The black clock beetle of the ground beetle family is indigenous to Europe, notably the United Kingdom. As evident from their name, they are majorly black, mainly thriving in woodlands, grasslands, and gardens during summer.
Size: 14-20 mm
Color: It is black, with legs ranging from wine-red, reddish-brown to black.
Other Characteristic Features: These beetles have deep vertical ridges on their elytra. The protonum is smooth and round, with an indentation across the middle.
Their larvae have a cream body, going through three instars before maturing fully. They are highly segmented, having three pairs of legs and huge mouthparts.
Like most other ground beetle species, the pupa of the black clock beetle is white, approximately measuring 5 mm.
After breeding in autumn, females lay their eggs on the host plant.
| Other names | Rain beetle |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Europe; primarily in the UK |
| Habitat | Primarily seen in gardens, grasslands, and dry woodlands, beneath stones, grass, or loose bark |
| Seasons active | Summer |
| Diet of adults | Caterpillars, slugs, and snails; sometimes they will nibble on fallen fruit |
They do not do any real damage to the environments they live in, only sometimes grazing on fruit.
Image Source: warehouse1.indicia.org.uk, live.staticflickr.com, aphidsrus.files.wordpress.com, lh3.googleusercontent.com
The black clock beetle of the ground beetle family is indigenous to Europe, notably the United Kingdom. As evident from their name, they are majorly black, mainly thriving in woodlands, grasslands, and gardens during summer.
Size: 14-20 mm
Color: It is black, with legs ranging from wine-red, reddish-brown to black.
Other Characteristic Features: These beetles have deep vertical ridges on their elytra. The protonum is smooth and round, with an indentation across the middle.
Their larvae have a cream body, going through three instars before maturing fully. They are highly segmented, having three pairs of legs and huge mouthparts.
Like most other ground beetle species, the pupa of the black clock beetle is white, approximately measuring 5 mm.
After breeding in autumn, females lay their eggs on the host plant.
| Other names | Rain beetle |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Europe; primarily in the UK |
| Habitat | Primarily seen in gardens, grasslands, and dry woodlands, beneath stones, grass, or loose bark |
| Seasons active | Summer |
| Diet of adults | Caterpillars, slugs, and snails; sometimes they will nibble on fallen fruit |
They do not do any real damage to the environments they live in, only sometimes grazing on fruit.
Image Source: warehouse1.indicia.org.uk, live.staticflickr.com, aphidsrus.files.wordpress.com, lh3.googleusercontent.com
