Tiger Beetle

Several physical distinctions regarding the tiger beetle include their elongated jaws with teeth on the inner side, general long body shape ranging from 5mm to 4 cm, and thin legs used for running across a variety of surfaces. While many have dulled-black coloration, some species are brightly colored in shades of blue, red, green, purple, and yellow. Most adults have clear wings right on top of their abdomen that generally only permit short-distance flight ranges. While it remains unclear why the tiger beetles' wing sizes have reduced, they also go through various physical changes such as rounding of parts of their wing covers (elytra) and shoulder areas (humeri), reducing the middle and lower parts of their body (metasternum, metatergum, and met-episternum), as well as adjusting the positioning of the leg joints (mesocoxae and metacoxae). Since the species only relies on running as their escape mechanism, significant adaptations in their body shape and running behavior can be anticipated. The hard cuticle that covers the majority of its body is both a crucial survival trait but also a useful marker for researchers to identify them. Their outer layer includes micro engravings of pits and ridges as well as alternating layers of translucent wax and melanin to reflect color and give rise to their dullish pigmentation. There is a prominent hump on the top of their fifth abdominal segment with two pairs of reverse pointing hooks to anchor them in their burrow with their head filling the entrance and flush with the surface. The larvae wait for prey to come close enough, attempt to grab and pull them down their shaft. The hump and hooks prevent struggling prey from pulling them out of their shaft. The fast-moving adults run down their prey and are extremely fast on the wing, their reaction times being of the same order as that of common houseflies. 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, being particularly fond of sandy surfaces. adults, including a pair]] Tiger beetles are considered a good indicator species and have been used in ecological studies on biodiversity. Several species of wingless parasitic wasps in the genus Methocha (family Thynnidae) lay their eggs on larvae of various Cicindela species, such as Cicindela dorsalis.

Tiger beetles are distributed based on limitations in resources and desiccation. Tracing fossil data about the species, it's evident that they were alive from about 250 million years ago and are now found throughout regions worldwide with exception to Antarctica. However, they cannot fly far. There has been an association found between body-size and habitat preferences in a research paper investigating tiger beetles in Sri Lanka. Upon further investigation, tiger beetles that have a larger bodies and bigger mandibles tend to show preference for coastal areas and reservoir settings that are also characterized by heavy winds, elevated soil pH, and low soil moisture. They tend to be in open areas that are more barren. On the other hand, tiger beetles with smaller bodies and smaller mandibles live in river areas that usually have low wind speeds, low soil pH, and high soil moisture. These smaller species also like urban environments, probably due to the fact they are similar to the characteristics of usual habitats they occupy. In addition, the areas they occupy also dictate the type of predators they attract. Larger tiger beetles tend to prey on insects, while smaller tiger beetles must avoid common insect and reptile predators like lizards, flies, and spiders. These correlations are likely due to the fact that body size can have a significant effect on the amount of energy an organism needs to acquire and consumes, as well as potential for them to experience predation and parasitism.

Tiger beetles have an unusual form of pursuit in which they alternately sprint toward their prey, then stop and visually reorient. This may be because the beetle runs too fast for its visual system to accurately process images. Many tiger beetles hunt in flat sandy areas, and their eyes have flat-world adaptations, such as high-acuity perception streaks corresponding to the horizon. A tiger beetle uses the elevation of its potential prey in its visual field to determine how far away it is. As visual hunters, tiger beetles tend to hunt in open, relatively flat habitats, such as sand bars, woodland paths, and barren ground scrubland. In this sense, beetles might be expected to use elevation as a distance cue in their visual pursuit of prey. A few species of Cicindela are able to hunt without using their eyes and several are crepuscular. Several species are known to be sensitive to ultrasound and produce ultrasound in response to bats, and are thought to be Batesian mimics, imitating the sounds of toxic moths that are avoided by bats.

The oldest fossil tiger beetle yet found, Cretotetracha grandis, comes from the Yixian Formation in Inner Mongolia, China, and dates to the early Cretaceous Period, 125 million years ago. Most fossils found are grey or yellow silty mudstone. Traits that identify Cretotetracha as Cicindelinae include long mandibles shaped like sickles, simple teeth arranged along the mandible's inner surface, antennae that attach to the head between the base of the mandibles and the eye. The left mandible is approximately 3.3 mm and the right mandible is approximately 4.2 mm long. A long body form roughly around 8.1 mm where the combined eyes and head are wider than the thorax, and long running legs. both in Brazil.

