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BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
Details...
 
Photos from the last gathering (Minnesota 2007)

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Subfamily Cicindelinae - Tiger Beetles

Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Adephaga (Ground and Water Beetles)
Family Carabidae (Ground Beetles)
Subfamily Cicindelinae (Tiger Beetles)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
formerly placed in their own family (Cicindelidae), now treated as a subfamily of Carabidae
Numbers
Four genera of tiger beetles are native to North America. Members of the genus Cicindela are the most widespread. The other North American genera are: Megacephala, Omus, and Amblychila.
Classification into three tribes (Omini, Megacephalini, Cicindelini) follows this list.
Size
body length about 10-21 mm
Identification
The larvae are elongate, cylindrical, and somewhat grub-like with powerful, upward–curving mandibles.
Food
Larvae and adults feed on other insects.
Life Cycle
The adult female selects a site, excavates a small hole up to one centimetre deep, deposits one egg, then fills in the hole (Fig. 1). Females are extremely specific about choosing an oviposition (egg–laying) site, and they appear to favor damp soil.
After hatching, the larva (Fig. 2) digs a cylindrical burrow at the site. There are three instars, and the larva expands the burrow as it grows. The development of the larva is dependent on the climate, usually requiring 2-3 years for completion depending on food availability.

Tiger beetles exhibit two general life cycles: There are spring - fall species and summer species.
In spring - fall species, adults emerge from pupae in the autumn and are active for a few weeks or longer, depending on the weather conditions. As frosts occur and the weather cools, the adults hibernate for the winter. They emerge from hibernation during the spring and mate (Fig. 3) and the females then lay eggs (Fig. 1). The adults then usually die off, and the newly hatched larvae develop burrows and hibernate for one or more winters. When the larvae are mature, they pupate during the summer and emerge as adults in the fall. Depending on the species, the spring - fall life cycle generally takes 2 to 4 years to complete.
In summer species, the adults emerge from pupae in the early summer and are active during the summer months. They mate (Fig. 3) and the females lay eggs (Fig. 1) during this time. Note that male and female may couple for extended periods of mate guarding in which the male stays in contact with the female after actual mating in order to prevent further matings. Larvae hatch in fall, develop burrows, and hibernate for the winter. This summer life cycle generally takes 1 or 2 years to complete.

Fig. 2: Larvae (removed from its burrow)
Fig. 3: Mating pair
See Also
Elaphrus species resemble miniature tiger beetles with coalesced iridescent spots on their elytra
Works Cited
1.A Field Guide To The Tiger Beetles Of The United States And Canada
By David Pearson, C. Barry Knisley, Charles J. Kazilek, David L. Pearson, Barry C. Knisley
2.A Field Guide to Insects
By Richard E. White, Donald J. Borror, Roger Tory Peterson
3.National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders
By Lorus and Margery Milne

U.S. Tiger Beetles in Danger
See above

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