Western Beach Tiger Beetle

Cicindela latesignata · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Carabidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Western Beach Tiger Beetle
Photo: Madeleine Claire, CC BY

The Western beach tiger beetle, also called Angel's tear, belongs to the ground-beetle genus Cicindela. It lives on the ground in the continental United States and Mexico.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It is a ground-dwelling beetle.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The species is native to the continental United States and Mexico.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Western Beach Tiger Beetle photo 2
Photo: Adam J. Searcy, CC BY
Western Beach Tiger Beetle photo 3
Photo: Millie Basden, CC BY
Western Beach Tiger Beetle photo 4
Photo: Rachel Lee Harper, CC BY
Western Beach Tiger Beetle photo 5
Photo: Millie Basden, CC BY

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/Cicindela_latesignata

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.