Tyrant Ground Beetle

Anthia maxillosa · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Carabidae

Can irritate skin. The beetle can spray formic acid that may damage eyes.

Source: Wikipedia

Tyrant Ground Beetle
Photo: Bernard DUPONT, CC BY

These beetles are large, heavily armored and move quickly, with strong sharp mandibles. Some are active by day in semi-arid areas, others hunt at night, and they are predators.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

They have a large, armored body and prominent, powerful, sharp mandibles.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The beetles are large and built like a tank.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The genus Anthia is native to Africa and Asia.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

The genus has been confused with the non-existent genus Thermophilum and related misspellings.

Source: Wikipedia

Questions people ask

Can this beetle hurt my eyes?

Its formic acid jet reaches up to 30 cm (12 in) and, if not treated, can blind animals that harass the beetle.

Source: Wikipedia

What does this beetle look like?

It is large, heavily armored and has strong, sharp mandibles.

Source: Wikipedia

When are they active?

Some are day-time hunters in semi-arid areas, others are active at night.

Source: Wikipedia

Where are they from?

The genus originates from Africa and Asia.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Carabidae)

Six-spotted Tiger BeetleSix-spotted Tiger BeetleCicindela sexguttataHarmlessBronze Ground BeetleBronze Ground BeetleCarabus nemoralisGreen Tiger BeetleGreen Tiger BeetleCicindela campestrisBig-headed Ground BeetleBig-headed Ground BeetleScarites subterraneusStrawberry Seed BeetleStrawberry Seed BeetleHarpalus rufipesDamages trees, gardens or cropsBronzed Tiger BeetleBronzed Tiger BeetleCicindela repanda

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthia

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.

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