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the web of life in southern Africa

Subfamily: Cicindelinae (tiger beetles)

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Ecdysozoa > Panarthropoda > Tritocerebra > Arthopoda > Mandibulata > Atelocerata > Panhexapoda > Hexapoda > Insecta (insects) > Dicondyla > Pterygota > Metapterygota > Neoptera > Eumetabola > Holometabola > Coleoptera (beetles) > Suborder: Adephaga > Family: Carabidae (ground beetles)

Medium to large sized, fast-moving beetles with slender legs. Flattened,  metallic bodies with black or brown with yellow or white patterns. They have large, prominent eyes, making the head wider than the prothorax. Covered in hairs that lie flat against the body surface.

Most are fast fliers, usually in fast bursts when disturbed where they rest on beaches and open ground. They are successful predators using speed, large eyes and large and toothed mandibles. The larvae live in vertical burrows in the sand from which they ambush their prey.

Lophyra barbifrons (Pale tiger beetle), 11mm. [image by M. Picker & C. Griffiths ©, from Field Guide to Insects of South Africa, used with permission].

Chaetodera regalis (Royal tiger beetle), 18mm. [image by M. Picker & C. Griffiths ©, from Field Guide to Insects of South Africa, used with permission].

Platydela quadriguttata (Emerald tiger beetle), 11mm. [image by M. Picker & C. Griffiths ©, from Field Guide to Insects of South Africa, used with permission].

Mantichora sp. (Monster tiger beetle), 42mm. [image by A. Weaving ©, from Field Guide to Insects of South Africa, used with permission].

Page by Margie Cochrane