Carabus monilis Fabricius, 1792

Size: Medium (22-26mm)

Identifiaction: Coppery or greenish metallic. Pronotum wide. Elytra with rows of low granules, separated by 3 regular and equal-sized ridges.

Habitat: Cultivated fields, grasslands and scrub. Mainly on well-drained soils.

Lifecycle: Full-grown larvae have been found in winter and adults have a peak of abundance in mid-summer, so the species is probably annual with summer breeding.

Similar species: C. arvensis is similar but smaller and less elongate. Elytral sculpturing is less regular and there are never 3 regular, equal sized ridges between each row of granules like in C. monilis. C. granulatus is similar in the field, but lacks the metallic sheen of C. monilis. The sculpturing on the elytra of C. granulatus is also much deeper.

Field/Lab: This species can be identified in the field with a hand lens and a good knowledge of similar species occuring in the area.

Status in Pembrokeshire: Rare: LBAP species. Found for the first time in Pembrokeshire in 2007. Only 1 record for Pembrokeshire exists.

UK status: Nationally Scarce (B). A southern and mainly eastern species that has declined during this century.