Tiger beetle

The tiger beetles are a large group of beetles known for their predatory habits.

Taxonomically, the beetles are classed as either the family Cicindelidae or the subfamily Cicindelinae of the Carabidae (ground beetles). There are about 2,100 species known.

Tiger beetles have large bulging eyes and long, slender legs. All are predatory, both as adults and as larvae. The genus Cicindela is nearly worldwide in distribution. Other genera include Megacephala, Omus, Amblycheila, Manticora and several more. While members of the genus Cicindela are usually diurnal and may be out on the hottest days, Megacephala, Omus, Amblycheila and Manticora are all nocturnal. Both Cicindela and Megacephala are often brightly colored, while the other genera mentioned are usually uniform black in color.

Tiger beetles in the genus Manticora are the largest in size of the subfamily. These live primarily in the deserts of South Africa.

The larvae of tiger beetles live in cylindrical burrows as much as a meter deep. They are large-headed, hump-backed grubs that flip backwards to capture prey insects that wander over the ground. The fast-moving adults run down their prey. Some tiger beetles in the tropics are arboreal, but most run on the surface of the ground. They live along sea and lake shores, on sand dunes, around playa lakebeds and on clay banks or woodland paths.

The following are some of the species in this family found in North America:

• Cicindela politula
• Cicindela scutellaris
• Cicindela patruela
• Cicindela sexguttata (Six-spotted Tiger Beetle)
• Cicindela trifasciata
• Cicindela punctulata
• Cicindela denikei
• Cicindela lemniscata
• Cicindela longilabris
• Cicindela obsoleta
• Cicindela circumpicta
• Cicindela formosa
• Cicindela nevadica
• Omus dejeani
• Megacephala carolina
• Amblycheila cylindriformis

• Tiger Beetles of Alberta: Killers on the Clay, Stalkers on the Sand by John Acorn. University of Alberta Press, 2001.