Black Caterpillar Hunter

Description

Black caterpillar hunters are active predators of small insects but in captivity they will take pre-killed crickets, roaches, and mealworms as scavengers. In nature they tend to feed on softer-bodied prey of various types, including caterpillars and other insect larvae. There are a lot of genera and subgenera that look similar and so we don’t know their exact identity. Generally they are referred to as genus Calosoma but their taxonomy is a bit of a tangle for non-specialists to wrap their minds around.

One thing to be aware of is they have a defensive liquid and odor that might get on your hands if you try to handle them.

We keep them communally, which is a big plus for a predatory beetle. They seem to leave each other alone, picking off only the weak and dead.