Carabus splendens (Fr. la Carabe splendide) is endemic to the Pyrenees and the southern Massif Central. I photographed this one on my way to stake out a spot on the mountain at Cambasque to watch the finish of Stage 6 of the Tour de France earlier this year. Simon found it, sadly dead, on the track.
This is a big, really shiny, beetle, about 30 mm long, living in forest habitats, both broadleaf deciduous and conifer. It is found all over the Pyrenees, from sea level to at least 1500 metres and sometimes beyond. Mostly nocturnal, it eats snails, slugs and caterpillars.
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