Beetle Mania 24 : The Fast and the Furious Tigers

🌧️ Beetle Mania in Monsoon Beauty 24 - Highlights 🌧️

Beetle Mania 24 : The Fast and the Furious Tigers

The "Fast and Furious" movie franchise may not feature the Volkswagen Beetle, and it’s certainly suffering a slow demise from a rather unfortunate case of sequel overdose. Yet, one can never have too much of the other kind of fast and furious beetles — the tiger beetle.

With over 2,600 species in their family worldwide, and 241 species or so in India [^1], tiger beetles are the true speed demons of the insect world, aptly named not for their stripes but for their voracious appetites. They’re the undisputed fast food fanatics of the insect kingdom, appearing right after the rains to devour larvae and other unfortunate insects like they’ve just spotted an all-you-can-eat buffet
[^2].

These beetles are small but mighty, measuring a mere 1 to 2 cm long, with eyes so large and bulging that they seem to be in a state of perpetual surprise—perhaps at their own dazzling colors, which range from blue and orange to green. They prefer tropical climates, where they can flaunt their flashy exteriors and lightning-fast reflexes.

Now, when we say tiger beetles are fast, we’re not just talking about a quick jog around the garden. These beetles have turned running into an art form, although flying remains something of a science they’ve never quite mastered. Consider the case of Rivacindela hudsoni, a beetle so fast it would make any sprinter green with envy. This little marvel can sprint at 9 km/h (5.6 mph; 2.5 m/s), covering 125 times its body length per second. To put that in perspective, if a human were to match this feat, they’d be zooming around at about 800 km/h (500 mph)—which, let’s face it, would make the Olympics far more interesting but is otherwise completely impossible.
[^3]

So, while the "Fast and Furious" movies might be running out of gas, the tiger beetles continue to set the pace, proving that in the world of insects, speed really does thrill and kill—in the most efficient way possible.

A Green Ribbed Shimmering Gem of the ForestJansenia chloropleura

This is the 1st Observation of this species on Inaturalist India.

Observed by : @abhijatshakya
Location : Misraspatti, Uttarakhand, India
Identifiers @sharanv @naturalist_aditya & @davidda_pearson
Date : 26 Jul 2024

Do read the note on range and population at the end.[^3]
Do also read the note on First Records also towards the end. [^4]

Whats in a Name ?

"Jansenia": Likely named after a person or place, with "-ia" often honoring an individual or location.
"Chloropleura": From Greek chlorós ("green") and pleurá ("side" or "rib"), referring to the green sides of the beetle's thorax.

A Tiger Beetle with Ornamental Flair (Cosmodela barmanica)

Cosmodela barmanica

Paul's picture of the Tiger Beetle and it's Prey
Observed by : @naturalist_aditya @paul_ant
Location :
Kerala Estate, Kerala, India, India
Identifiers : @sharanv
Date : 15 Aug 2024

Aditya has this to say "It was one of the first things we saw as we were hiking towards a waterfall through rubber plantations. It flew on a leaf right in front of @paul_ant, with a hunt in its mandibles. Gave us a chance to click a couple pics and then flew away as quickly as it came."

Social Media Links :Aditya says best to follow him on Inat. His other social media have gone into deep hibernation

Whats in a Name ?

"Cosmodela": From Greek kosmos ("order" or "ornament") and dela ("clear"), indicating an ornamental or distinctive appearance.
"Barmanica": Possibly refers to Burma (Myanmar), probably denoting the beetle's geographic origin.

The Braided Tiger Beetle (Lophyra catena)

And a related observation

Observed by @sagarika_chen and @vidswami
Location : Besant Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Date : Aug 11, 2024
Identified : Self Id'ed and then corroborated

Sagarika says this about the observation : It was in a small patch, we saw many tiger beetles there, also a copulating pair. We wished to stay back and observe more, but unfortunately had to leave. We saw many that particular day and in that patch.

