Chinese Tiger Beetle
Cicindela chinensis
The sprint champion of the forest trail
The Chinese Tiger Beetle is a small beetle with a metallic golden-green sheen; both adults and larvae are active predators. It runs extremely fast, often dashing a few steps along a bare sandy trail before stopping abruptly to let its compound eyes catch a clear image before striking again.
Key figures
- Length
- About 20–22 mm; the wing covers (elytra) have a metallic sheen
- Life cycle
- Adults are most often seen from late spring through autumn; the larval stage lasts one to two years
- Habitat
- Sun-exposed forest trails, riverbanks, and bare sandy ground
- Diet
- Both adults and larvae are predatory, hunting ants and other small arthropods
- Running Speed
- Runs extremely fast, ranking among the fastest insects relative to body length
- Ambush
- Larvae lurk in vertical burrows, hooking their abdomen in place to ambush passing prey
Life cycle
Egg → Larva (burrow-dwelling, 1–2 years) → Pupa → Adult
Ecological role
Both adult and larval Chinese Tiger Beetles are active predators that help keep ants and other small arthropods in check along forest trails and bare-ground habitats; the species is also considered an indicator of good environmental quality.
Did you know
When a tiger beetle sprints too fast, its compound eyes cannot process the incoming images fast enough and it briefly goes visually blind — why it dashes only a few steps before pausing to relocate its prey.
Range
Most of China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan
Status
Common
Anatomy
- Mandibles — Sickle-shaped and crossing like scissors, snapping shut on prey in an instant
- Elytra — A metallic golden-green sheen with bold white markings
- Compound Eyes — Large and bulging; vision is the main sense used to lock onto prey while hunting
- Legs — Long and slender, supporting one of the fastest sprinting styles of any insect group
- Antennae — Thread-like and set close to the base of the mandibles, aiding close-range prey detection
- Pronotum — The plate behind the head is narrower than the base of the elytra and has a coppery-red metallic sheen
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