''Cosmodela batesi'' is a species of

tiger beetle Tiger beetles are a family of beetles, Cicindelidae, known for their aggressive predatory habits and running speed. The fastest known species of tiger beetle, '' Rivacindela hudsoni'', can run at a speed of , or about 125 body lengths per second. ...

endemic to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. Its English common name is Bates' tiger beetle. Its Chinese common name, 臺灣八星虎甲蟲, translates to "Taiwan(ese) eight-star tiger beetle."

Description

''C. batesi'' has a body length between 15 and 21 mm. Its body is largely metallic blue-green, along with shades of yellow, orange, and red throughout. The top of its head and the sides of its

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...

often display large orange-red markings, and the antennae are blue-green with a metallic luster. It has large, black compound eyes and pronounced white mandibles with dark blue-green tips. The sides of its body and legs are covered with small white hairs. Each side of the

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...

has four white spots, with the one closest to the thorax being the smallest. Cosmodela batesi 2

Behavior

''C. batesi'' can often be found running along the open ground where it hunts small insects, though it may fly short distances when necessary to escape danger. The mating season of ''C. batesi'' is from May to August. After mating with a female, the male will often cling to her pronotum with his mandibles, preventing other males from mating with her. When it is time for her to lay eggs, the female will dig holes in the soil and lay one egg in each. The larvae then use these holes to hunt, laying in wait for passing insects. The larval stage consists of three instars, with the first and second instars together lasting for about four weeks and the third lasting for about six months. Third instar larvae have been observed using soil to plug the entrance of their burrows, possibly to protect it from rainfall or to elude predators.

Distribution

''Cosmodela batesi'' is found across Taiwan, on the mainland, Green Island, and

Orchid Island Orchid Island, known as Pongso no Tao by the indigenous inhabitants, is a volcanic island located off the southeastern coast of Taiwan, the island and the nearby are governed by Taiwan as in Taitung County, which is one of the county's two ...

. It is generally found in flat to mid-altitude mountainous regions below 1000 m.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q65059133 , from2=Q13467683 Cicindelidae Beetles of Asia Insects of Taiwan Endemic fauna of Taiwan Beetles described in 1893