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Miami Tiger Beetle Program Updates

Below are the most recent updates on the Miami tiger beetle. To find out more about the species, its history and ecology click here.

13 August 2021

New Miami Tiger Beetle Metapopulation

This week, an FIU gopher tortoise research assistant, Adrian Figueroa,  was doing radiotelemetry to locate a gopher tortoise when he spotted a flash of iridescent color on the ground. He contacted the Conservation and Research Department for help in identifying the species. Tiffany Moore went out into the field and confirmed the species to be a Miami tiger beetle. This location for the species has never been recorded before and likely represents a brand new metapopulation for this i... Read More
Posted by Frank Ridgley at 13 August 2021
endangered tiger beetle

06 August 2021

A Penny For Your Burrow

The Miami tiger beetle has an adult emergence from May to September but their larval life history has little documentation. We conduct tiger beetle surveys throughout the pine rocklands and report our data to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as well as the Miami-Dade County preserve managers. We have observed that Miami tiger beetle larvae carefully dig out their burrows by tossing sand inches away from the burrow entrance. Imagine what... Read More
Posted by Frank Ridgley at 06 August 2021
burrow endangered larvae tiger beetle

05 August 2021

Seek and you shall not find

Miami tiger beetle larvae spend their entire time inside a burrow until they eclose as an adult. The width of their burrow is the same width as the head capsule of the larvae. As the larvae grows, they will renovate their home and expand it. Miami tiger beetle larvae eat mostly ants that cross into the areas around their burrow. Using the hooks on the dorsal side of the larvae, they will reach out and grab unknowing ants with their mandibles and their hooks hold onto the wall of their burrow ... Read More
Posted by Frank Ridgley at 05 August 2021
endangered tiger beetle

27 July 2021

Sand Tester

Your browser doesn't support video. Please download the file: video/mp4 Female Miami tiger beetles sometimes have a hard time choosing where she will lay an egg. They will find sandy spots to test and dip their abdomen down into the sand. Finding the perfect sand-to-rock composition is important for the larvae survival. The larvae will then spend its entire time inside the burrow until it emerges as an adult.  Read More
Posted by Frank Ridgley at 27 July 2021
endangered tiger beetle

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