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Home/ Cicindelini / Cicindela / Cicindela formosa
free LC species medium ★ 5.8 Iridescent

Cicindela formosa

Say, 1817

Common name: Big Sand Tiger Beetle

Tribe
Cicindelini
Subtribe
Cicindelina
Bioregion
Nearctic
Countries
2
Body length
14 mm
Habitat
coastal-sandy
Activity
diurnal
Wings
macropterous

Distribution

Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec), USA (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina)

Coastal habitatBiome: Coastal sandy
Provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec +19 more

Flight period

I

Active June–September (peak Jul–Aug)

Similar to: Resembles Apterodela, Cicindelidia, Cylindera
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII

VI,VII,VIII,IX

Key diagnostic characters

DIAGNOSIS — Cicindela Linnaeus, 1758 Type genus of Cicindelidae. Body 8–18 mm, elongate-cursorial; head wider than pronotum; eyes large, protuberant; ground color metallic with white maculation bands.

Precise distribution

CA, US

Confidence profile

geo:M|bio:H|morph:H|pheno:I|elev:I|obs:M

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Genera and Subgenera of Tiger Beetles

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Taxonomic notes

Original combination: Cicindela formosa formosa (Say, 1817)

Data quality: 76/100  ·  Source: GBIF; Wiesner2020; matrix-morphology  ·  Verified by V. Štrunc · Audited: 2026-05-13

Frequently asked

What is the Big Sand Tiger Beetle? ▾
Among Africa's most specialized tiger beetles, Cicindela (Austrocicindela) haunts the bark and wood of forest trees rather than open ground — a rare arboreal lifestyle in the family. Nocturnal hunters, their larvae develop in burrows within bark. This small subgenus of four species represents a st
Where does the Big Sand Tiger Beetle live? ▾
It specialises in coastal sandy habitats. distributed across the Nearctic region. with records from Canada (
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