PIX Tigerbeetles

[Steven]

Got me some Mantichora spec. today from Gino
thanx again,... really awsome beetles !

some pictures of these "walking jaws"

femme

high speed male

female again

part of the playground

 

[Alex S.]

Absolutely beautiful! Both female and male specimens. Nice pictures, Steven!

Alex S.

 

[Steven]

thanx Alex

but same problem as with the "groundbeetles",... the guy i bought them from said they are mating almost 24/7 but still nothing that points out eggs or larvae :?

i'm hoping i'll be more lucky,... these are on the same substrate as the "groundbeetles",... only a bit more on the drier-side,... more lime-sand mixed with "peat"

 

[Alex S.]

A good substrate for most tiger beetles, including Manticora, is strictly moist sand. This is the type of substrate that many cicindelids live on in the wild. Tiger beetle larvae will occupy a vertical tunnel in the sand with the head at the entrance to ambush prey. It would be best to have at least a portion of the terrarium substrate moist sand that is easy to burrow into. Considering the size of Manticora larvae ( around 3” ) the substrate should be very deep ( 7” to 8” ). Keep the terrarium cool, as adults are mainly nocturnal. They also may burrow 15” to 20” into the substrate as well. Personally, I have never kept Manticora, so it could be that they simply do not captive breed very well.

Alex S.

 

[Malhavoc's]

What exactly does a tiger beetle larvea look like?

 

[Alex S.]

Here is a link to a website that has some good information on cicindelid biology, ecology, research, and identification:

There is a basic drawing of a tiger beetle larva in it’s vertical tunnel about halfway down the page.

Link: http://members.aol.com/YESedu/ecologyt.html

Alex S.

 

[Steven]

thanx alot for the info Alex,...
i'll make the substrate twice as deep then (better house them in another container,... otherwise they crawl out )

i'm keeping them at roomtemperatures,....
maybe a change in climat (raising temps and humidity, after the winter) triggers them a bit ?

 

[Alex S.]

You don't want to keep the sand too moist. Just enough for burrow construction. Scattering some small stones, such as aquarium gravel, across the sand substrate and, of course, some areas to hide, such as pieces of cork-bark, would probably entice their natural behavior as well. Raising the temperature in the terrarium during the daytime in the spring and summer would allow for a more natural environment as well. Good luck!

Alex S.

 

[ghost_tomb]

nice pics

Been after that species of tiger beetle for nearly a year now :evil:

i don't supose you know of an online dealer?


i'm looking ar breeding them if i ever find any in the UK, theirs very little info on that species on the net, but i can tell you that their the second largest speices of tiger beetle, though the largest is only 5mm bigger

good luck breeding them, the babies are like trap door spiders, only they use their heads as the door and can get as thick as your finger apparantly.

can you post some feeding pics? :}

 

[Alex S.]

nice pics

Been after that species of tiger beetle for nearly a year now :evil:

i don't supose you know of an online dealer?


i'm looking ar breeding them if i ever find any in the UK, theirs very little info on that species on the net, but i can tell you that their the second largest speices of tiger beetle, though the largest is only 5mm bigger

good luck breeding them, the babies are like trap door spiders, only they use their heads as the door and can get as thick as your finger apparantly.

can you post some feeding pics? :}

The tiger beetle in the pictures is of the genus Manticora. The 10 species in this genus are the largest tiger beetles known.

Alex S.

 

[Alex S.]

Hi All,

Here is another beautiful species from the Tiger Beetles family.

Regards,
nn

Very nice picture. Beautiful cicindelid.

Alex S.

 

[Steven]

nice pics
Been after that species of tiger beetle for nearly a year now :evil:
i don't supose you know of an online dealer?

i know 1 at the moment he doesn't have any,... April2005 he's gonna get a fresh shipment from South Africa (Anthia and Mantichora spec.)

i'm looking ar breeding them if i ever find any in the UK, theirs very little info on that species on the net, but i can tell you that their the second largest speices of tiger beetle, though the largest is only 5mm bigger

BugsDirect orso did have them a year ago,... dunno if they still can provide them. and like Alex allready said Mantichora are supposed to be the biggest tigerbeetle-spec. (i thought Mantichora hercules was the biggest ???)

can you post some feeding pics? :}

will do

Here is another beautiful species from the Tiger Beetles family.

very beautifull !!! :clap: how big do those colorfull tigers get ?
and do you have more pictures of them ??? really awsome pict

 

[ghost_tomb]

Mantichora (man eater)-group with the largest beetles
herculeana(spelling) is THE largest beetle, average at 65-70mm, where as yours are 60-65mm.

though don't quote me on this i'm pretty sure about the facts, i did a LOT of research on them.

bugsdirect and easyexotics had them, but those sold out, i tracked 4 of them to longleat safari park and was in the process of buying them off them when suddently they stopped responding last e-mail i had said that they were going to take some pics of them so i could sex them and guess their age.
Damn shame. took alot of effort had a 24"x12"x12" tak setup and everything, oh well. heheh Now its home to my 8" viet centipede "Spike"

 

[Steven]

:worship: :worship: :worship:
simply amazing !!!

thanx for sharing

 

[ghost_tomb]

a very impressive photo considering that most ( nearly all) tigers with wings will do a runner/fly away as son as you get close.


theres a great looking green shelled tiger beetle in britain but its endangered due to habitat loss)

 

[Alex S.]

Although all Manticora are large, relative to the size of other tiger beetle species, Manticora herculeana is usually considered the largest tiger beetle species known and one of the largest species of predacious beetle, overall. Other Manticora, such as M. scabra and M. livingstoni, follow its size closely.

Alex S.

 

[Steven]

what do you guys need to know to determine the exact specie of Mantichora ? (so i can take more detailed pictures )

 

[Haplopelmatic]

Truly awesome creatures! :worship:

 

[ghost_tomb]

what do you guys need to know to determine the exact specie of Mantichora ? (so i can take more detailed pictures )

i doubt that anyone here could id a Manticora herculeana (or any species, unless Alex knows something i don't) since their are no pics of this species on the web, plus no documentation either. (on the web, plus the only book i've found that covers them is £200 )

as far as i know its only M.scaraba (sp?) thats on the market, though i think that their is a difference in the jaws? between the species. since that is where i've seen the most variation.

either way your a lucky bugger for having them :worship:

 

[Alex S.]

There are very noticeable differences in the shape and size of the elytra and abdomen as well as the teeth on the mandibles between species of Manticora, although, unfortunately, I do not own any type of key to distinguish species. There is a book by Jaroslav Mares called A Monograph of the Genus Manticora. Although expensive, the book looks like it would be full of great information (scientific) on the genus. More pictures are always good no matter what .

Alex S.