Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Photo#221491
Cicindela formosa

Cicindela formosa
Pratt Sandhills, Pratt County, Kansas, USA
September 1, 2008
Size: 15mm
Here's a image of C. formosa ssp formosa. I don't know why the white fades like that on Tiger Beetles, but it's annoying!

Fading...
...is caused by lipids in the body leaching into and staining the white maculations. It's especially a problem with specimens killed in ethyl acetate. You can eliminate this by immersing the specimens in solvent for a couple days to completely remove the lipids. I prefer ethyl acetate because it keeps the specimens relaxed, but others use acetone - if you use the latter you'll need to follow that with another immersion in Barbers fluid to relax the specimens. It's easiest to do all this before pinning (note - acetone will dissolve some pin heads).

 
Thanks Ted! I'll try that wit
Thanks Ted! I'll try that with my specimens!