Jul 5, 2022
tiger beetle larva shenanigans
(probably Cicindela repanda- Massachusetts, 6/24/22)
these guys are pretty unusual among beetle grubs in that they hunt visually, watching for movement with four beady eyes before bursting out of their burrow to grab passing prey. They can’t seem to tell the difference between a bug and a blade of grass though.
tiger beetle larvae don‘t normally leave their burrows, but if you dig them up they curl up, brace their head against their butt and snap open to jump away. Another species, the endangered Habroscelimorpha dorsalis, lives on beaches and escapes from parasitoid wasps by curling into a wheel and rolling away on the wind.
