Glad to have your expert help here.

I'm afraid I have not studied tiger beetles much, perhaps *because* they are so popular. I guess I've felt they are so well liked and well studied that I can make more contributions elsewhere. That doesn't mean I'll hesistate to photograph any I find though :-)

I know exactly what you mean about the popularity aspect! I was nearly discouraged early on because of this, but overall It's a good thing because it means that a lot of people are looking at these beetles and a lot more is known about natural history, ecology, and some other aspects of their biology. I once thought the systematics/taxonomy were well worked out as well, but it has become abundantly clear that (like a lot of pretty insect groups) they are way oversplit below the species level in general (and sometimes at the species level, but on rare occasions undersplit). At the same time, there are still unrecognized subdivisions as well, but they're harder to find with traditional methods. That's where I come in...

Nice photos... I look forward to seeing more. - Dan