Tiger beetles are a family of beetles, Cicindelidae, known for their aggressive predatory habits and running speed. The fastest known species of tiger beetle, Rivacindela hudsoni, can run at a speed of 9 km/h, or about 125 body lengths per second. As of 2005, about 2,600 species and subspecies were known, with the richest diversity in the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) region, followed by the Neotropics. While historically treated as a subfamily of ground beetles (Carabidae) under the name Cicindelinae, several studies since 2020 indicated that they should be treated as a family, the Cicindelidae, which are a sister group to Carabidae within the Adephaga.
Carabus is a genus of beetles in family Carabidae. The genus is highly diverse with 94 subgenera, 959 species and 2300 subspecies, thus is the largest genus in the subfamily Carabinae. The vast majority are native to the Palearctic, but 16 Nearctic species are also known. Carabus spp. are 12–50 mm (0.47–1.97 in) long, and most species are wingless and often very colourful. These are nocturnal, predatory beetles that feed on snails, earthworms, and caterpillars. Most Carabus species were thought to have inhabited the Eurasian forest, but the species' low dispersal abilities altered the distribution of lineages within the genus.
Zabrus is a genus of ground beetles. They are, unusually for ground beetles, omnivores or even herbivores, and Zabrus tenebrioides can become a pest in cereal fields.
Lophyra is a genus of tiger beetles in the family Cicindelidae capable of flight. It contains the following species:
Elaphrus is a genus of ground beetle native to the Palearctic, the Nearctic, the Near East and Northern Africa. It contains the following species:
Anisodactylus is a genus of ground beetle native to the Palearctic, the Near East and North Africa. It contains the following species:
Cymindis is a genus of ground beetle native to the Palearctic, the Near East, and North Africa. It contains the following species:
Stenolophus is a genus of ground beetle native to the Palearctic, the Nearctic, the Near East, and North Africa. It contains the following species:
Scaphinotus is a genus of beetles in the family Carabidae. There are at least 60 species, all native to North America. They eat snails and are generally limited to the moist environments where snails live. These beetles are flightless.
Hypaetha is a genus of tiger beetles containing the following species: Most species are found on coastal sand beaches.
Myriochila is a genus of tiger beetles in the family Cicindelidae, containing the following species:
Oxycheila is a genus of beetles in the family Cicindelidae, containing the following species:
Acinopus is a genus of beetles in the family Carabidae, containing the following species:
Epicauta is a genus of beetles in the blister beetle family, Meloidae. The genus was first scientifically described in 1834 by Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean. Epicauta is distributed nearly worldwide, with species native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Surveys have found the genus to be particularly diverse in northern Arizona in the United States. Few species occur in the Arctic, with none farther north than the southern Northwest Territory of Canada.
