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free NE species large ★ 5.3 Metallic

Megacephala megacephala

(Fabricius, 1801)

Common name: Megacephala Tiger Beetle

Tribe
Megacephalini
Subtribe
Megacephalina
Bioregion
Afrotropical
Countries
2
Body length
24.5 mm
Habitat
coastal-sandy
Activity
nocturnal
Wings
macropterous

Distribution

Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, and Wiesner 2015, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Chad

Coastal habitatBiome: Coastal sandy

Flight period

I

Active October–April (peak Jan–Nov)

II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII

X-IV (rainfall-triggered, Afrotropical wet season)

Key diagnostic characters

DIAGNOSIS — Megacephala Latreille, 1802 Body 15–25 mm, robust Megacephalini with markedly enlarged head. Ground color bright metallic (green, gold, blue).

Precise distribution

NG, SN

Confidence profile

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

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Taxonomic notes

Original combination: Megacephala morsii bequaerti (Werner, 2003)

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

Frequently asked

What is the Morsii Tiger Beetle? ▾
Megacephala Latreille, 1802 is a robust Afrotropical tiger beetle genus whose broad, enlarged head is wider than the pronotum — the source of its name. Active after dark on bare or sandy soils, these metallic-green to gold beetles are among the most striking nocturnal predators of African open hab
Where does the Morsii Tiger Beetle live? ▾
It specialises in coastal sandy habitats. distributed across the Afrotropical region. with records from Tanzania