressus
Numbers
32 spp. in 4 subgenera total, of which 11 spp. (all in the nominotypical subgenus) north of Mexico
(1); 4 spp. in the northeast, 6 spp. in NC
(2), 5 spp. in FL
(3), 6 in OK
(4), 1 in Canada
(5)Identification
Large, extra-robust, flightless ground beetles (elytra fused into rigid shell). Huge jaws, head, pronotum. Some have blue margins. Typically run about under or on leaf litter in forests.
For keys to species, see
(6)(3)(southeast: SC, FL),
(7)(northeast)
Range
North and Middle America; in our area, most diverse in the south, with just one sp. (
P. elongatus) reaching Canada (MB-AB)
(5)Food
caterpillars, other larval insects.
See Also
Stag Beetles (Lucanidae) (easily distinguished by their geniculate clubbed antennae)
Contributed by
Cotinis on 10 January, 2005 - 2:53pm
Additional contributions by
v belovLast updated 22 April, 2011 - 3:03am
