Bug FAQGhost Tiger Beetle
Ellipsoptera lepida · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Carabidae
Also called: Little White Tiger Beetle, Spectral Tiger Beetle
Ghost tiger beetles are 9 to 11 mm long and have a white-cream back with green or reddish head and thorax covered in white hairs; their spots are largely expanded, leaving only small white-brown areas. They live on dry, pale sandy ground with little vegetation, often along coastal or large lake shorelines, and are found in Central and North America. Adults are active in summer and the species completes its life cycle over two years.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It measures about 9 to 11 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives on dry, pale sandy areas with little or no vegetation. You often find it along coastal shorelines or the edges of large lakes.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The beetle is active in summer and completes its development over two years.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are seen during the summer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to Central America and North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 27 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Indiana, Texas, Utah, Colorado, New Jersey, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where can I find ghost tiger beetles?
They live on dry, pale sandy ground with little vegetation, often along coastal shorelines or large lake edges.
Source: Wikipedia
What region are ghost tiger beetles native to?
They are native to Central America and North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Carabidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsoptera_lepida
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.