The green tiger beetle, Cicindela campestris, is a predator of spiders, insect larvae, wood ants and, being capable of flight, even other flying insects. Hunting is aided by their large eyes, but it is the possession of long legs which enables them to run very quickly over the dry soils of their normal, heath or sand dune, habitats when catching prey. It has been reported that they can run at speeds of 50cm per second - the equivalent of 3km per hour: an impressive speed for an insect just over 1cm in size!
After mating, the female excavates a vertical burrow in the soil in which she lays a single egg. Once hatched, the larva remains in the burrow, but seals the entrance with its flat plate-like head fringed with sensory hairs. Passing prey are detected and seized by its large mandibles. The larva also pupates in the burrow before emerging as an adult beetle.
