Scarites ground beetle native to the Palearctic, the Near East , North America and North Africa . These beetles share physical characteristics of the more tropical stag beetles, but are not closely related. Scarites can often be found under loose rocks and boards. If touched, they often "play dead" by folding in their legs and arching their backs. The adult beetles are predators and have been observed overpowering mealworms much larger than themselves.
Scarites contains the following species:
Scarites abbreviatus Dejean, 1825 Scarites aberrans Banninger, 1941 Scarites acutidens Chaudoir, 1855 Scarites aestuans Klug, 1853 Scarites afghanus Jedlicka, 1967 Scarites angulifrons Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites angustesulcatus Baehr, 2002 Scarites angustus (Chaudoir, 1855) Scarites anomalus Andrewes, 1930 Scarites anthracinus Dejean, 1831 Scarites aterrimus A. Morawitz, 1863 Scarites atronitens Fairmaire, 1887 Scarites baenningeri Emden, 1932 Scarites barbarus Dejean, 1825 Scarites basiplicatus Heyden, 1884 Scarites batesi Andrewes, 1929 Scarites beesoni (Andrewes, 1929) Scarites bengalensis Dejean, 1826 Scarites biangulatus Fairmaire, 1898 Scarites birmanicus (Bates, 1892) Scarites bokalensis Banninger, 1932 Scarites bonariensis (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites bottegoi Banninger, 1937 Scarites boucardi Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites bruchi Banninger, 1932 Scarites bucida Pallas, 1776 Scarites buparius Forster, 1771 Scarites carinatus Dejean, 1825 Scarites cayennensis Dejean, 1825 Scarites ceylonicus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites colossus Csiki, 1927 Scarites comoricus Alluaud, 1932 Scarites convexipennis Fairmaire, 1868 Scarites convexiusculus (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites corbetti Andrewes, 1929 Scarites cormoides Andrewes, 1929 Scarites corvinus Dejean, 1831 Scarites costipennis Peringuey, 1896 Scarites crassus Andrewes, 1929 Scarites cubanus (Banninger, 1937) Scarites cultripalpis Quedenfeldt, 1883 Scarites cycloderus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites cyclops Crotch, 1871 Scarites cylindriformis Banninger, 1933 Scarites cylindronotus Faldermann, 1836 Scarites defletus Banninger, 1933 Scarites denticulatus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites deplanatus (Banninger, 1937) Scarites derogatus Andrewes, 1929 Scarites distinguendus Chaudoir, 1855 Scarites doguereaui Gory, 1833 Scarites dubiosus Andrewes, 1929 Scarites dubius Banninger, 1941 Scarites dyschromus Chaudoir, 1855 Scarites ecuadorensis Banninger, 1941 Scarites edentatus Banninger, 1932 Scarites emarginatus Herbst, 1806 Scarites epaphius Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites estriatus Fairmaire, 1887 Scarites exaratus Dejean, 1825 Scarites excavatus Kirby, 1818 Scarites fairmairei Banninger, 1933 Scarites fatuus Karsch, 1881 Scarites feanus Banninger, 1937 Scarites ferus Banninger, 1933 Scarites fletcheri Andrewes, 1929 Scarites furcatus Banninger, 1941 Scarites granulatus Andrewes, 1929 Scarites gratus (Chaudoir, 1855) Scarites guerini (Chaudoir, 1855) Scarites guineensis Dejean, 1831 Scarites heterogrammus Perty, 1830 Scarites holcocranius (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites hypsipus Alluaud, 1917 Scarites illustris Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites impressus Fabricius , 1801Scarites inaequalis Fairmaire, 1893 Scarites inconspicuus Chaudoir, 1855 Scarites indus Olivier, 1795 Scarites interpositus (Banninger, 1933) Scarites kabakovi Dostal, 1997 Scarites klapperichi Banninger, 1956 Scarites laevigatus Fabricius, 1792 Scarites lebasii (Chaudoir, 1855) Scarites limitaneus Andrewes, 1932 Scarites linearis Boheman, 1848 Scarites liopterus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites liostracus Alluaud, 1930 