Tiger Beetles are gracious and pretty insects often adorned with bright colors.
They are very recognizable by their broad head with prominent eyes; their antennae are thread-like, and their legs are long and slender.
The larvae, like the adults, are very carnivorous; they hide in vertical burrows, lying in wait for prey passing within range of their sharp, sickle-shaped mandibles. The pupation takes place in the burrow where the larva lived and which it seals before turning into an adult.
In France, there are a dozen species of tiger beetles; the adults have a predilection for sandy and sunny places. Very active, they run quickly and fly away at the slightest alarm.
Tiger beetles are
generally
regarded as a subfamily of Ground
beetles,
but some entomologists classify them as a
true family.