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Home/ Cicindelini / Cicindela / Cicindela pulchra
free NE species medium ★ 5.8 Iridescent

Cicindela pulchra

Say, 1824

Common name: Beautiful Tiger Beetle

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

Distribution

USA (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma), Mexico (Nuevo Leon)

Coastal habitatBiome: Coastal sandy
Provinces: Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Nuevo Leon

Flight period

I

Active September–March (peak Oct–Dec)

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

IX-III (rainfall-triggered, Neotropical wet season)

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

MX, 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 pulchra dorothea (Say, 1824)

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

Frequently asked

What is the Beautiful 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 Beautiful Tiger Beetle live? ▾
It specialises in coastal sandy habitats. distributed across the Nearctic / Neotropical region. with recor
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