Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Adephaga » Ground Beetles (Carabidae) » Carabinae » Cychrini » Small Snail Eating Beetles (Sphaeroderus) » Sphaeroderus schaumii
Photo#6276
Ground Beetle Eating a Snail - Sphaeroderus schaumii
Copyright © 2004 Stephen_WV

Ground Beetle Eating a Snail - Sphaeroderus schaumii
Sugar Hollow, Albemarle County, Virginia, USA
August 25, 1985
Several genera of carabid are noted for snail eating. The foreparts of their bodies are specially streamlined to fit in the aperture of a snail. I found this one on the ground in the leaf litter enjoying its meal.

[Note: Originally identified as Scaphinotus sp.; see discussion below]
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Stephen_WV on 28 August, 2004 - 4:49am
Last updated 25 September, 2015 - 10:26pm

Moved
Moved from Small Snail Eating Beetles.
… v belov, 25 September, 2015 - 10:26pm login or register to post comments

S. schaumii?
Any chance you have a higher-quality image of this that could be zoomed in on?
Poorly-understood S. schaumii is likely, based on the large elytral tubercles and location (VA Blue Ridge).
… Curt Harden, 10 March, 2015 - 11:46pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Carabus.
… v belov, 31 March, 2009 - 5:30pm login or register to post comments

Incorrect ID on Scaphinotus sp.?
This is a wonderful photo of a carabid in action. However, to me it looks like a different ground beetle, Carabus serratus. Do you have another photo that shows the head and mouthparts more clearly? Again, very nice photo!
… Frank Guarnieri, 24 October, 2005 - 7:34am login or register to post comments

 
You're probably right
Frank, I suspect you're right. I just looked at some Carabus serratus photos at Cedar Creek and it looks like a good match. I regret I didn't get any other photos. The beetle was eating with such relish I hated to remove its head from the snail. In the two decades since I took this picture I haven't had another chance to photograph a snail eating ground beetle in action, so I do like this picture, even though it doesn't show the beetle's head.

Thanks for helping with the ID! I will move the photo to the Carabus pages.

--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com
… Stephen_WV, 24 October, 2005 - 4:58pm login or register to post comments

Moved to Guide
I moved this to a guide page for the genus--hope you don't mind. Neat photo.

Patrick Coin
Durham, North Carolina
… Cotinis, 1 November, 2004 - 6:50am login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact