I was lucky to get any pictures of this Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cinindela sexagutta) as it ran rapidly across our driveway and disappeared into the leaves. Calibrated in terms of their size, Tiger Beetles can run at a speed equivalent to 480 miles per hour for a human. Tiger Beetles are typically brightly colored, have long legs, and are fast-moving predators. They eat spiders and many types of insects.

There are about 2500 species of Tiger Beetle worldwide. Cincindela, the genus of the Site x-spotted Tiger Beetle, is found world-wide. The species name “sexgutta” means “six spots”, and individuals of this species have 0 to six spots. The photograph shows one of the white spots about half way down on the left side of the abdomen.