Genus
Darlingtonica
1 species
*Darlingtonica* is a small, enigmatic genus of tiger beetles endemic to Papua New Guinea, known for its unusual association with tree bark rather than open ground. These metallic beetles shelter and breed beneath bark, with larvae developing in burrow systems within the substrate — a striking departure from the sandy-pan habits of most Cicindelina.
Diagnosis
DIAGNOSIS — *Darlingtonica* Cassola, 1987. Body medium, ~13 mm; metallic; fully winged; eyes medium; labrum transverse. Arboreal bark-dweller; larvae in bark burrows. Separated from sympatric Australasian Cicindelina by aedeagal morphology. Sandy/clay soil association also recorded. No tribe-level autapomorphies recorded in matrix v8.
Etymology
Named after P.J. Darlington Jr. (American carabidologist).
Species (1)
Distribution map — GBIF occurrences
GBIF · © OpenStreetMap · © CartoDB
Overview
*Darlingtonica* is a small, enigmatic genus of tiger beetles endemic to Papua New Guinea, known for its unusual association with tree bark rather than open ground. These metallic beetles shelter and breed beneath bark, with larvae developing in burrow systems within the substrate — a striking departure from the sandy-pan habits of most Cicindelina.
Type species: Darlingtonica spinipennis Cassola, 1990 [by monotypy]
1. Wiesner, J. (2020) — checklist 2. Cassola, F. (1990) — original genus description honoring P.J. Darlington 3. Duran, D.P. & Gough, H.M. (2020) — Validation of tiger beetles as distinct family (Cicindelidae) and reclassification within Coleoptera. Systematic Entomology 45(4): 723-729. DOI: 10.1111/syen.12440 [validates Cicindelidae as separate family] 4. Gough, H.M., Duran, D.P., Kawahara, A.Y. & Toussaint, E.F.A. (2018) — A comprehensive molecular phylogeny of tiger beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Cicindelinae). Systematic Entomology 43(3): 567-586. DOI: 10.1111/syen.12324 [ML phylogeny of 328 taxa, 9 gene regions] 5. Wiesner, J. (2020) — Checklist of the Tiger Beetles of the World, 2nd edition (Verzeichnis der Sandlaufkäfer der Welt, 27. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Cicindelidae). Winterwork, Borsdorf, 534 pp. [Authoritative current world checklist] 6. Cassola, F. (1971-2010) — Studies on Tiger Beetles (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) — numbered series of papers (over 120 contributions) published primarily in Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana, Fragmenta Entomologica, Lambillionea, Coleopterists Bulletin, Quaderni del Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Biota Colombiana. Provides taxonomic descriptions, regional faunal lists, and cytotaxonomic studies covering Afrotropical, Oriental, and Neotropical regions. 7. Horn, W. (1908, 1910, 1915) — Coleoptera Adephaga, fam. Carabidae, subfam. Cicindelinae. In: Wytsman, P. (Ed.) Genera Insectorum, fascicles 82a, 82b, 82c. L. Desmet-Verteneuil, Bruxelles. BHL bibliography/45481 [foundational historical monograph of Cicindelidae, treating all genera known at the time] 8. Cassola/Werner (1998) — Mitt. internat.ento.Ver.; Band 23; Heft 3/4; (p.151-164) 1998, New T.B.findings from Papua New Guine
Living Book · World Monograph 2026
Genera and Subgenera of Tiger Beetles
240 genera · 3,715 taxa · 194-character matrix · 12 months free updates