Subject: A black beetle with red spots
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
June 17, 2013 7:10 am
I saw this beetle while walking on a trail in a grassy field near Edmonton, Alberta in June 2013. There were two of them but one of the scurried off when I approached. This one was half burried in the sandy soil. The spots on the back caught my attention so I took a couple quick pictures and decided to look it up when I got home. Now I wish I had taken more pictures because not all parts are clearly vissible and I have not found any bugs quite like it. It looks like some of the darkling beetles but the pits on the back with the red spots seem to be uncommon. I am just curious to know what kind it is.
Signature: Jason
Dear Jason,
This is one of the Ground Beetles commonly called Caterpillar Hunters because both adults and larvae feed primarily upon caterpillars. We are confident that we have correctly identified your Caterpillar Hunter as a Fiery Hunter, Callisthenes calidus formerly Calosoma calidum, based on photos posted to BugGuide.