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Scaphinotus angusticollis
Ground beetle that hunts for snails. 2 to 2.2 cm long. The narrow head and extended mouth parts allow the beetle to reach farther into a snails shell to consume the entire soft body. The abdomen appears glossy when wet and it was raining that day.
Spotted on an unused gravel road that serviced power poles. Dense mixed forest.
Spotted on Sep 9, 2019
Submitted on Sep 10, 2019
13 Comments
Thank you Sukanya.
How did I miss this? An insect that eats snails...well, live and learn, I guess. Congrats on the nomination...Good luck.
Thank you very much Tukup.
Congratulations on the nomination Brian. Very unusual creature.
Thank you Neil for the kind words and thank you Ashley for the nomination.
Congrats on your nomination for SOTW, Brian.
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Poor snails. That bug means business. Wonderful spotting and pics, Brian.
Thanks Leuba and Mark. I was amazed at how fast the beetle could run across the gravel road it was in. I was struggling to keep up with only my phone camera.
Wow that fused red elytra is stunning... especially in the dark world of Carabidae.
Strangely attractive beetle and I like your shots Brian38.
Thank you Tukup.
Amazing creature Brian. Very nice spotting. Thanks.