Beetles - Carabus Nodulosus

The black pit beetle, also known as Carabus nodulosus, is the second stamp in the series "Pericularium – endangered insects" launched last year.

As the past illustration, this one was done by Alexandra Kontriner, who, in partnership with the Natural Science Collections of the Tyrolean Regional Museums, created a series of artworks under the title "Pericularium" in 2018/19. 29 motifs feature insects that are considered extinct or critically endangered in Austria. Carabus nodulosus is also critically endangered: the drainage of swamps and wet forests for agricultural land leads to a continuous loss of its habitat, as this beetle needs a specific wet habitat with bogs and spring-fed swamps, swampy banks of forest streams as well as dead wood for hiding and overwintering. The beetle is protected under the EU's Habitats Directives, which provides for conservation areas to secure its population.