Lophyra

Overview

*Lophyra* (Spilodella) is a small Oriental subgenus of tiger beetles haunting open, wet sandy habitats under cover of darkness. These metallic, spot-patterned beetles measure 9–12 mm and are tied to bare sand, where larvae excavate vertical burrows. Their specialised nocturnal lifestyle sets them apart within the broader *Lophyra* lineage.

Type species: Lophyra abbreviata (Klug, 1832)

1. Wiesner, J. (2020) — checklist 2. Motschulsky, V. (1859) — original genus 3. Werner, K. (2000) — Tiger Beetles of Africa Vol. 2 4. Löbl, I. & Smetana, A. (2003) — Palearctic catalogue 5. Motschulsky, V. de (1859) — In Études Entomologiques (various contributions). [BHL: biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/121506] [original genus description of Lophyra] 6. 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] 7. 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] 8. 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] 9. Rivalier, É. (1950) — Démembrement du genre Cicindela Linné (Travail préliminaire limité à la faune paléarctique). Revue Française d'Entomologie 17(4): 217-244. [Part I — Palearctic fauna; subgenus establishment] +11 citations · full list in paid edition