Bug Wiki
Sticker of Six-spot ground beetle
Bug card No. 3872 of 4,939

Six-spot ground beetle

Anthia sexguttata
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsBeetlesDeserts and dry places6 legs

The six-spot ground beetle is a big black beetle with six large white spots on its back. It runs around on the ground hunting other small animals. Farmers like it, because it eats lots of pests.

Lives in
Drier parts of South Asia
Length
4 cm (1.6 in)
Top speed
about 1.8 km/h (1.1 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
It is not dangerous, but it is best to watch it rather than pick it up.
What does it eat?
It hunts insects and snails, including caterpillars and beetles that damage teak trees and sugarcane.
For real!Photo of Six-spot ground beetle
Picture by School of Ecology and Conservation <kchandra58 at yahoo.co.in>. CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Six-spot ground beetle about 4 cm long (1.6 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 7 grains of rice in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 2 seconds

How big is Six-spot ground beetle compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Four of its white spots are on its wing covers and two are on the part behind its head.

2

Its spot pattern can vary, but it is always the same on the left and right side.

3

Its larva is flat with a big head and strong jaws.

4

It lives in forests and dry scrub, but also in farm fields and city parks.

5

Its eyes become more or less sensitive at different times of day, following a daily rhythm.

you asked

Most asked questions about Six-spot ground beetle

?How big is the six-spot ground beetle?

It is about 4 centimetres long.

?What does the six-spot ground beetle eat?

It eats other insects and snails, including many crop pests.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Anthia sexguttata
Group
Beetles
Family
Carabidae
Classification
Insecta > Coleoptera > Carabidae
Lives on
Asia

Where the facts come from

  1. Anthia sexguttata (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by School of Ecology and Conservation <kchandra58 at yahoo.co.in>. CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Beetles

Also at home here: Deserts and dry places

Honey jarfor grown-ups