tiger beetle

noun

Any active, carnivorous beetle (species) of the subfamily Cicindelinae.

“Most tiger beetle larvae tunnel in the soil.”

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Meanings

nountiger beetle (plural tiger beetles)

plural tiger beetles

  1. Any active, carnivorous beetle (species) of the subfamily Cicindelinae.

    Most tiger beetle larvae tunnel in the soil.

    2 more examples

    I was myself very successful in one beautiful group of insects, the tiger-beetles, which seem more abundant and varied here than anywhere else in the Archipelago. I first met with them on a cutting in the road, where a hard clayey bank was partially overgrown with mosses and small ferns.

    1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 409

    I also noticed a couple of tiger beetle larval burrows in the hard-packed sandy soil and found a long, thin plant stem to “fish” the larvae out.

    2022 May 14, Ted C. MacRae, Cupressaceae

Translations

Arabic خُنْفُسَاء نَمِرِيَّة
  • خُنْفُسَاء نَمِرِيَّة (ḵunfusāʔ namiriyya)any active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Bulgarian ти́гров бръ́мбар
  • ти́гров бръ́мбар (tígrov brắmbar)any active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Chinese 虎甲
  • 虎甲 (hǔjiǎ)any active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Chinese Mandarin 虎甲蟲 /虎甲虫
  • 虎甲蟲 /虎甲虫 (hǔjiǎchóng)any active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Finnish hietakiitäjäinen
  • hietakiitäjäinenany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
French cicindèle
  • cicindèleany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
German Sandlaufkäfer
  • Sandlaufkäferany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Indonesian kumbang macan
  • kumbang macanany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Irish ciaróg thíograch
  • ciaróg thíograchany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Italian cicindela
  • cicindelaany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Japanese 斑猫, ハンミョウ
  • 斑猫 (hanmyō)any active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
  • ハンミョウ (hanmyō)any active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Malay kumbang harimau
  • kumbang harimauany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Māori muremure, kūī
  • muremureany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
  • kūīany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
  • moeoneany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Polish trzyszcz
  • trzyszczany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Portuguese besouro-assassino, tigre-veloz
  • besouro-assassinoany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
  • tigre-velozany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
  • besouro-tigreany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Russian жук-скаку́н
  • жук-скаку́н (žuk-skakún)any active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Spanish escarabajo tigre
  • escarabajo tigreany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Turkish kaplan böcek, uyuz sineği
  • kaplan böcekany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
  • uyuz sineğiany active, carnivorous beetle of the subfamily Cicindelinae
Cite this entry
APA

tiger beetle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiger%20beetle

MLA

“tiger beetle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiger%20beetle. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tiger beetle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiger%20beetle.

Source: tiger beetle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.