Tiger beetles are brightly colored and metallic beetles, often with ivory or cream-colored markings. They are most abundant and diverse in habitats near bodies of water with sandy or clay soils and can be found along rivers, on sea and lake shores, on sand dunes, around dry lakebeds, on clay banks, or on woodland paths. Conservatively estimated, the group comprises more than 2,600 species worldwide.

 

Tiger Beetles of the Southeastern United States identifies and describes 52 taxa (42 species and 10 additional subspecies) of tiger beetles that occur in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Stunning close-up photographs accompany current taxonomic and biological information in a volume designed for a growing audience of enthusiastic amateurs and professionals alike.

 

The authors provide an in-depth description of the anatomy, life cycle, and behavior of tiger beetles; an overview of the various southeastern habitats in which they occur; instructions for finding, identifying, and photographing them in the wild; and the conservation status of various species. The individual species accounts include stunning, detailed images, flight season charts, county-level regional distribution maps, and discussion of identifying features, habitat, similar species, and subspecies when applicable. The appendix includes two species previously found in Florida but no longer known to exist there.

 

The result is the most complete field guide to date on tiger beetles in the region. With more than 230 images of beetles and their habitats, as well as life history and distribution data, this book is essential for tiger beetle enthusiasts, naturalists of all kinds, photographers, biologists, and teachers throughout the region.

 

Giff Beaton is a captain for Delta Airlines and author of Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast and coauthor of The Breeding Bird Atlas of Georgia.

 

R. Stephen Krotzer is retired as an aquatic biologist and biology team leader in environmental affairs with Alabama Power Company.

 

Brian D. Holt is a biologist with the State Lands Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

 

ISBN: 9780817359980

Paperback

6 x 9 

200 pages

Bibliography, Index, Maps, Illustrated, Table of Contents

University of Alabama Press, 2021