Overview
The Miami tiger beetle is the rarest and smallest tiger beetle in the United States. It was considered extinct until 2007, when the species was rediscovered at the Richmond Pine Rocklands in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Federally listed as endangered in 2016, the species is currently only known to occur in two separate populations approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) apart and separated by urban development. This iridescent blue-green beetle, which is smaller than a pea, is known for its aggressive predatory habits and remarkable speed in catching prey.
Threats
Habitat loss and degradation pose significant threats to the Miami tiger beetle. Approximately 98% of historical pine rocklands in Miami-Dade County outside of Everglades National Park have disappeared from inadequate habitat management, development, encroaching vegetation, and climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change . The species’ small population size and limited range worsen these threats. Its habitat of pine rocklands is globally designated as imperiled.
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Life Cycle
Miami tiger beetles typically live several weeks to two months.
Females lay eggs in sandy soils. Miami tiger beetle development involves three larval molting stages followed by pupal and adult stages.
Habitat
The Miami tiger beetle inhabits bare or sparsely vegetated sandy areas within pine rockland habitat in Miami-Dade County.
Behavior
These beetles are highly voracious predators, often darting along the ground. While they can fly, they usually do so only when disturbed. Adult Miami tiger beetles are active from mid-May to mid-October.
Physical Characteristics
Metallic blue-green and measuring 6.5 to 9 mm long, Miami tiger beetles have large eyes for spotting prey, slender legs for speed, and curved mandibles for capturing prey larger than themselves.
Food
Adult Miami tiger beetles are daytime predators with well-developed jaws. They prefer unobstructed sandy surfaces for running and flying. Adult flight occurs from mid-May to mid-October. Larvae, found in permanent burrows flush with the ground surface, wait for passing prey. They quickly strike and seize small arthropods, with ants being the most common prey for both adults and larvae.
Similar Species
Belonging to the C. abdominalis group, the Miami tiger beetle shares similarities with the Eastern pinebarrens tiger beetle, scrub tiger beetle, and Highlands tiger beetle. However, differences in maculation, color, distribution, habitat, and seasonality help distinguish them.
Geography
The Miami tiger beetle is found only in the pine rocklands of Miami-Dade County, Florida.