On being asked if this was on the beach : We do see this one in sandy patches close to beach, not on the beach.

Picture of the Copulating Pair (Credit Sagarika)

Sagarika's Social Media Links

https://www.instagram.com/sunbird2308

Vidhya's Social Media link

https://www.instagram.com/vidswami*

Whats in a Name ?

"Lophyra": From Greek lophos ("crest" or "ridge") and era ("ear" or "edge"), suggesting a beetle with a distinctive ridge or crest-like feature.
"Catena": From Latin, meaning "chain" or "series," possibly referring to a pattern or arrangement on the beetle's body.

A Spotty Predator" - The Yellow-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela flavomaculata)

Ground Beetles (Family Carabidae)
Tiger Beetles (Subfamily Cicindelinae)
Tribe Cicindelini
Subtribe Cicindelina
Yellow-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela flavomaculata)

observed by : @dineshs
Location : Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
identifiers @alex_cicindela_guy

On asking Dinesh for his Social media links he too says Inat is enough

Whats in a Name ?

"Cicindela": From Greek kikindēlos, meaning "glowworm" or "beetle," referring to the genus of tiger beetles.
"Flavomaculata": From Latin flavo- ("yellow") and maculata ("spotted"), describing the beetle’s yellow-spotted pattern. Well in this case more like broad yellow stripes note the script writers

A Swift Hunting Beetle : The Neocollyris

Ground Beetles (Family Carabidae)
Tiger Beetles (Subfamily Cicindelinae)
Tribe Cicindelini
Subtribe Cicindelina
Yellow-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela flavomaculata)

Observed by : @santosh-vithura
Location : Neyyar WLS, Thiruvananthapuram, KL, IN
Identifiers : Waiting for an id

Santosh posts on instagram here

What's in a Name ?

Like the missing id (specie) the name also seems to be missing some elements

"Neocollyris": A genus of beetles named to indicate a "new" or updated type related to the Collyris genus.
"Collyris": An older genus of predatory beetles, historically used to classify certain beetle species within the Carabidae family.

A Commanding Presence: A Principal Among the Tiger Beetles

Observed by : @hareeshaas
Location : Chittoor, IN-AP, IN
Identifiers : Hareesha AS and @cicindela princeps
Date : 8 Aug 2024

Hareesha AS blogs in Kannada,

Blog- "Aresanyasi": https://hareeshaas.wordpress.com/
and is on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/as_hareesha/

What's in a Name?

"Cicindela": see above
"Princeps": From Latin, meaning "chief" or "principal," suggesting the beetle is notable or dominant in some way.

Foot Notes ;

[^3]: Note on numbers, range & distribution:

Please be aware that iNaturalist contains only the records contributed by its users, so the range maps and population data provided are partial and may not fully represent the entire species distribution. Other researchers and scientists may also publish their records on different platforms.

[^4]: What Are "First Records" on iNaturalist?

iNaturalist is a dynamic platform where citizen scientists can document and share observations of biodiversity. While many common species have likely already been recorded, as the user base grows and more areas are explored, observers frequently contribute "first records" for specific locations, ranging from district and state levels to even national firsts.

Although these species may have been documented on other platforms or in scientific literature, iNaturalist offers a distinct advantage: its records are easily accessible and often come with high-quality photographs, making them valuable for researchers, conservationists, and enthusiasts alike.

References and Sources

[^1]: Pearson, D. L., & Vogler, A. P. (2001). Tiger beetles: the evolution, ecology, and diversity of the cicindelids. Cornell University Press.

[^2]: Nature inFocus. (n.d.). 14 species that spell the arrival of monsoon. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from https://www.natureinfocus.in/animals/14-species-that-spell-the-arrival-of-monsoon

[^3]: in Wikipedia contributors. (2024, August 5). Tiger beetle. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:54, August 22, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tiger_beetle&oldid=1238678258