Spring-fall-life-cycle
Guides
Cicindela purpurea audubonii
Audubon's tiger beetle
A subspecies of tiger beetle in the genus Cicindela, Cicindela purpurea audubonii is one of the most commonly encountered tiger beetles in grassland habitats throughout the central Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. It exhibits two distinct color morphs within populations: a green morph with a faint purple tinge and metallic purple elytral border, and a rarer all-black morph. The subspecies follows a spring-fall life cycle strategy, emerging in fall as sexually immature adults, overwintering in burrows, and re-emerging in spring to mate and oviposit. It is distinguished from similar green claybank-associated species by its reduced elytral markings and purple marginal coloration.
Cicindela purpurea purpurea
Cow Path Tiger Beetle, Purple Tiger Beetle
The nominate subspecies of the Cow Path Tiger Beetle, Cicindela purpurea purpurea is a small (12-16 mm), predatory beetle with highly variable coloration ranging from matte green and metallic green to bluish, black, or bronze-purple. It exhibits a spring-fall life cycle, with adults emerging in autumn as sexually immature individuals, overwintering in burrows, and re-emerging in spring to mate and reproduce. The subspecies is distinguished from other C. purpurea subspecies by its reduced elytral markings and absence of the distinct purple marginal border characteristic of C. p. audubonii. Populations in the eastern United States have declined significantly, with some feared extirpated in parts of their historical range.