Carabus irregularis is considered as one of the most typical stenotopic forest ground beetle species in Europe. It is mainly found in old growth forests, which have a local dark and cold microclimate and which have a rich forest structure. So they are often found in pristine or semi-natural forests with lots of dead wood and a varied horizontal and vertical forest structure. Although it does not occur on the IUCN Red List of threatened species, it occurs on many local country or regional Red Lists. Main reason for the fact that it is not a IUCN Red List species, is that in some French or Central European old growth forests, where large tracts of good habitat are still found, the species is still locally common. In Belgium, which has some historical records, the species is considered as extinct.