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The Copper Track Medal for the Copper Tiger Beetle

  • Writer: HYUN SIM
    HYUN SIM
  • Jun 17
  • 4 min read
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The Copper Tiger Beetle (Cicindela Repanda) is a member of the Carabidae family of beetles, which are ground beetles (MDC). This species of Tiger Beetle, also called the Common Shore Tiger Beetle, is an interesting organism (MDC). The length of its body spans only 10-13mm (iNaturalist). The head and abdomen's colors range from reddish to a sort of bronze (mt.gov). The elytra has an intricate pattern with white markings along the edges with the top markings having a C shape. The rest of the elytra is colored the same with the head and abdomen. This seemingly dull bronze color is more than meets the eye. Upon microscopic observation, you may notice this species is iridescent, meaning it reflects multiple colors of light. The Copper Tiger Beetle shows a high reflectance of close-to-infrared light (iNaturalist). This is the reason the iridescence is mostly reddish in hue. The underside of the abdomen ranges from purple to blue-green in color. The thorax's underside is coppery and covered in white hairs. The mouthpart is white with strong pincers. A single dark tooth is present near the front (mt.gov).

They are the most common Tiger Beetle in the North America area (Maryland Biodiversity). Like many beetles, the Copper Tiger Beetle is designed for its habitat, hot climates and near bodies of water (Maryland Biodiversity). However, they are not heat resistant nor do they dwell in the water. Surprisingly, they are sensitive to light and heat, despite their habitat. Tiger Beetles are the fastest beetles known; this is how they survive the heat. They run from shelter to shelter to hide from the heat (mt.gov). This species can reach speeds up to 5.5 mi/hr. This translates to running a distance 128 times the length of its body in a second. For the average sprinter to match this pace, he would need to run 480 mi/hr (Smithsonian Channel). This insane speed however blurs the Copper Tiger Beetle's vision when in pursuit of prey. Its vision is estimated to start blurring when its angular velocity of its point of view reaches 50 degrees per second (iNaturalist). Thus, when hunting, the Tiger Beetle uses a pattern of intermittent running and stopping. It hunts using this pattern even if the target is continuously moving, this method allows it to keep an eye on its prey when in pursuit (iNaturalist).

Another method that Tiger Beetles use to evade the heat are burrows. A large amount of the Copper Tiger Beetle's life is spent in a burrow. They will dig shallow burrows for overnight shelter but will dig deeper ones to reside in for all of winter. These burrows need to be cool and moist; this is why this species prefers sandy or gravelly areas near bodies of water. The burrow is crucial to the life cycle of these beetles.

Tiger Beetles have two categories for the timing of its life cycle. The Copper Tiger Beetle falls into the "Spring-Fall" category (mt.gov). That means it is active from the spring to the fall. The life cycle spans from 1-4 years starting with the egg. Eggs are yellow and are only 2mm in size (mt.gov). The eggs will hatch into the larvae in late summer. The larvae are pale or tan and have 6 legs (MDC).

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They have a large, circular black head with powerful pincers at the mouth. The head is the key to its hunting strategy. The larvae will dig a burrow and rest its head at the entrance (MDC). When unsuspecting prey nears the entrance of its burrow, the larvae will strike with deadly speed and accuracy to drag the prey down to its burrow. While it feeds or when it doesn't need to hunt more, it won't reveal its head and remain in a hunting position (Smithsonian Channel). After eating enough food during the fall months, it will enter the pupation phase. Before that, however, the larvae will have three periods of molting (mt.gov). It will develop during the winter in its burrow and emerge in the spring. The spring season is for mating and reproducing. The intercourse phase lasts around 3 minutes, and the female will then deposit the eggs in burrow (mt.gov). The end of the life cycle of the Copper Tiger Beetle comes after its last year of mating.

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The Copper Tiger Beetle and its larvae are mostly carnivorous. It feeds a great deal on ants but their diet has a wider range. It hunts beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, flies, springtails, worms, and spiders. They also feed on sassafras fruit and pokeweed fruit. Its diet in captivity is different, they eat crushed snails, tadpoles, dead fish, lean meat, and fruit (mt.gov).

It does have a wide range of prey, but it also has a large variety of predators. It is hunted by toads, frogs, birds, moles, robber flies, dragonflies, spiders, and sundews (mt.gov). Despite predators, the Copper Tiger Beetle live within close proximity to each other without cannibalism or fighting. It also can be found living with other Tiger Beetle species such as the Cicindela Duodecimguttata, commonly known as the 12 Spotted Tiger Beetle (Maryland Biodiversity).

The Bronze Tiger Beetle is a very unique specimen with hidden details such as iridescence and hunting methods. Its speed is near unmatched in the insect world and is close to holding the title of Fastest Insect if it weren't for the Australian Tiger Beetle. Despite not being on top, it still deserves attention from the scientific and entomological community.





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