Description: A large (15mm) tiger beetle, green with yellow markings. It is found in areas with bare ground or sparse vegetation such as sandy heath, raised bogs, and gravelly or sandy hillsides. Adults are active in early summer and will often take to the wing when disturbed. Both adults and larvae are predators on other invertebrates. The larvae dig a burrow in the ground, often on or near paths to pitfall-trap unwary insects.

NI account: Widely distributed but local and uncommon, less rare in the south.

Ecology: A thermophilic/xerophilic species of open ground and particular kinds of light, well-drained soils. Most recent records are for gravelly/peaty soils on hill land or the drier parts of raised bogs.

Distribution: A Eurasian Wide-temperate species (65), distributed from Europe across Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.

Similar Species: Cicindela species are extremely characteristic and only one occurs in Ireland.

Key Identification Features:

• Large active, running and flying readily
• Eyes very large
• Mandibles large and with sharp internal teeth (Fig. 17)
• Upper surface bright metallic green with paler spots

Distribution Map from NBN: Cicindela campestris at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Cicindela campestris at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Cicindela campestris | Classification: Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Cicindela

Thumbnails for genus Cicindela