Ground beetle - Garbage beetle

Japanese: ゴミムシ - ごみむし

This insect belongs to the family Carabidae of the order Coleoptera in the class Insecta. It is common throughout Japan, and is widely distributed in the Korean Peninsula, China, Siberia, and Europe. Its body length is around 12 millimeters. It is black with a pair of red dots on its head. It is long, has a slightly flattened back, a dull luster, and its epiphyses have no dots and thin grooves. It is a terrestrial insect that hides under stones or at the roots of grass during the day and is mainly active at night, preying on small insects. It often flies to lights. It is said that the larvae feed underground on rootlets and humus. It overwinter as an adult.

The family Harpalidae, sometimes included in the broader family Carabidae, is one of the most diverse groups of beetles, distributed throughout the world and even in the far north, with over 20,000 known species. There are as many as 900 species found in Japan alone. They can be distinguished from ground beetles by the strong indentation of the inner fore leg tibia and the fact that the posterior lateral plate of the mesonothorax does not reach the base of the middle leg, and both families share characteristics such as a five-segment tarsus and thread-like antennae. Most species live on the ground, preying on other insects, are generally black in color, and are divided into many subfamilies, but those found on trees and leaves, or in grasslands, include species with beautiful metallic or colorful colors, such as the forest beetles Colpodes , Lebia , and Chlaenius . Their habitat is wide, from the low tide line (such as the seawater beetle) to the tops of high mountains (such as the Ontake beetle), and except for a group that has adapted to special environments such as the Trechini that live underground or in caves, as mentioned above, most species hide under stones or fallen trees, in fallen leaves, or at the roots of grass, and are mainly active at night to prey on other insects. These include many species represented by each genera, such as Bembidion , Pterostichus, Platynus , Amara , Harpalus , Chlaenius , and Panagaeus . Many of the beetles found on trees, leaves, and flowers are from the wood beetle, Japanese beetle, and other dung beetles, but there are also beneficial species such as Agonum daimio that eat other insects and eggs on leaves in fields. The species found on dead trees and mushrooms are mainly from the dung beetle family, including the genera Coptodera and Catascopus . Most dung beetle larvae are slender and active, and like the adults, are carnivorous and prey on other insects, but they are rarely seen as they are active at night, hiding in the shade of the ground or underground. There are also known examples of dung beetle species that eat plant seeds.

[Takehiko Nakane]

Giant Ground Beetle
Found throughout Japan. There is a distinctive yellowish brown pattern on the rear of the upper wings. Body length 15-18mm. Family: Carabidae ©Shogakukan ">

Giant Ground Beetle

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

昆虫綱甲虫目ゴミムシ科に属する昆虫。日本各地に普通で、朝鮮半島、中国、シベリア、ヨーロッパに広く分布する。体長12ミリメートル内外。黒色で頭に1対の赤い点紋がある。長形で背面はやや平たく、光沢は鈍く、上ばねは点刻がなく細い条溝を備える。地表性で昼間は石の下や草の根際などに隠れ、おもに夜間活動し、小虫など捕食する。灯火にもよく飛んでくる。幼虫は地中で幼根や腐植質を食べるという。成虫で越冬する。

　ゴミムシ科Harpalidaeは、広義のオサムシ科に含めることもあるが、甲虫のなかでも種類の多い一群で世界中に分布し、極北域にも産し、およそ2万以上の種が知られている。日本産だけでも900に達する種がある。オサムシ類とは、前脚脛節(けいせつ)の内側に強い入り込みがあり、中胸の後側板が中脚の基節に達しないことで区別でき、両科は5節の跗節(ふせつ)と糸状の触角などの特徴で共通している。大部分の種類は地表にいてほかの虫を捕食し、一般に黒っぽく、多くの亜科に分けられるが、樹上や葉上にみられるものや、草地にいるものなどにはモリヒラタゴミムシ類Colpodes、ジュウジゴミムシ類Lebia、アオゴミムシ類Chlaeniusのように金属色や色彩の美しい種を含む類がある。生息範囲は干潮線（ウミミズギワゴミムシなど）から高山の頂上（オンタケチビゴミムシなど）までと広く、地中や洞穴中にすむメクラチビゴミムシ類Trechiniなど特殊環境に適応した一群を除くと、前記のように石や倒木の下、落ち葉中、草の根際などに隠れ、おもに夜間活動してほかの虫を捕食する種類が多い。これらにはミズギワゴミムシ属Bembidion、ナガゴミムシ属Pterostichus、ヒラタゴミムシ属Platynus、マルガタゴミムシ属Amara、ゴモクムシ属Harpalus、アオゴミムシ属Chlaenius、ヨツボシゴミムシ属Panagaeusのような各属に代表される多数の種類が含まれる。樹上や葉上、花上にはモリヒラタゴミムシ、ジュウジゴミムシの類のほかにアトキリゴミムシ類に属するものが多いが、セスジヒラタゴミムシAgonum daimioのように田畑の葉上でほかの虫や卵を食べる有益なものもある。枯れ木やキノコにみられる種類は主としてアトキリゴミムシ類のもので、コキノコゴミムシ属Coptoderaやアトバゴミムシ属Catascopusなどのものがある。ゴミムシの幼虫は細形で活動的なものが多く、成虫と同じく肉食でほかの虫を捕食するが、地表の陰あるいは地中に隠れて夜間活動するので、ほとんど目につかない。なお、マルガタゴミムシ類の種には植物種子を食べる例が知られている。