Bug FAQGolden Ground Beetle
Carabus auratus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Carabidae
The golden ground beetle is a flightless beetle about 1.7 to 2.0 cm long with iridescent gold-green elytra marked by three longitudinal grooves, and orange legs, antennae and mouth parts. It lives in fields and bushes on loamy soil, sometimes climbs trees, and is native to central and western Europe but has been introduced to North America. The beetle hunts insects, snails and worms, and can be beneficial to farmers because it also eats pest species such as the Colorado potato beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Each wing cover is iridescent gold-green with three broad lengthwise grooves. The head, thorax, legs, antennae and mouth parts are orange.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 1.7 and 2.0 cm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found in fields and among bushes, especially on loamy soil. Occasionally they climb into trees.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It catches insects, snails and worms with its mandibles, sprays them with a digestive secretion and then eats them. Farmers and gardeners may welcome it because it also feeds on pest insects such as the Colorado potato beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larvae hunt only at dawn. They molt three times, pupate in the soil and emerge as adults in autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active during the day. They live about two years and overwinter under stones or moss.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It has been introduced to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the golden ground beetle look like?
It has iridescent gold-green wing covers with three longitudinal grooves and orange legs, antennae and mouth parts.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this beetle?
It lives in fields and bushes on loamy soil, sometimes climbs trees, and is native to central and western Europe but now also occurs in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it helpful for my garden?
Yes, it eats insects, snails and worms and also preys on pest species like the Colorado potato beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Carabidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabus_auratus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.