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Tiger Beetle - Cicindela punctulata Commonly called Sidewalk tiger beetle Order: Coleoptera / Family: Carabidae (ground beetles) / Subfamily: Cicindelinae (tiger beetles) Live adult tiger beetles photographed at Winfield, Illinois. North American Insects and Spiders Home Page |
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The tiger beetles (family Cicindelidae) are members
of the suborder Adephaga within the Order Coleoptera. Adult tiger
beetles are characterized by large, prominent compound eyes and
eleven-segmented, filiform antennae. The antennae are inserted on the
frons above the clypeus and below the eyes. The head, at the eyes, is
wider than the pronotum (in most common genera of cicindelids). The
tarsi are five-segmented.
Adult beetles of the families Cicindelidae (tiger beetles) and Carabidae
(ground beetles) are quite similar morphologically, and some
entomologists place the tiger beetles in the subfamily Cicindelinae
within the family Carabidae. The ground beetles differ in the following
ways: antennae inserted above the mandibles to the side of the clypeus,
and below the eyes. Most ground beetles have a head, at the eye, which
is narrower than the pronotum.
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Mated pair of
Six-spotted Green tiger beetles, Cicindela sexguttata
This green tiger beetle is an active predator and can frequently be found
hunting along footpaths and walkways through deciduous or mixed
woodlands. Since the adults overwinter in their original pupal burrows,
they are some of the earliest "big" flying insects out and about come
springtime. I love the metallic color, and have followed these guys
around quite a bit lately (2nd week April)- you can sneak up on them if
you move slowly and approach from a low angle - they'll fly off if you
blot out large areas of sky. These pictures were taken from about 4
inches away.
1. Janet C. Ciegler and Joey Holmes, White Beach Tiger Beetle South Carolina Department of Natural Resources 2. Boyd, H.P. 1982. Checklist of Cicindelidae: The tiger beetles. Plexus Publishing, Inc. New Jersey. 31 pp. 3. Knisley, C.B. and T.D. Schultz. 1997. Tiger beetles and a guide to the species of the South Atlantic states. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville. 209 pp. 4. Bugguide.net, Tiger Beetle - Cicindela punctulata |
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