Coleoptera: Cicindelidae: tiger beetles

Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
Order: Coleoptera (beetles)
    coleo = sheath and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
    This name refers to the hardened front wings of beetles.
Family: Cicindelidae (tiger beetles)
Species: Cicindela politula petrophila
Common Name: tiger beetle (not species specific)
Date: 2001 June 19
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Bush Mountain Trail near Pine Top Campground

Adult tiger beetles - visually oriented predators (note the large eyes) - are typically found on the ground stalking prey. When disturbed they often fly a short distance away. An adult tiger beetle on the ground uses various postures to help control its body temperature. One posture called stilting (shown here) involves extending the legs to lift the body up, away from the ground. Juvenile tiger beetles, also predators, are sedentary burrow dwellers.

Cicindela lemniscata
2001 August 09 in the Salt Basin

Cicindela ocellata
2001 August 09 in the Salt Basin

Links

Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.