Carabus gigas is a species of beetles of the family Carabidae.
Description Carabus gigas is the largest European ground beetle, reaching a length of about . The upper surface is black and glossy. The elytra are oval, strongly convex and covered with about 15 rows of more or less small tubercles. Also the pronotum has a granular surface. The adults reach the age of 3 years or more. These beetles primarily feed on snails.
Distribution This species is endemic to Europe and occurs in South-East Europe and in Central Europe, the range extends into Styria and Carinthia. It is observed in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, mainland Greece, Hungary, mainland Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Slovenia.
Habitat Carabus gigas lives in moist and subalpine highlands.
Subspecies Carabus g. duponcheli, Dejean, 1831 (Southern Greece) Carabus g. parnassicus, Kraatz, 1884 (Greece, North Macedonia, southern Albania)
Gallery
References
External links
Carabus gigas on Fauna Europaea Biolib