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BURROWING GROUND BEETLES

CARABIDAE: SCARITINAE

CARABIDAE: SCARITINAE

subfamily

Scaritinae

known species

1,900

distribution

Worldwide except Antarctica. Concentrated

in the tropics and warmer regions of the

southern hemisphere, particularly Africa,

Madagascar, and Australia

habitat

Found burrowing in moist soil, in wet tropical

forests, near rivers, and close to the shores

of lakes or the sea. Some species can be

very common in mangrove swamps or salt

marshes, and others occur in gardens or

agricultural settings, especially rice paddy

fields. A few prefer dry, sandy environments,

including semideserts

size

1.5–65 mm

W

hile most ground beetles are wedge-shaped

and adapted for pushing through light

soil and leaf litter in search of prey, the subfamily

Scaritinae, often called burrowing ground beetles,

have taken this to an extreme. Many species have

cylindrical bodies with large, pointed mandibles,

strong back legs for pushing, and fossorial (adapted

for digging) fore legs, allowing them to lead a

mole-like subterranean way of life. The mandibles

are strong, not just for boring through the soil,

but also for holding onto and crunching on strong

or heavily armored prey such as other beetles,

snails, or large worms. Some scaritines will also

kill and eat vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, or

even small snakes.

Many species of burrowing ground beetles live in

mud at the edges of rivers and streams, or in coastal

salt marshes or mangroves near the sea, and they are