Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Carabidae
Genus: Megadromus
Species: M. capito
Binomial name: Megadromus capito
Megadromus capito is a large endemic carabid beetle from New Zealand’s lowland forests. It is a dark shiny black beetle with a pronotum (thorax cover) that can have a green tinge. There are longitudinal striations down the elytron (wing cover).
These beetles are present throughout the year.
Research has shown that the females carry up to 28 eggs for six months of the year and their larvae are present from October to March. It is thought that they have a relatively long period of reproductive activity and have long lifespans.
The photo below is of a Megadromus capito found under fallen oak leaves on the Te Henui walkway, New Plymouth.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
