Pterostichus moestus

Pterostichus moestus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Carabidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Pterostichus moestus
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

It occurs in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It lives in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina, New Jersey, Kansas, New York.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Pterostichus moestus photo 2
Photo: Will Kuhn, CC BY

Same family (Carabidae)

Six-spotted Tiger BeetleSix-spotted Tiger BeetleCicindela sexguttataHarmlessBronze Ground BeetleBronze Ground BeetleCarabus nemoralisGreen Tiger BeetleGreen Tiger BeetleCicindela campestrisBig-headed Ground BeetleBig-headed Ground BeetleScarites subterraneusStrawberry Seed BeetleStrawberry Seed BeetleHarpalus rufipesDamages trees, gardens or cropsBronzed Tiger BeetleBronzed Tiger BeetleCicindela repanda

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterostichus_moestus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.