This is probably the fifth one of these bugs that my cat has found in the last 2 weeks. The builder of our house didn't do such a great job with sealing the doors (grrr...), so I'm hoping that they're just getting in the house, and not that they're LIVING in the house. Any information would be greatly appreciated!
It's about the size of a nickel, maybe quarter.
And here it is slightly squished. It appeared to have pinchers that it was flexing from the end of its abdomen.
Can't see the pic too well...to see if it is...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1487/
April
April - thanks for the link to the article. While those bugs look VERY close to what I've got, mine doesn't have the "club shaped tips" at the ends of its antennae. If you click on the second picture to enlarge it, the ends of the antennae taper off.
You are very welcome.
One of the links at the bottom of the article link to a site w/ different pics of bugs that look similar. I don't remember which one.
Does it click and jump upside down if you touch it? (Click beetle).
No, it didn't. It was extremely fast and did its best to try to find a hiding place once I started pushing it around.
This is a ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae). This is a very large family with thousands of species, the vast majority of which (such as your example) are general predators on other small arthropods. As in any large family, there are exceptions; a few species, such as the seed corn beetle, can be garden pests. It is not at all unusual for the predaceous beetles to enter buildings in their search for prey, but they will not 'set up housekeeping' indoors. For a small sampling of their variety, see http://tinyurl.com/nyynlq
That's it! Thanks so much for your help! :)
