They are widely distributed, and can be found in abundance everywhere, except in deserts. There are about 40,000 known species of ground beetles, and at least as many yet to be described. A typical ground beetle has a proportionate body, long, strong running legs, powerful mandibles and large eyes. Their colors are typically black or brown, often with iridescent colors. Describe the greatest challenge studying this insect presented.
Most species are night-active.
During the day they hide in the ground or in crevices. This, combined with their cryptic coloration makes them very difficult to study. Describe the technology you use in the field. The equipment I use is called the harmonic radar, which was originally developed to locate avalanche victims. It was first used by two Swedish biologists, Mascanzoni and Wallin, in Uppsala for tracking invertebrate movements around 1985.