Tiger Beetles of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

by Mathew Brust, Mike Reese (Photographer)

Overview

Learn to Identify Tiger Beetles with This Field Guide 

We are all very lucky that tiger beetles aren't the size of German Shepherds! These ferocious, pint-sized predators are beautifully marked, and some are extremely colorful. They are fascinating to watch and easy to find. Join in the fun with Tiger Beetles of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan by Mathew Brust with full-color photography by Mike Reese. All 21 species found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan are covered in detail, with loads of amazing natural history and the information you need to identify what you see.

Inside You’ll Find

• All 21 species of tiger beetles found in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan
• Innovative format that makes field identification a snap
• Fieldmark arrows that point out the best distinguishing characteristics
• The best habitats to look for tiger beetles
• More than 180 color photos and detailed range maps for all species
• Elytra comparison chart for easy IDs

“Tiger beetling” has become very popular with naturalists across the country. Get in on the fun with this handy field guide that conveniently fits in your backpack or back pocket.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781936571123
Publisher:	Adventure Publications, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/12/2020
Series:	Naturalist Series
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	4.50(w) x 8.30(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr. Mathew Brust is an associate professor of biology at Chadron State College in western Nebraska. He began collecting butterflies at a very young age and began collecting tiger beetles at the farm across the street from his house in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, by the age of 15. His earliest experiences were with Cicindela duodecimguttata, Cicindela repanda, Cicindela sexguttata, and Cicindelidia punctulata by age 16. During his twenties he spent some time in the machining industry but still kept studying and collecting tiger beetles. During his college years at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he worked as an assistant field biologist for the Bureau of Endangered Resources at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, with his primary specialty being locating previously undiscovered populations of rare insect species, especially of butterflies and tiger beetles. In 2003 he published the first comprehensive paper on the distribution of Wisconsin tiger beetles. After already finishing a completed template for a book on the tiger beetles of Wisconsin, he moved to Nebraska for graduate school. During his years as a graduate student in Nebraska, he continued to study and publish papers on tiger beetles. As a biology professor he studies butterflies and moths, grasshoppers, and cicadas, and is the primary regional grasshopper identifier for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the central Great Plains. He has published over 20 scientific papers on tiger beetles, covering topics such as distribution, taxonomy, physiology, morphology, behavior, reproduction, development, and ecology. He continues research on tiger beetles and grasshoppers, continues collection and documentation of previously undiscovered butterfly and moth species in Nebraska, and is currently resuming some previous work on cicadas of Nebraska. He has also published a book on the tiger beetles of Nebraska and South Dakota, as well as a book on the grasshoppers of Nebraska. Mike Reese was an educator in Wautoma, Wisconsin, for 29 years and has been interested in tiger beetles for many years. He runs a website on Wisconsin’s butterflies, tiger beetles, and robber flies. Mike has contributed his photos of insects to over a dozen field guides, including as the main photographer for Damselflies of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan (2019). He is also very involved with the North American Butterfly Association. Mike has downsized in his retirement, moved to Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and has branched out from insects to become the Director of Volunteers for the second Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas project.

Read an Excerpt

Punctured Tiger Beetle
Cicindelidia punctulata subspecies punctulata

The common tiger beetle of the summer, nearly equally at home on a sidewalk, in a crop field, or on a beach.

Summer Species: June–October. Nearly any habitat with sparse vegetation: city sidewalks, bare patches in lawns, trails, old sand or gravel pits, or even beaches.

Description: 0.39–0.56 inches (9.9 –14.2 mm) in length. Dorsal color dark purplish with a row of small bluish-green pits near the elytral suture. Maculations are reduced and range from no markings at all to a small humeral and posthumeral dot, a thin but complete middle band, and a complete apical lunule. The ventral surface is blue with red under the thorax.

Similar Species: This species might be confused with Cicindela duodecimguttata, but generally has thinner or more reduced markings, and has a row of bluish pits lacking in that species. In addition, this species is unlikely to be found in the adult stage at the same time of year as C. duodecimguttata for much of the season.

Adult Biology: Active in summer, with adults beginning to appear in June, and peak numbers generally occurring from about July 5 to 30. Numbers gradually decline through August and September, and a few individuals sometimes survive into early to mid-October. Adults are quick fliers, but usually only fly for distances of about 5 to 20 feet. As with many summer-active tiger beetle species, the adults are strongly attracted to lights at night.

North American Distribution: This species occurs across the eastern U.S. and barely into southern Canada. It ranges from New England and Florida west to Montana and southernmost Alberta to Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Three subspecies are known, with one limited to Mexico, and another Cicindelidia punctulata chihuahuae, across the southwestern U.S.

Nature Notes:
Due to its extreme abundance and wide range of preferred habitats, this is the tiger beetle most often noticed by people on a regular basis. It is the only tiger beetle species likely to be encountered on city sidewalks.

Sometimes called “Backroad Tiger Beetle.”

Specific epithet punctulata means “tiny holes” and refers to the rows of green pits on the elytra.

Table of Contents

Meet the Tiger Beetle 1

Tiger Beetle Biology 101 6

Larval Biology 14

Observation & Conservation 23

Collecting & Photography 27

Citizen Science 30

How to Use this Field Guide 33

Habitats of Tiger Beetles 36

How to Identify Tiger Beetles 42

Elytra Comparison Chart 44

Species Accounts 46

Tetracha virginica (Virginia Metallic Tiger Beetle) 46

Cicindela longilabris (Long-lipped Tiger Beetle) 48

Cicindela repanda (Bronzed Tiger Beetle) 50

Cicindela duodetimguttata (Twelve-spotted Tiger Beetle) 52

Cicindela hirticollis hirticollis (Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle) 54

Cicindela hirticollis rhodensis (Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle) 56

Cicindela limbata (Sandy Tiger Beetle) 58

Cicindela formosa (Big Sand Tiger Beetle) 60

Cicindela purpurea (Cow Path Tiger Beetle) 62

Cicindela splendida (Splendid Tiger Beetle) 64

Cicindela limbalis (Common Claybank Tiger Beetle) 66

Cicindela sexguttata (Six-spotted Tiger Beetle) 68

Cicindela denikei (Laurentian Tiger Beetle) 70

Cicindela patruela (Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle) 72

Cicindela fulgida (Crimson Saltflat Tiger Beetle) 74

Cicindela scutellaris (Festive Tiger Beetle) 76

Cicindela tranquebarica (Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle) 78

Cicindelidia punctulata (Punctured Tiger Beetle) 80

Cylindera terricola (Variable Tiger Beetle) 82

Cylindera cursitans (Ant-like Tiger Beetle) 84

Ellipsoptera macra (Sandy Stream Tiger Beetle) 86

Ellipsoptera lepida (Ghost Tiger Beetle) 88

Notes on Species' Larval Biology 90

Glossary 96

Internet Resources & Titles of Interest 97

References 98

Binoculars for Tiger Beetling 100

Pronunciation Guide 101

Index 102

Photo Credits 105