Larvae of many Ground Beetle species are predaceous, while many others are omnivorous. A few species are parasitic, and a few consume various kinds of plant material such as seeds, rotting fruit, pollen, and fungi.
Among the predaceous species, preferred prey include the larvae of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera.
A majority of the larvae in the family Carabidae feed nocturnally. The larva pictured here was feeding in the dark woods in late afternoon, moving quickly and checking out innumerable holes and crevices.
In America north of Mexico, there are more than 1700 species of Ground Beetle, a species count among the beetles that is exceeded only by the Rove Beetles and the Weevils.
