American Entomologist • Winter 2005 Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are common in North American agricultural fields, and can play a beneficial role in suppressing pest insects in these environments (Thiele 1977, Lovei and Sunderland 1996). Ground beetles are also important as bioindicators of habitat conditions, and often have close associations with such environmental variables as soil type, vegetation cover, and microclimate (Niemela et al. 1992). All of these characteristics come into play in the midwestern United States, where agricultural activities dominate much of the landscape and alternative habitats are patchy in nature. In west-central Illinois, coal mine remnants represent distinct habitats within agricultural fields (Murray 1998). Shaft mining was a major industry in this region from the middle 1800s until about 1920, when strip mining became more economically advantageous (Hallwas 1984). Most mines disappeared from the area by 1930, and all were closed by 1960. The shafts were abandoned and filled with refuse and dirt (Monteith 1976). In most cases, the surrounding lands were cultivated. Secondary succession associated with these mine remnants produced patches of habitat diversity in a sea of monocultural cropland (Fig. 1). We undertook a study of the ground beetles inhabiting these coal mine remnants. Our goals were to compare the species diversity among coal mine remnants and surrounding agricultural fields and to identify members of the community that could serve as indicators of the different habitats.