Tiger beetle | 台北市立動物園資訊網

Itwaitsatthetopoftheburrowforprey,whichusuallyconsistsofinsectsandspiders.Itlungesoutandgraspsthepreywithsicklelikemandibles(jaws).Apairof ...

tiger beetle, (subfamily Cicindelinae), any of more than 2,600 species of beetles (insect order Coleoptera) named for the voracious[1] eating habits of both larvae[2] and adults. The larva lives in a vertical burrow, which is sometimes as much as 0.67 metre (2 feet) deep. It waits at the top of the burrow for prey, which usually consists of insects and spiders. It lunges out and grasps the prey with sicklelike mandibles (jaws). A pair of hooks on the abdomen anchor the larva, so that it cannot be pulled out of its burrow by the struggling victim. The prey is then dragged to the bottom of the burrow and eaten.

The slender, long-legged adults are about 10 to 20 mm (2/5 to 4/5 inch) long and have bulging eyes that provide a keen[3] sense of vision. Many are iridescent blue, green, orange, or scarlet in colour. The wide range of colours is created both by pigments laid down in the exoskeleton and refractory colours created by surfa...