Tiger beetles

Scientific name: Cicindela sp.
(Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Facts: Tiger beetles are fast, agile predators and are a challenge to collect. They are found often in sandy areas and along trails in wooded areas. They are one of the favorite groups for beetle collectors and some collectors specialize only in this group.

Some authorities place the tiger beetles in a separate family called Cicindelidae. However, the more modern view places these beetles in the ground beetle family, Carabidae.

Photo credit:  Bastiaan (Bart) Drees, Extension Entomology, Texas A&M University