Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Taxonomy

There are approximately 110 families of beetles found worldwide. The order Coleoptera is subdivided into two major sub-orders, Adephaga and Polyphaga. Polyphaga contains most beetle species. Ground beetles are placed in the sub-order Adephaga. This sub-order contains relatively few families of beetles, most families belonging to the much larger sub-order Polyphaga. As now defined, Adephaga contains the families Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Trachypachidae, Noteridae, Amphizoidae, Dytiscidae, Hygrobiidae, and Carabidae. Adult Adephaga are separated from all other beetle families by the presence of a visible notopleural suture on the prothorax; six visible abdominal sterna; with the first 3 segments fused and divided by hind coxae (Figs. 61–64). Many species are capable of flight and possess fully developed flight wings. Ground beetles range in size from less than 1 mm to more than 60 mm in length. Most ground beetles are uniformly dark in color, but some species are brightly colored...