The line of European Carabidologists meeting started in 1969 by Piet den Boer, zoologist at the Wijster Biological Station at that time belonging to the Landbouwhoogeschool in Wageningen, the Netherlands (nowadays Wageningen University), who invited eminent European carabidologists of that time to discuss the importance of dispersal and dispersal power of carabid beetles in their (meta-)population dynamics. In 1973, Hans-Ulrich Thiele followed up with his invitation to Rees-Grietherbush, a field station of the University of Cologne, and since then the ECM has been organized every two to five years. Since the VIth meeting in Balatonalmadi, Hungary, 1986, the period stabilized to three years, and starting with the XIth meeting in Tuczno, Poland, 2001, the period shortened to biannual.

So far the ECM visited 15 European countries. Since the meeting in Westerbork, the Netherlands, 2009, a travelling trophy beetle for organizer signed by Piet den Boer started to be handed over at the end of each meeting.

A variety of topics has been covered so far during the meetings. Each meeting had a motto which indicated the scientific direction of the meeting, however all other aspects of carabidological science were accepted in order to keep the meeting attractive to the widest audience. In the past conservation biology, urban ecology, population biology and genetics and molecular phylogeny of carabid beetles dominated the meetings, but other topics such as biology of single species, including larvae were always present. More detailed history of the meetings can be found here.

The list of all European Carabidologists Meetings