Tiger Beetle

Quick Take

• Adult tiger beetles sometimes freeze mid-sprint, and the reason says a lot about how their brains work.
• Their dazzling colors aren't just paint. The article reveals what actually creates them.
• The larva waits in a burrow with a clever trick to avoid being yanked out by its own prey.
• Spotting one in the wild may signal something important about the ground beneath your feet.

The tiger beetle is a diverse group of insects that spend most of their lives underground as larvae, waiting in ambush for prey. Upon reaching adulthood, they come up above ground to hunt and mate. The adults’ metallic, iridescent shells are very conspicuous and sometimes even beautiful to see. Since they’re very sensitive to habitat destruction, their presence is usually a sign of undisturbed ecosystems.

3 Incredible Tiger Beetle Facts

• The popular Nintendo video game series “Animal Crossing” allows you to catch a tiger beetle, among many other insects.
• The female tiger beetle mates continuously throughout the season and deposits her eggs into the ground.
• These insects have powerful mandibles. Their bite can definitely pierce the skin and draw blood.

Species, Types, and Scientific Name

The tiger beetle is classified in the subfamily Cicindelinae. This is a taxonomic level below the family (in this case, the ground beetles) but above the genus. The scientific name for this subfamily provides a very fitting description. Cicindelinae appears to come from a Latin word meaning shining or glowing, in reference to the metallic shell.

There are some 2,600 recorded species spread out across dozens of different genera. Many of them are so elusive that they haven’t been well studied or documented at all. The IUCN Red List has not evaluated most species. Among those that warrant classification, several species, like the Columbia River Tiger Beetle and Puritan Tiger Beetle, are endangered or threatened animals.

Fortunately, many other species are actually in excellent health. The six-spotted tiger beetle is among the most well-known species. Native to the eastern part of North America, this species has a shiny blue-green shell and a pattern of six spotted markings.

Appearance: How to Identify the Tiger Beetle

The adult tiger beetle is a segmented insect, usually measuring less than an inch long (though the largest species exceed two inches), with long, slender legs, curved mandibles, and big, bulging eyes, which provide a good sense of vision. Identification can be a little difficult because they look so much like other beetles. One easy method of identification is to look at the shell. The rounded head and thorax, plus the elongated abdomen, are covered in metallic blue, green, red, or orange. These unique colors are created by microscopic layers in the exoskeleton that reflect light, and they are then scattered by the exoskeleton’s unique surface. The wing covers on the abdomen also sometimes have marks or spots on them.

Some tiger beetles are specially adapted to match the color of their environments. The larvae, by contrast, have a standard grub-like appearance with large heads and humped backs. It normally measures just as long, if not longer, than the adult.

Habitat: Where to Find the Tiger Beetle

The tiger beetle lives all over the world in temperate and tropical climates, but the greatest concentration appears to occur in Southeast Asia. The larva lives in a vertical burrow, which can be up to two feet deep or more, and waits at the top for prey. They require fairly loose soil and sand in which to dig. Because of environmental disturbances and habitat loss, some species are becoming endangered.

Diet: What Do Tiger Beetles Eat?

The tiger beetle is a pure carnivore. It eats nothing but animal food.

What eats the tiger beetle?

The tiger beetle is consumed by larger predators such as birds, lizards, frogs, and some mammals. They can be vulnerable to parasitoid wasps and other insects as well.

What does the tiger beetle eat?

The larva will eat spiders and other insects as food. From the safety of its burrow, the larva will leap out at the prey and capture it with the mandibles. Hooks on the abdomen dig into the dirt and prevent the larva from being dragged out of its burrow. The adults hunt in a more traditional manner. They can usually hunt down live prey with their fast sprinting or flying speeds. Sometimes they will stop in mid-sprint to reorient their view. This is believed to occur because the visual information can’t be processed as quickly as they run. Their powerful bite force enables them to capture and consume their food fairly easily.

Prevention: How to Get Rid of Tiger Beetles

These insects are not considered to be a pest. While they do cause disturbances in the soil, they are normally a net benefit to the environment, because they consume other insects that are considered to be pests. If these insects are a problem in your yard, however, then you could conceivably use a chemical treatment to get rid of them. Many different insecticides will work.