Tiger Beetle by the Beach
Ages ago we went for a walk over some farmland towards a beach on the peninsula, although it turned out we couldn't get onto the beach as it was blocked off due to breeding penguins or something.
I saw lots of new bugs on this trips. I think I saw a native bee, and I saw a butterfly (I've seen butterflies on about 4 occasions in the last 5 years; they're not very common), and I think a stiletto fly - they live near beaches so even though I only got a quick look and had never seen one before, it's a reasonably likely identity. I also got pictures of this beetle, which is apparently a tiger beetle. They live in holes in clay banks, which matches the landscape in which we saw them.
They are fairly well camouflaged.
The ones pictured in my insect book are Cicindela tuberculata which looks very similar to these photos, and apparently looks very similar to the most common South Island tiger beetle, Cicindela latecinta. Since I am in the South Island, I assume this is what it is.
Both books have slightly different markings for their pictures of Cicindela tuberculata, although one is a photo and one is a drawing. The one in the drawing is most similar to mine, but I'm not sure if the differences indicate different species or if there is just variation in the patterns.
I saw lots of new bugs on this trips. I think I saw a native bee, and I saw a butterfly (I've seen butterflies on about 4 occasions in the last 5 years; they're not very common), and I think a stiletto fly - they live near beaches so even though I only got a quick look and had never seen one before, it's a reasonably likely identity. I also got pictures of this beetle, which is apparently a tiger beetle. They live in holes in clay banks, which matches the landscape in which we saw them.
They are fairly well camouflaged.
The ones pictured in my insect book are Cicindela tuberculata which looks very similar to these photos, and apparently looks very similar to the most common South Island tiger beetle, Cicindela latecinta. Since I am in the South Island, I assume this is what it is.
Both books have slightly different markings for their pictures of Cicindela tuberculata, although one is a photo and one is a drawing. The one in the drawing is most similar to mine, but I'm not sure if the differences indicate different species or if there is just variation in the patterns.
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