Genus
Megalomma
5 species
*Megalomma* Westwood, 1842 is a small Afrotropical genus of tiger beetles inhabiting tropical forest floors and low vegetation across central and southern Africa. These compact, metallic beetles are distinguished by their disproportionately large, elevated eyes — an adaptation linked to their nocturnal activity on shaded substrates. With only a handful of known species, *Megalomma* remains one of the lesser-studied genera of the Cicindelini.
Diagnosis
DIAGNOSIS — *Megalomma* Westwood, 1842 (s.str.). Body 10–16 mm, depressed. Coloration metallic. Eyes very large, notably elevated. Labrum transverse, 6-setose (distinguishes from *Physodeutera*). Head with cupreous metallic coloration. Pronotum nearly as long as wide, glabrous. Mandibles ochre-testaceous, 3-toothed (3rd tooth markedly distant from 2nd). Fully winged. Nocturnal; semi-arboreal on low vegetation and ground substrate; larvae in soil near plant bases. Afrotropical.
Etymology
From Greek *mégas* (big) + *ómma* (eye) — referring to disproportionately large eyes typical for arboreal/nocturnal genera.
Species (5)
Distribution map — GBIF occurrences
GBIF · © OpenStreetMap · © CartoDB
Overview
*Megalomma* Westwood, 1842 is a small Afrotropical genus of tiger beetles inhabiting tropical forest floors and low vegetation across central and southern Africa. These compact, metallic beetles are distinguished by their disproportionately large, elevated eyes — an adaptation linked to their nocturnal activity on shaded substrates. With only a handful of known species, *Megalomma* remains one of the lesser-studied genera of the Cicindelini.
Type species: Megalomma fulgens W. Horn, 1892 [by Jeannel 1946]
1. Wiesner, J. (2020) — checklist authority 2. Westwood, J.O. (1842) — original genus description 3. Werner, K. (2000) — Tiger Beetles of Africa, Vol. 2 4. Pearson, D.L. & Vogler, A.P. (2001) — Tiger Beetles: The Evolution, Ecology, and Diversity of the Cicindelids. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, 333 pp. [ISBN 0-8014-3882-9] 5. Knisley, C.B. & Pearson, D.L. (1984) — Biosystematics of larval tiger beetles, Sulphur Springs Valley, Arizona: descriptions of species and a review of larval biology. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 110: 465-551. 6. Arndt, E. & Putchkov, A.V. (1997) — Phylogenetic investigation of Cicindelidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) using larval morphological characters. Zoologischer Anzeiger 235: 231-241. 7. Schüle, P., Putchkov, A.V. & Markina, T.Y. (2021) — Dromica larvae: pronotum and hooks as unique characters. ZooKeys 1027: 111-138. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1027.61993 8. Werner, K. (1999/2000) — The Tiger Beetles of Africa (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Volumes I (1999, 191 pp) and II (2000, 207 pp). Taita Publishers, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. [Color picture-catalogue of 396 species in 34 genera; covers sub-Saharan Africa excluding Madagascar; 779 colour photographs in Vol II alone] 9. 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] +6 citations · full list in paid edition
Living Book · World Monograph 2026
Genera and Subgenera of Tiger Beetles
240 genera · 3,715 taxa · 194-character matrix · 12 months free updates