Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, the Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, around 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe. As of 2015, it is one of the 10 most species-rich animal families. They belong to the Adephaga. Members of the family are primarily carnivorous, but some members are phytophagous or omnivorous.
Pterostichus is a very large genus of ground beetles with a Holarctic distribution in the subfamily Harpalinae. It has over 1,200 species. The beetles are predatory, but sometimes feed on strawberries. They can be found under rocks and prefer slightly moist, sandy soil although preferences differ between species.
Brachinus is a genus of ground beetle native to the Nearctic, Palearctic, the Near East and North Africa. Beetles in this genus are commonly referred to as bombardier beetles. The genus contains the following species:
Lebia is a genus of predatory ground beetles. Common names include colorful foliage ground beetles and flat ground beetles. They are found worldwide and there over 700 species in 17 subgenera.
Dryptinae is a subfamily of ground beetles in the family Carabidae. There are more than 30 genera and 570 described species in Dryptinae.
Licininae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Carabidae, containing the following genera:
Orthogoniinae is a subfamily of ground beetles. Occasionally it was treated as a tribe Orthogoniini of subfamily Harpalinae, particularly when this was circumscribed loosely.
Platyninae is a subfamily of ground beetles.
Abacetus is a genus of beetles in the family Carabidae, distributed across Africa, Asia and Australia, with a single European species. It contains the following species:
Caelostomus is a genus of beetles in the family Carabidae. It contains the following species:
Eucamptognathus is a genus of beetles in the family Carabidae, containing the following species:
Scaritinae is a large subfamily of beetles in the family Carabidae, containing more than 2400 species in over 140 genera. They are found worldwide.
Oodini is a ground beetle tribe in the subfamily Harpalinae. Oodines are found worldwide and are generally associated with standing water. This tribe contains more than 400 species arrayed in 43 genera. Beetles in Oodini are distinguishable from other members of Carabidae by a combination of two characters: a laterally coadunate metepisternum, and an elytral ridge formed by the fusion of intervals 7 and 8.
Harpalini is a tribe of a diverse group of ground beetles belonging to the subfamily Harpalinae within the broader family Carabidae. The tribe contains more than 1,900 species.
Lebiini is a tribe of ground beetles in the family Carabidae. There are more than 250 genera and 4,800 described species in Lebiini.
Pterostichini is a tribe of ground beetles in the subfamily Harpalinae. There are about 180 genera and more than 3,800 described species in Pterostichini.
Panagaeini is a tribe of ground beetles in the family Carabidae. There are more than 20 genera and 300 described species in Panagaeini.
Chlaeniini is a tribe of ground beetles in the family Carabidae. There are more than 20 genera and 1,000 described species in Chlaeniini, found worldwide. The genus Chlaenius has more than 900 species.
