What is "carabus"

Carabus \Car"a*bus\ (k[a^]r"[.a]*b[u^]s), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ka`rabos a horned beetle.] (Zo["o]l.) A genus of ground beetles, including numerous species. They devour many injurious insects.

Carabus is a genus of beetle in family Carabidae. The genus is highly diverse with 91 subgenera and more than 900 recognised species and thus is the largest genus in the subfamily Carabinae. The vast majority are native to the Palearctic, but there are also 11 Nearctic species. Carabus are long, most species are wingless and often very colourful. These are nocturnal, predatory beetles that feed on snails, earthworms and caterpillars.