Carabus intricatus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Carabus intricatus, the blue ground beetle, is a species of ground beetle found in Europe. It is a large beetle (24–35 millimetres or 0.9–1.4 inches in length), with a metallic purple or blue and roughly surfaced elytra; the second pair of wings (which are used by beetles for flying) under the elytra are reduced. In Britain it was only recorded three times in the twenty years up to 1993 and was considered extinct there. But in 1994 it was found in a couple of places near Dartmoor.
Carabus intricatus are nocturnal carnivores that are mainly active in the spring and early summer. Tests have shown they prefer slugs from the genus Limax, especially Limax marginatus. They were also found to have a taste for liver, dog food, and crabsticks.
In the wild, the adults are found under bark on dead wood, and under rocks. It does not require ground vegetation, and likes damp, rotten, moss-covered wood. The beetles seem to be active throughout the year and a fully-grown larva has been found in summer. This specimen also ate slugs prior to pupating, and emerged as an adult some three weeks later. It is thought that it may take two years to complete its life cycle. The adults are very long-lived. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Ground Beetle sighting in Vienna on a given day, based on 70 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 231st most-seen of the 1406 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–July and November–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Ground Beetle in Vienna on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and August–October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Ground Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Blue Ground Beetle sightings, Vienna ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Prague (Czechia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Ground Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Vienna (70 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
