Texas Beetle Information

Return to Texas Entomology - Compiled by Mike Quinn

Cajun Tiger Beetle

Cicindela (Dromochorus) pilatei (Guerin-Meneville, 1845)

Family Carabidae, Subfamily Cicindelinae

Cajun Tiger Beetle - Cicindela (Dromochorus) pilatei

Harris County, Texas (Dan Heffern)

Texas County Records for Cicindela (Dromochorus) pilatei

County Record Source: Pearson et al. 2005

Range: Range restricted to the Upper Coast of Texas east to coastal and central Louisiana (Natchitoches Parish). (map, map)

Common at Brazos Bend State Park and in the Houston area, e.g. Addicks Reservoir per Brian Raber (pers. comm., 2007)

Adult Activity Period: May to June.

Larval Biology: Unknown.

Survey Methods: Often attracted to lights at night.

Syntype: Cicindela maya LeConte, 1875 - LK Ponch.; J.L. LeConte coll - Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University

Syntype Locality: Lake Ponchartrain - Wikipedia

Similar Species: There are some 57 species and subspecies of Cicindelinae in Texas (E.G. Riley, pers. comm., 2006)

Dromo Tiger Beetles, Subgenus Dromochorus, three species, all restricted to south-central North America.

Loamy-ground Tiger Beetle - Cicindela (Dromochorus) belfragei (includes: pruinina) - Texas
Cajun Tiger Beetle - Cicindela (Dromochorus) pilatei - Texas
Velvet Tiger Beetle - Cicindela (Dromochorus) velutinigrens - Texas

Tribe Omini:

Giant Tiger Beetles, Genus Amblycheila, seven species five of which occur north of Mexico.

Montane Giant Tiger Beetle - Amblycheila baroni

Giant Plains Tiger Beetle - Amblycheila cylindriformis - Texas

South Texas Giant Tiger Beetle - Amblycheila hoversoni - Texas

Plateau Giant Tiger Beetle - Amblycheila picolominii - Texas

Mojave Giant Tiger Beetle - Amblycheila schwarzi

Night-stalking Tiger Beetles, Genus Omus - Least well known Tiger Beetle genus, all occur on the West Coast.

Audouin's Night-stalking Tiger Beetle - Omus audouini

California Night-stalking Tiger Beetle - Omus californicus

Mount Ashland Night-stalking Tiger Beetle - Omus cazieri

Greater Night-stalking Tiger Beetle - Omus dejeanii

Lustrous Night-stalking Tiger Beetle - Omus submetallicus

Etymology:

Amblycheila
ambl, -y (G). Blunt
cheil, -o =us (G). A lip

Omus
om, -o (G). The shoulder;
raw, unripe

Cicindela
cicindel, =a (L).
A glowworm

Dromochorus
drom, -a, -ae, -aeo, -i, -o, =us (G). Run; running; a race
chor, -o (L). Achorus; (G). dance; a place

References:

Arnett, R.H., Jr., & M.C. Thomas. (editors). 2000. American Beetles. Volume 1. Archostemmata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL. xvi + 443 pp.

Borror, D.J. 1960. Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms. National Press Books, Palo Alto. 134 pp.

Freitag, R.P. 1999. Catalogue of the tiger beetles of Canada and the United States. National Research Council Research Press, Ottawa, Canada. 195 pp.

Knisley, C.B., & T.D. Schultz. 1997. The biology of tiger beetles and a guide to the species of the south Atlantic states. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publication Number 5. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, Virginia. 210 pp.

Pearson, D.L. 2004. A list of suggested common English names for species of tiger beetles occurring in Canada and the U.S. Cicindela 36(1-2): 31-40.

Pearson, D.L., T.G. Barraclough, & A.P. Vogler. 1997. Distributional maps for North American species of tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Cicindela. 29(3-4): 33-84.

Pearson, D.L., C.B. Knisley & C. J. Kazilek. 2005. A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada: Identification, Natural History, and Distribution of the Cicindelidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford. vii + 292 pp.