Scarites lissopterus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites lomaensis Basilewsky, 1972 Scarites longiusculus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites lubricipennis Minowa, 1932 Scarites lucidus (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites lunicollis Banninger, 1933 Scarites madagascariensis Dejean, 1831 Scarites malangensis Quedenfeldt, 1883 Scarites mandarinus Banninger, 1928 Scarites mandibularis Andrewes, 1929 Scarites mandli Jedlicka, 1963 Scarites marinus Nichols, 1986 Scarites mayumbensis Banninger, 1933 Scarites melanarius Dejean, 1831 Scarites meridionalis Banninger, 1941 Scarites migiurtinus G.Muller, 1944 Scarites minowai Habu, 1947 Scarites modestus (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites multisetosus Banninger, 1941 Scarites natalensis Boheman, 1848 Scarites nigrita Boheman, 1848 Scarites nitens Andrewes, 1929 Scarites nitidiceps Baehr, 2002 Scarites nitidulus Klug, 1862 Scarites oberthueri Banninger, 1938 Scarites obliteratus Banninger, 1941 Scarites ocalensis Nichols, 1986 Scarites orthomus Chaudoir, 1855 Scarites paraguayensis Banninger, 1928 Scarites parallelus Dejean, 1825 Scarites passaloides Quedenfeldt, 1883 Scarites patroclus Murray, 1857 Scarites patruelis Leconte, 1845 Scarites perplexus Dejean, 1825 Scarites pinguis Andrewes, 1929 Scarites planatus Dejean, 1831 Scarites planiusculus (Chaudoir, 1855) Scarites politus Bonelli, 1813 Scarites polyphemus Herbst, 1806 Scarites praedator Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites procerus Dejean, 1825 Scarites productus Banninger, 1933 Scarites pronotalis Banninger, 1941 Scarites punctum Wiedemann, 1823 Scarites quadratus Fabricius, 1801 Scarites quadriceps Chaudoir, 1843 Scarites quadricostis Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites quadripunctatus Dejean, 1825 Scarites raptor Andrewes, 1932 Scarites reductus Banninger, 1933 Scarites reichei (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites retusus Andrewes, 1929 Scarites richteri Chaudoir, 1847 Scarites rugatus (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites rugiceps Wiedemann, 1823 Scarites rugicollis Dejean, 1825 Scarites rugosus Wiedemann, 1821 Scarites salinus Dejean, 1825 Scarites saxicola Bonelli, 1813 Scarites scaevus Andrewes, 1929 Scarites schubarti Banninger, 1939 Scarites selene Schmidt-Gobel, 1846 Scarites semicircularis W.S. MacLeay, 1825 Scarites senegalensis Dejean, 1825 Scarites seriepunctatus (Banninger, 1933) Scarites setosus Banninger, 1941 Scarites sexualis Banninger, 1938 Scarites silvestris Castelnau, 1835 Scarites similis Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites simogonus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites spectabilis (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites stenodes Andrewes, 1929 Scarites striatus Dejean, 1825 Scarites strigifrons Baehr, 2002 Scarites stygicus (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites subcostatus (Chaudoir, 1880) Scarites subcylindricus Chaudoir, 1843 Scarites subnitens Chaudoir, 1855 Scarites subpatroclus Basilewsky, 1972 Scarites subrugatus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites subsulcatus Dejean, 1831 Scarites subterraneus Fabricius, 1775 Scarites sulcatus Olivier, 1795 Scarites sulciceps (Chaudoir, 1855) Scarites sulcifrons (Chaudoir, 1855) Scarites tauropus Andrewes, 1929 Scarites tenebricosus Dejean, 1831 Scarites terricola Bonelli, 1813 Scarites texanus Chaudoir, 1880 Scarites thiemei (Banninger, 1933) Scarites timorensis Banninger, 1949 Scarites trachydermon Andrewes, 1936 Scarites turkestanicus Heyden, 1884 Scarites unicus Minowa, 1932 Scarites urbanus Minowa, 1932 Scarites vilcanotanus (Banninger, 1932) Scarites vilhenai (Basilewsky, 1955) Scarites wittei (Banninger, 1933) Scarites zambo Steinheil, 1875 Scarites zikani Banninger, 1941 
