Necklace Ground Beetle Carabus monilis

The Necklace Ground Beetle, Carabus monilis, is a large and handsome ground beetle belonging to the family Carabidae, and one of the more distinctive members of the genus Carabus found in Britain. Adults are typically 20–30 mm in length and are characterised by their elegant, sculptured elytra, which bear a regular series of raised, bead-like tubercles arranged in rows – a pattern that gives the species its evocative common name. Colouration is generally dark bronze-green to blackish, often with a subtle metallic lustre. Like other Carabus species, it is a predatory beetle, hunting invertebrates under the cover of darkness in woodland, hedgerows, and well-vegetated grassland. Once considered relatively widespread across England and Wales, C. monilis has undergone a notable decline and is now scarce in many areas, making it a significant record and a useful indicator of ecologically rich, undisturbed ground habitats. Image: © Matt Berry/Greenwings Wildlife Holidays, Flickr.

Find out more: iNaturalist, UK Beetle recording, UK Beetles