Margined Tiger Beetle
Ellipsoptera marginata
Description 2
Greenish wings, a prominent pale margin all around the wings, and broken traces of center and middle bands on the forewings mark this species, which is quite distinctive if seen well. Ellipsoptera marginata is a species restricted to salt or brackish shorelines; on the Vineyard, I've found it on mudflats or lower beach adjacent to saltmarsh at the western end of Norton Point, but it probably occurs in many similar spots around the Island. A summer species. Infequently reported on the Vineyard but likely locally common in appropriate habitat. Markings can be hard to discern in harsh light, and at least two other species, Cicindela hirticollis and C. repanda, can overlap with E. marginata on the Vineyard. So despite the apparent distinctiveness of this species, care should be taken in its identification.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Matt Pelikan, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Pelikan
- (c) Matt Pelikan, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
