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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Ground and Water Beetles (Adephaga) » Ground Beetles (Carabidae) » Tiger Beetles (Cicindelinae) » Flashy Tiger Beetles (Cicindelini) » Temperate Tiger Beetles (Cicindela) » Cow Path Tiger Beetle (Cicindela purpurea)

Species Cicindela purpurea - Cow Path Tiger Beetle

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Cicindela purpurea hatchi - Cicindela purpurea

Cicindela purpurea audubonii - Cicindela purpurea - male

Cicindela purpurea audubonii - Cicindela purpurea - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Adephaga (Ground and Water Beetles)

Family Carabidae (Ground Beetles)

Subfamily Cicindelinae (Tiger Beetles)

Tribe Cicindelini (Flashy Tiger Beetles)

Genus Cicindela (Temperate Tiger Beetles)

Species purpurea (Cow Path Tiger Beetle)

Other Common Names

Purple Tiger Beetle

Explanation of Names

Cicindela purpurea Olivier 1790

Size

12-16 mm

Identification

Purple, greenish-purple, or green. Shoulder marking absent; middle marking does not reach outside edge of elytron; apical marking short.

The middle marking is curved, but not sharply elbowed as it is in C. limbalis.

Unfortunately, some individuals differ from the above description; there is a black morph, for example.

Forehead is hairy.

Range

widely dist. across NA, except for se US and parts of the SW (1)

Habitat

Upland habitats with shale soils. Found in forest clearings, often along dirt paths through grassy areas.

Remarks

Uncommon through much of its range

See Also

In the Green-margined Tiger Beetle (C. limbalis), the middle marking is sharply angled or elbowed, not curved.

Print References

(2)

(3)

(4)

Internet References

Tiger Beetles of Ontario (Steve Marshall, U. of Guelph, Ontario)

Works Cited

1.	A Field Guide To The Tiger Beetles Of The United States And Canada David Pearson, C. Barry Knisley, Charles J. Kazilek, David L. Pearson, Barry C. Knisley. 2005. Oxford University Press.

2.	Tiger Beetles of Alberta: Killers on the Clay, Stalkers on the Sand John Acorn. 2001. University of Alberta Press.

3.	Tiger Beetles: A Field Guide and Identification Manual for Florida and Eastern U.S. Paul Merrill Choate. 2003. University Press of Florida.

4.	Tiger Beetles of West Virginia Thomas J. Allen and Robert E. Acciavatti. 2002. West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.

Contributed by Stephen_WV on 9 December, 2004 - 6:35pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, Mike Quinn, Nick Block, Peter Messer
Last updated 9 October, 2019 - 9:01am

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