A charity is appealing for help seeking out a rare beetle found in Devon and Cornwall.

The Blue Ground Beetle (Carabus intricatus) is one of the UK’s rarest beetles, and is currently only known on 15 sites in Cornwall, Devon and South Wales.

At up to 38mm in length, it is the UK’s largest ground beetle, and is given its name as a result of the beautifully marked and strikingly blue-coloured body.

The beetles are mainly nocturnal and can be found at any time of year.

Blue Ground Beetles usually make their homes in damp oak and beech woodland. They can be found at night, clambering up the mossy trunks of trees in search of slugs, and tend to prefer areas with not much ground vegetation and lots of decaying wood.

In Devon they are largely known from Dartmoor, and in Cornwall they can be found in the east of the county in some of the woodlands surrounding Bodmin and Bodmin Moor.

Last year Blue Ground Beetles were found at two new sites on Dartmoor.

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Conservation charity Buglife is now looking for some help from the people of Devon and Cornwall to see whether there might be any more of these beetles in the woodlands of the south west.

Laura Larkin, Buglife conservation officer said: “We need help to find out where these amazing beetles live. In the past, we have had records sent in of beetles found on woodland paths, and in log piles.

"Have you ever seen a large beetle that you think might be a Blue Ground Beetle? If you have, please send us a photo and help us to learn more about where these beetles can be found.”

To help with identifying the beetles, Buglife have produced a Blue Ground Beetle Identification Guide which can be found here.