Tiger beetles had been treated either as a family Cicindelidae or as the subfamily Cicindelinae of the Carabidae (ground beetles) but since 2020, there has been growing evidence for the treatment as a separate family, that is sister to the Carabidae. Image:Manticorini sp.JPG|Museum specimen of Manticora sp. from Mozambique Image:Salt Creek Tiger Beetle.jpg|The rare Salt Creek tiger beetle, Cicindela nevadica lincolniana Image:Cicindelid bangalore.jpg|Cicindela goryi from India, showing the large eyes and mandibles File:Tiger beetle Lophyra sp..jpg|Most tiger beetles run on the ground, living on sand and lake shores. File:Cicindela chinensis flammifera MHNT.ZOO.2004.0.175.jpg|Cicindela chinensis File:20140817T132831 Lat 2 2 41.49049430 N Long 103 33 24.74152953 E.jpg|A specimen in Gunung Belumut Recreational Forest, Malaysia

* Abroscelis Hope, 1838 * Amblycheila Say, 1829 * Aniara Hope, 1838 * Antennaria Dokhtouroff, 1883 * Apteroessa Hope, 1838 * Archidela Rivalier, 1963 * Bennigsenium W. Horn, 1897 * Brasiella Rivalier, 1954 * Caledonica Chaudoir, 1860 * Caledonomorpha W. Horn, 1897 * Callidema Guerin-Meneville, 1843 * Callytron Gistl, 1848 * Calomera Motschulsky, 1862 * Calyptoglossa Jeannel, 1946 * Cenothyla Rivalier, 1969 * Cephalota Dokhtouroff, 1883 * Chaetodera Jeannel, 1946 * Cheilonycha Lacordaire, 1843 * Cheiloxya Guerin-Meneville, 1855 * Cicindela Linnaeus, 1758 * Collyris Fabricius, 1801 * Cratohaerea Chaudoir, 1850 * Cretotetracha Zhao et al., 2019 * Ctenostoma Klug, 1821 * Cylindera Westwood, 1831 * Darlingtonica Cassola, 1986 * Derocrania Chaudoir, 1860 * Diastrophella Rivalier, 1957 * Dilatotarsa Dokhtouroff, 1882 * Distipsidera Westwood, 1837 * Dromica Dejean, 1826 * Dromicoida Werner, 1995 * Dromochorus Guerin-Meneville, 1845 * Ellipsoptera Dokhtouroff, 1883 * Enantiola Rivalier, 1961 * Eunota Rivalier, 1954 * Euprosopus Dejean, 1825 * Euryarthron Guerin-Meneville, 1849 * Eurymorpha Hope, 1838 * Euzona Rivalier, 1963 * Grammognatha Motschulsky, 1850 * Grandopronotalia W. Horn, 1936 * Guineica Rivalier, 1963 * Habrodera Motschulsky, 1862 * Habroscelimorpha Dokhtouroff, 1883 * Heptodonta Hope, 1838 * Hypaetha Leconte, 1860 * Hujia * Iresia Dejean, 1831 * Jansenia Chaudoir, 1865 * Jundlandia (LeConte, 1854) * Langea W. Horn, 1901 * Leptognatha Rivalier, 1963 * Lophyra Motschulsky, 1859 * Macfarlandia Sumlin, 1981 * Manautea Deuve, 2006 * Mantica Kolbe, 1896 * Manticora Fabricius, 1781 * Megacephala Latreille, 1802 * Megalomma Westwood, 1842 * Metriocheila Thomson, 1857 * Micromentignatha Sumlin, 1981 * Microthylax Rivalier, 1954 * Myriochila Motschulsky, 1862 * Naviauxella Cassola, 1988 * Neochila Basilewsky, 1953 * Neocicindela Rivalier, 1963 * Neocollyris W. Horn, 1901 * Neolaphyra Bedel, 1895 * Nickerlea W. Horn, 1899 * Notospira Rivalier, 1961 * Odontocheila Laporte, 1834 * Omus Eschscholtz, 1829 * Opilidia Rivalier, 1954 * Opisthencentrus W. Horn, 1893 * Orthocindela Rivalier, 1972 * Oxycheila Dejean, 1825 * †Oxycheilopsis Cassola & Werner, 2004 * Oxygonia Mannerheim, 1837 * Oxygoniola W. Horn, 1892 * Paraphysodeutera J. Moravec, 2002 * Pentacomia Bates, 1872 * Peridexia Chaudoir, 1860 * Phaeoxantha Chaudoir, 1850 * Phyllodroma Lacordaire, 1843 * Physodeutera Lacordaire, 1843 * Picnochile Motschulsky, 1856 * Platychile Macleay, 1825 * Pogonostoma Klug, 1835 * Polyrhanis Rivalier, 1963 * Pometon Fleutiaux, 1899 * Prepusa Chaudoir, 1850 * Probstia Cassola, 2002 * Pronyssa Bates, 1874 * Pronyssiformia W. Horn, 1929 * Prothyma Hope, 1838 * Prothymidia Rivalier, 1957 * Protocollyris Mandl, 1975 * Pseudotetracha Fleutiaux, 1894 * Pseudoxycheila Guerin-Meneville, 1839 * Rhysopleura Sloane, 1906 * Rhytidophaena Bates, 1891 * Rivacindela Nidek, 1973 * Ronhuberia J. Moravec & Kudrna, 2002 * Salpingophora Rivalier, 1950 * Socotrana Cassola & Wranik, 1998 * Stenocosmia Rivalier, 1965 * Sumlinia Cassola & Werner, 2001 * Tetracha Hope, 1838 * Therates Latreille, 1816 * Thopeutica Schaum, 1861 * Tricondyla Latreille, 1822 * Vata Fauvel, 1903 * Waltherhornia Olsoufieff, 1934 * Zecicindela Larochelle & Larivière, 2013