Windwolf
Crex Meadows ... Host to the Sidewalk Tiger Beetle
Tiger Beetles on Crex Meadows
Cicindela punctulata
This Tiger Beetle is commonly known as the Sidewalk Tiger Beetle. It has other common names including the Punctured Tiger Beetle and the Backroad Tiger Beetle.
This Tiger beetle was located along an access road off the dead end at the corner of Able Road and Main Dike Road. I have also seen them at the visitor center on the sidewalk infront of the building.
The picture above taken August 27, 2008
The picture on the left was taken in a low light at the visitor center on August 2, 2008. The back markings are visible.
The picture on the right was taken on a very sunny day August 27, 2008 and shows some of the variablity on markings for the Sidewalk Tiger Beetle.
The Sidewalk Tiger Beetle is found in many areas of the USA including urban and populated areas.
The Sidewalk Tiger Beetle in the picture above was the same individual at the Visitor Center on August 2, 2008. The low light conditions make the beetle appear almost black and can obscure identification markings.
Sidewalk Tiger Beetle Taxonomy
| Phylum | Arthropoda | Anthropods |
| Class | Insecta | Insects |
| Order | Coleoptera | Beetles |
| Suborder | Adephaga | Ground and Water Beetles |
| Family | Carabidae | Ground Beetles |
| Subfamily | Cicindelinae | Tiger Beetles |
| Tribe | Cicindelini | |
| Genus | Cicindela | |
| Species | scutellaris | Cicindela punctulata |
These Tiger Beetles overwinter as larvae and hatch out as full grown tiger beetles during the summer. It is not reported that the Sidewalk Tiger Beetle overwinters in its adult form.
Picture above and to the right were taken August 27, 2008.