so beautiful bug-5: ground beetle

There are so many insects outside these days.  They, of course, play very very very very 매우, 아주, 정말 진짜 important roles in the food chain. Without them, many animal groups (including humans) eventually will be extinct.

While I was reading books at Barns & Noble bookstore, I found an insect crawling awkwardly on the floor. Poor guy. It might have been attracted to light.

Who am I?  A buggologist.  ^^!
So I caught it in a plastic cup and brought it home for 증명사진 and examination.

This kind of insect is fairly big (~1 inch long) with metallic green color on the front wing, called elytra.
Ahh, so beautiful~~~. Isn't it?  ~°|°~

In beetles (Order Coleoptera), the front pair of wings are modified into like hard shell to protect the body. So they fly only with hind wings that can be found under the elytra.

Membrane-like hind wings are folded and hidden under the elytra.

According to the bug guide, it is commonly called 'caterpillar hunter', so they are good ones (to us).  They have big mandibles (like teeth) for grabbing and chewing the foods.  Taxonomically they belongs to "Order Coleoptera: Family Carabidae (ground beetles)".