Iconic Beetles · Pre-order · Vol. 2 · 2026

Carabidae of Southern Africa

Ground beetles of the southern subcontinent · by Vladimír Štrunc

A curated narrative on the ground beetles of one of the strangest and most ancient Coleoptera assemblages on Earth. The giant Anthia of the Karoo, the fossorial Scaritinae beneath stones, the metallic Lebiinae running on Cape fynbos bark — selected genera and the most iconic species across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, southern Mozambique, and Eswatini.

€19 pre-order · rising to €24 · final €29 · all future editions included free

About this volume

Southern Africa’s ground-beetle fauna is shaped by deep evolutionary time, ancient aridity, and a fire-driven landscape that has no real analogue elsewhere in the world. The result is an assemblage of striking morphological extremes. The genus Anthia reaches sizes more typical of stag beetles, advertises its defensive chemistry in conspicuous black-and-white, and crosses Karoo sand at dusk in slow purposeful squadrons. Scaritine genera carve burrows under stones with mandibles built for excavation rather than predation. In the Cape fynbos, metallic Lebiinae ambush prey at speed on the bark of restios and proteas.

This volume treats selected Southern African Carabidae sensu stricto — Cicindelinae are excluded; they appear in Vol. 3, Tiger Beetles of Africa. The book is not a regional checklist. It is a curated portrait: which genera define the regional fauna, which species reward field observation, where to find them, and what makes their morphology and behaviour worth knowing. The book is geographically organised by major biome — Karoo, Cape fynbos, savannah, Namibian arid west, subtropical east — so readers can map content to itinerary.

Where the Living Books series treats Carabidae at full taxonomic depth, this volume selects. The reader leaves with a memorable picture of a regional fauna, not an inventory.

What’s inside

Selected genera treated in depth: Anthia (giant defensive carabids), Termophilum (where treated as distinct from Anthia), Graphipterus (warning-coloured Karoo specialists), Scarites (fossorial), Brachinus (bombardier beetles), Lebistina, Calleida, and selected representatives of the Harpalinae.

Featured iconic species (selection): Anthia thoracica (the great Karoo anthia), Anthia maxillosa, Anthia cinctipennis, with field photographs, behavioural notes, and habitat detail. Bombardier beetles in Brachinus are profiled for their explosive defensive chemistry.

Biomes covered: the Karoo arid interior, Cape fynbos and renosterveld, the Namibian gravel and dune deserts, savannah of the Lowveld and Kruger landscape, subtropical Mozambican coastal forest, and the riparian and rocky outcrop habitats that punctuate the subcontinent.

Important scope note: Cicindelinae (tiger beetles) and Manticora are not covered in this volume — they belong to the Cicindelidae and appear in Tiger Beetles of Africa (Vol. 3). This volume treats Carabidae sensu stricto only.

Who this volume is for

→ Field naturalists and photographers planning a Southern African trip and wanting to know which ground beetles to look for and where.

→ Coleoptera enthusiasts familiar with European or North American Carabidae and curious about how the southern fauna differs.

→ University collections and biology programmes in Africa and abroad needing an accessible regional reference.

→ Safari operators and field guides wanting beetle content for client trips.

Pre-order today · Lock in the lowest price

Pre-order pricing rises in stages as we approach publication. All future editions of the volume are included free of charge.

Pre-order €19 →

€19 now · rising to €24 · final retail €29 · Stripe secure payment · VAT invoice

Recommended citation

Štrunc, V. (2026). Carabidae of Southern Africa. Iconic Insects — Iconic Beetles, Vol. 2. EntoLibry, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. ISBN [to be assigned].

MARC 21 record and institutional licensing available on request.

About the author and publisher

Vladimír Štrunc is a Coleoptera taxonomist and the founder of EntoLibry, an independent academic publisher based in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, Czech Republic. He maintains active research databases for several Coleoptera families, including the world Carabidae matrix that underlies this volume. Species have been described in his honour. The Iconic Beetles sub-collection draws on accumulated field experience, photography archives, and primary literature spanning two decades.

Other volumes in this sub-collection

Tiger Beetles of North America — Iconic Beetles, Vol. 1 · 74 pages · pre-order €19

Tiger Beetles of Africa — Iconic Beetles, Vol. 3 · ~150 pages · pre-order €19

← Back to Iconic Beetles sub-collectionExplore Living Books →