The Green-lined Ground Beetle, Catadromus lacordairei, in Tasmania.

Pterostichines form one of the largest subfamilies of carabid beetles and are richly represented in Australia, particularly in the south and east (Moore 1965). The Catadromus genus belongs to this subfamily, and is made up of five species, all of which are widely distributed across the Australian mainland and are distinguishable from other carabids by their large size, (up to 65 mm) and characteristic black elytra outlined by brilliant green or golden metallic detailing. Catadromus lacordairei Boisduval 1835, is an endemic Australian species occurring across all States and is also present on Kangaroo Island (Giachino 2005a). Regarded as common across its mainland range, in Tasmania it is the only representative of the genus, with a distribution that is sparse, known only from a few locations. In 2005 the species was listed as rare on the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 and in 2008, following a review, its status was upgraded to vulnerable.