Cicindela sylvatica is a tiger beetle, commonly known as the wood tiger beetle or heath tiger beetle. It is the largest of the British tiger beetles[1] with a length of between 15–19 millimetres (0.59–0.75 in). It is black in colour with a blue tinge, more pronounced on the underside, and sometimes appears with a bronze sheen.[2][3]
| Cicindela sylvatica | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Cicindelidae |
| Tribe: | Cicindelini |
| Subtribe: | Cicindelina |
| Genus: | Cicindela |
| Species: | C. sylvatica
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| Binomial name | |
| Cicindela sylvatica | |
| Subspecies | |
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The beetle occurs throughout Europe with the exception of the Mediterranean and the extreme north.[4] In the UK, it is found in England. The beetle has been given priority status under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) and has been included in the English Nature's Species Recovery Programme.[2] The beetle population has declined in England by 65% over 40 years. The beetle's traditional stronghold is on the Dorset heaths where there are at least 4 populations, and also persists in two populations on the Surrey heaths.[4]
The distribution list is Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, mainland France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary (doubtful), Ireland, Kaliningrad, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mongolia, the Netherlands, North Korea, North Macedonia, mainland Norway, Poland, Romania (doubtful), Russia,[5] Slovakia, Slovenia, mainland Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ Royal Entomological Society of London (1979). Handbooks for the identification of British insects. Royal Entomological Society. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- ^ a b "ARKive - Heath tiger beetle videos, photos and facts - Cicindela sylvatica". Archived from the original on 2012-05-04. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- ^ Duran, Daniel P.; Gough, Harlan M. (2020). "Validation of tiger beetles as distinct family (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), review and reclassification of tribal relationships". Systematic Entomology. 45 (4). doi:10.1111/syen.12440.
- ^ a b "UK Priority Species data collation Cicindela sylvatica" (PDF).
- ^ "Cicindela sylvatica Linnaeus, 1758". Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- ^ "Cicindela (Cicindela) sylvatica Linne, 1758". Fauna Europaea. 2.6.2. August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ "Cicindela sylvatica Linnaeus, 1758". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
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