Fun Green Tiger Beetle Facts For Kids
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The green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris) belongs to the family Carabidae and genus Cicindela. The population is distributed across Europe in Spain and Finland.
Most of the population has been recorded in the UK, Austria, Sweden, and Germany. The habitat of this tiger beetle consists of dry soils that can be either sandy or chalky and are found in sun.
They are found on the ground and also inhabit paths or moorlands. After breeding, the males tend to stay with the females for some more time and chase other males off.
These beetles prefer damp soils to lay or deposit eggs. The winter of the larval stage is spent in burrows and the young beetles are capable of hunting by themselves.
This tiger beetle is shiny, glossy, or metallic green in color. They have long legs and these long legs help this beetle to move quickly when hunting. The head of this insect is large and this species has purple-bronze legs and large eyes with a sickle-shaped jaw.
These strong jaws help them to attack their prey. The diet or food of this species consists of ants, caterpillars, and spiders.
Predators including insects and animals that hunt on this insect include spiders, dragonflies, and lizards. These beetles can bite sometimes if handled but their bite is known to be quite mild.
The adults are known to be often confused with the six-spotted tiger beetle or six-spotted green tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata). This species of tiger beetles are known to be quite fast-moving insects.
Continue reading for more interesting information about this species of tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris) by reading these facts about the shiny green tiger beetle and if you are interested, read about longhorn beetle and Asian lady beetle too.
Green Tiger Beetle Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a green tiger beetle?
The green tiger beetle is a beetle.
What class of animal does a green tiger beetle belong to?
It belongs to the class of insects.
How many green tiger beetles are there in the world?
There has been no specific count of the global population of these beetles.
Where does a green tiger beetle live?
The distribution of the population of this tiger beetle is spread across Europe in Spain and Finland. Most of the population has been recorded in the UK, Austria, Sweden, and Germany.
What is a green tiger beetle's habitat?
These beetles are known to inhabit dry soils that can be sandy or chalky and are found in sun. They are found on the ground and also inhabit paths or moorlands.
Who do green tiger beetles live with?
Not much is known about whether these beetles live in groups or alone.
How long does a green tiger beetle live?
The exact lifespan of this beetle is unknown but most other beetle species live for about two years in the wild.
How do they reproduce?
Adult male beetles stay with the females for some time after mating and engage in mate guarding, meaning they chase off other males that come near the female for mating or breeding. After mating or breeding, the females are known to construct or build burrows to lay eggs.
Damp soil is preferred to lay or deposit their eggs rather than sand. The young beetles are capable of hunting by themselves. It is believed that these beetles reach sexual maturity in spring.
What is their conservation status?
These beetles are placed into the category of Not Evaluated according to the IUCN Red List.
Green Tiger Beetle Fun Facts
What do green tiger beetles look like?
Adults of this beetle species are medium-sized, metallic green colored beetle and the tone of this green color varies from light to dark. The head of this insect is comparatively larger.
They have bronze-purple legs and eyes and also have creamy spots on the wing cases or wing covers. They are known to have large eyes.
Their jaws are sickle-shaped and sharp. The adults look very similar to the six-spotted tiger beetle or the six-spotted green tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) and the six-spotted tiger beetle is known to be a North American species of tiger beetles.
How cute are they?
These beetles are not considered cute.
How do they communicate?
Not much is known about the communication of these beetles but it has been observed that these beetles produce sounds to communicate.
How big is a green tiger beetle?
The length of these beetles ranges between 0.47-0.59 in (12-15 mm) and are similar or sometimes smaller than water beetles. They are also smaller than click beetles.
How fast can green tiger beetles move?
The exact speed of these tiger beetles is unknown but tiger beetles are considered to be one of the fastest insects. These insects are known to move at a speed of about 5 mph (8 kph).
How much does a green tiger beetle weigh?
The weight of this beetle species is unknown.
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names for males and females of this species of insects.
What would you call a baby green tiger beetle?
The baby of beetles is referred to as larva or young ones.
What do they eat?
The diet of these beetles consists of ants, caterpillars, spiders and they forage for prey on grasslands, heaths, and sand dunes.
Are they harmful?
These beetles are known to bite humans if handled but their bite is a very mild pinch and is not very noticeable and thus, is not considered harmful.
Would they make a good pet?
There has been no record of the domestication of tiger beetles.
Did you know...
Adult beetles are known to love the sun.
The noise of this insect is considered to be a buzzing noise.
Some similar species include the green six-spotted tiger beetle or the six-spotted green tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata). The six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) is known to be the North-American species of tiger beetle.
Green tiger beetles hibernate during winter and come out in the spring.
There have been several subspecies recognized like Cicindela campestris atlantis, balearica, nigrita, olivieria, pontica, and suffriani.
The larvae of these beetles wait at the entrance of the burrows to ambush their prey.
Most of these beetle species are considered Endangered and thus, are rare.
Some predators of tiger beetles or insects or animals that prey on this insect include dragonflies, lizards, and spiders.
Do green tiger beetles bite?
These beetles are known to bite humans if handled but their bite is a very mild pinch and is not very noticeable.
Where do green tiger beetles lay their eggs?
Eggs are laid in damp soil burrows.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our eastern Hercules beetle facts and ten-lined June beetle facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable beetle coloring pages.
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