GROUND BEETLES OF THE WORLD

(Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae s.l.)

Insects represent about 60% of all known species of living organisms on planet Earth. The Coleoptera or beetles are the most diverse order in the animal kingdom. One in every four animal species is a beetle! Among these, the carabids or 'ground beetles' are a megadiverse family with about 33.500 species known so far.

Building on three basic book volumes, this web site with databases and electronic maps aims to facilitate and improve access to the main sources of information about the ecologically and economically important group of ground beetles. Although primarily intended for use by professional and amateur entomologists, these tools should also be of value to conservationists, ecologists, pest managers, and others who need to check the names, the bibliographic references and the distribution of the ground beetles with which they are working.