Photo: Olei · CC BY-SA 3.0
Green tiger beetle
Cicindela campestris
The green tiger beetle is a small metallic-green beetle, a lightning-fast hunter with large jaws that runs and flies over sunny paths.
Characteristics
Temperament
Diurnal, lightning-fast, predatory
Diet
Ants, spiders and small invertebrates
Description
The green tiger beetle is a small beetle of the ground beetle family, 12-15 millimetres long, with splendid colours. Its body is a bright metallic green, with a few pale rounded spots on the wing cases and legs with coppery sheen. It has large protruding eyes, long runner's legs and powerful curved jaws, among the most effective hunting tools in the insect world.
Habitat and distribution
It is widespread across Eurasia. It favours open, dry, sunny habitats: dirt paths, sandy clearings, heaths, slopes and bare ground, where it basks in the sun and hunts.
Behaviour
It is an extraordinarily fast diurnal predator: it runs in bursts over the ground chasing prey and, if disturbed, takes short flights to escape before resuming the hunt. With its large jaws it catches ants, spiders and other small invertebrates. The larva is also carnivorous: it lives in a vertical burrow dug into the ground, lying in wait, and seizes passing prey with a lightning strike.
Did you know?
The tiger beetle is among the fastest insects in the world relative to its size: it runs so fast that, it is said, it becomes momentarily 'blind', having to stop to refocus on its prey. Its common name alludes to its nature as a fierce hunter.
Notes
It is a useful and fascinating insect, an indicator of open, well-preserved habitats. It is not dangerous to humans, though its large jaws can give a nip if handled.
Pros
- Splendid metallic-green colour
- Lightning-fast hunter, useful predator
- Indicator of open, well-preserved habitats
Cons
- Depends on bare, sunny ground
- Large jaws can nip if handled
- Sensitive to the closing over of open habitats
