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jonnysinsectcatalogue · 3 years

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Twelve-Spotted Tiger Beetle - Cicindela duodecimguttata

The title makes this post sound like two Six-Spotted Tiger Beetles sprinting around together across the wilderness. As entertaining as that sounds (especially since the hunt would probably be quite thrilling), this is something else: a new specie of Tiger Beetle for the blog. Like its Six-Spotted relative, the Twelve-Spotted Tiger Beetle flies around to suitable locations to hunt. After it lands and begins tracking prey, it sprints after it with alarming speed and catches it in its large, sharpened mandibles. Living specimens move a little bit too quickly to get a front-facing picture of the mandibles, but a carcass on the Kleinburg trail offers an opportunity for a better look (see Picture 9)! Wow! Super-sharp and like large sickles, its no wonder Tiger Beetles have earned their name. Moreover, their large eyes ensure that whatever they find won’t leave their sight. Unfortunately, it also means that a large human photographer can’t sneak up on them without them sprinting away to avoid being stepped on. If you plan on getting close to them, have your camera ready and use slow and steady movements to approach. Like these pictures, it’ll take some trial and error, but you’ll eventually prevail. As their name suggests, most individuals might be found with 12 spot-like markings on their armored shell. How handy!

If you can get a good look at those spots, make sure you pay close attention to all the spots that decorate the sides of the wing-case. To confirm the identity of this specie compared to it’s similar looking relatives (in this case the Bronzed Tiger Beetle: Cicindela repanda) you’ll need those spots to be absolutely. While variability between species is still a consideration, generally the spots on the side of the wing-case shouldn't touch each other on the Twelve-Spotted Tiger’s shell. There needs to be a decent amount of distance between the bands. In the case of something like C. repanda, those same spots touch, are fused or are nearly touching. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter since both Tiger Beetles exhibit similar behavior and tend to occupy the same range, but it never hurts to be sure (and then hybridizing steps in just to make a mess). Besides, getting up close to Beetles like this can reveal some tantalizing secrets. Looking at these Beetles from afar may give the indication that they’re plain and simple, but the closer you get, the more you can find shimmering pockets of beautiful iridescence. You can find even more scintillating brilliance on the underside of these Beetles (see Picture 10). I never would’ve guessed just looking from the top.

Pictures were taken on September 11, 2021 near Kleinburg village with a Google Pixel 4.

#jonny’s insect catalogue #ontario insect #beetle #twelve spotted tiger beetle #tiger beetle #ground beetle #coleoptera #insect #kleinburg #september2021 #2021 #entomology #nature #invertebrates

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