Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle

Photo of a six-spotted tiger beetle from the side.
Scientific Name
Cinindela sexguttata
Family
Carabidae (ground beetles) in the order Coleoptera (beetles)
Description

The six-spotted tiger beetle is probably the most familiar tiger beetle in Missouri. It’s most often seen in spring, as it darts in and out of trails just ahead of hikers. Even if you get only a glimpse of one, you can identify it not only by its shiny green color but also by its fast-running and fast-flying behavior.

The larvae of this and other tiger beetles are pale or tan and grublike, with six legs, and have strong pincers at the mouth. There’s usually a hump behind the rather large head. They dig holes down into the ground and rest near the entrance.

Learn more about this and other tiger beetles on their group page.

 

Media Gallery
Photo of a six-spotted tiger beetle from the side.
Tiger beetles are the hot rods of the insect world. But aside from their bright metallic colors and speed, their body shape is distinctive.
Anonymous
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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image of Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle crawling on dead leaves
The six-spotted tiger beetle (Cinindela sexguttata) is one of the most familiar tiger beetles in Missouri. It’s most often seen in spring, as it darts in and out of trails just ahead of hikers.
Donna Brunet
Use of this image is restricted to MDC only on this page
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Six-spotted tiger beetle standing on a piece of wood
The six-spotted tiger beetle belongs to a subtribe of tiger beetles called the "flashy tiger beetles."
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Photo of a six-spotted tiger beetle from the side.
image of Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle crawling on dead leaves
Six-spotted tiger beetle standing on a piece of wood
Similar Species
About Land Invertebrates in Missouri
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.