Size: 17-26mm

Seasonality: March to late October

Distribution; Widespread throughout North America above Texas.

Information: May be found living in forested areas, meadows, tundra, marshland, occasionally found in residential areas such as city parks. Carnivorous, prey upon gastropods, worms, and other invertebrates. 

Description: body: ovate-robust, convex. Head small, narrow, glossy black; minor wrinkles dorsally, otherwise smooth. Ridges span from above the eyes (small, bulging laterally) to beside each lateral margin of the clypeus. Face long, mandibles wide, long, curved into sharp point at tip. Palps and lower mouthparts glossy black, as are the antennae. Antennal pubescence begins on the third antennomere following the pedicel. Pronotim smooth glossy black, median line nearly absent, basal region of pronotal disk punctate; dorsal lateral margins dark to bright glossy violet or blue, as are the lateral margins of the elytra. Lateral margins rounded, front angles obtuse, hind angles rounded-acute, weakly sinuate; hind angles overlap part of the humeral shoulder. 16-18 shallow striae per elytron, intervals weakly muricated, in some cases resembling fused reptilian scales. After every 3 to 4 striations one should find an interval lined with evenly spaced, large pits. Elytral margins broad, violet or blue, rest of elytron glossy black. Apices somewhat rounded. Ventral faces, including the legs, glossy black.