Heavyweight Champ Plus Mites - _TNY_5279
The Carabus coriaceus ground beetle lacks a common English name but both the Swedish and German names reference the leathery appearance of it so perhaps we informally could dub this the leather ground beetle?
Either way, this is the largest ground beetle in Sweden and can reach a total length of 40 mm which really is quite hefty.
Also, a large beetle needs large mandibles. Just look at the set of mandibles on this one - looks like a pair of bolt cutters!
This particular one kept running and running over the moss in the pretty dense spruce forest of the Rundan nature reserve, but I stayed on it and when it finally stopped - it kept completely still, enabling me to get very close. This was when I noticed it had a bunch of mites in various size climbing around on its head.
I believe these mites belong to the family Parasitidae, and being phoretic mites, as in them using the host for travel and not feeding on it. The long legs would suggest them being predatory.
Heavyweight Champ Plus Mites - _TNY_5279
The Carabus coriaceus ground beetle lacks a common English name but both the Swedish and German names reference the leathery appearance of it so perhaps we informally could dub this the leather ground beetle?
Either way, this is the largest ground beetle in Sweden and can reach a total length of 40 mm which really is quite hefty.
Also, a large beetle needs large mandibles. Just look at the set of mandibles on this one - looks like a pair of bolt cutters!
This particular one kept running and running over the moss in the pretty dense spruce forest of the Rundan nature reserve, but I stayed on it and when it finally stopped - it kept completely still, enabling me to get very close. This was when I noticed it had a bunch of mites in various size climbing around on its head.
I believe these mites belong to the family Parasitidae, and being phoretic mites, as in them using the host for travel and not feeding on it. The long legs would suggest them being predatory.