About Carabus gigas Creutzer, 1799
Carabus gigas Creutzer, 1799 is the largest ground beetle native to Europe. Adults reach a body length of approximately 40 to 70 millimetres, or 1.6 to 2.8 inches. Its upper body surface is black and glossy. The oval elytra are strongly convex, and covered with around 15 rows of more or less small tubercles. The pronotum of this species also has a granular surface. Adult Carabus gigas can live for 3 years or longer. These beetles feed primarily on snails. This species is endemic to Europe, found in Central Europe and South-East Europe, with its range extending into Styria and Carinthia. It has been recorded in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, mainland Greece, Hungary, mainland Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, and Slovenia. Carabus gigas inhabits moist subalpine highlands.
