Violet Ground Beetle
by
Shop
Carabus voilaceus
Common & widespread around Britain between April-September.
Adults are flightless Beetles with a black head, thorax and abdomen black with purple lateral margins, and black underside, antennae, and legs.
The antennae measure half the length of the body; the thorax is nearly heart-shaped, scalloped at the front and bordered at the back; the elytra are joined, smooth and without ridges or indentations, but do have tiny bumps arranged in "indistinct lines".
The body is usually between 2 and 3 centimetres (0.79 and 1.18 in) long.
The species appears similar to Carabus problematicus, but the colour on C. violaceus' pronotum is more extensive.