Gallic tiger beetle
| Gallic tiger beetle | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gallic tiger beetle ( Cicindela gallica ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cicindela gallica | ||||||||||||
| Brullé , 1834 |
The Gallic tiger beetle ( Cicindela gallica ) is a ground beetle from the subfamily of the tiger beetles (Cicindelinae).
features
The beetles are 11 to 15 millimeters long. The wings are bright green in color and have white zigzag bands (spots). They look very similar to the field tiger beetle ( C. campestris ), but the bright spots on the wings are arranged differently. Especially the apical blemish at the tip of the wing cover usually consists of two individual spots. Also in the Gallic tiger beetle the first antennae is completely hairy white, instead of just at the tip, as in the similar species. The labial palps are completely metallic dark.
Occurrence
The animals are widespread throughout the Alpine region , especially the Western Alps . They live on alpine mats and open erosion areas above the tree line to below the snow fields at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,800 meters.
Way of life
The species is well adapted to the cold and can therefore still be found at the end of October on sunny slopes and after wintering already at the beginning of June next to large snowfields.
literature
- Ekkehard Wachmann , Ralph Platen, Dieter Barndt: Ground beetles - observation, way of life. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-894-40125-7