Bug FAQNew Zealand Common Tiger Beetle
Neocicindela tuberculata · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Carabidae
Also called: Common Tiger Beetle, Tuberculate tiger beetle
The New Zealand common tiger beetle is a small ground beetle about 9 to 12 mm long with a dark brown head and pronotum. It lives throughout most of New Zealand from lowland to montane areas, favoring open grasslands, dry clay banks, roadsides and gardens. Both adults and larvae are active hunters that prey on other insects such as flies and caterpillars.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s antennae and thigh-segments are dark, while the lower leg segments and foot are pale. Its wing covers are moderately wide with a dark brown base and a subtle velvet-black sheen.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure roughly 9 to 12 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It also uses modified sites like roadsides and garden edges.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Both adults and larvae are predatory, feeding on other insects. Adults mainly capture caterpillars and flies, while larvae are known to eat flies.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from September to July, with mating occurring in February. Larvae develop into adults around December to February.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
These beetles are active during daylight and are most noticeable in direct sunshine.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is endemic to New Zealand and is found across most of the country. Adults are present from September through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be told apart from other Neocicindela species by the distinctive colour pattern on its elytra. First described in 1775 from specimens collected on Captain Cook’s voyage, it was the earliest ground beetle recorded from New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What do New Zealand common tiger beetles eat?
Both the adults and the larvae hunt other insects; adults mainly take caterpillars and flies, while larvae feed on flies.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Carabidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocicindela_tuberculata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.