MALAY TIGER BEETLES, 129 



Malay Tiger-beetles. 



By H. N. Ridley. 



The tiger beetles (Cicindelidfe) are among- the most 

 attractive and conspicuous of our smaller beetles on account 

 both of their bright colours, and their rapid movements in the 

 full sun, in the hottest time of the day. They are exclusively 

 carnivorous, chasing their prey consisting of smaller insects and 

 usually flying very briskly, and usually require the use of the 

 net to capture them. The Malay species may be divided into 

 two groups, the jungle-tiger beetles and the road-tiger beetles. 

 The former include species of the genera Tricondyla and Collyris. 



Tricondyla aptera, Oliv., is the only species of this genus 

 I have seen in the peninsula, and it is by no means common. I 

 obtained a single specimen in the Botanic Gardens in Singapore, 

 and there is also a specimen from Penang in the British Museum. 

 It seems to be abundant in New Guinea and occurs also in 

 Amboina, Aru Islands and Solomon Islands. It is our largest 

 species, about j inch long, and is also remarkable for being 

 quite wingless, a narrow, elongate, deep blue beetle with slender 

 antennae, prominent eyes, and long red legs. I found it running 

 about on the ground with the workers of the common large ant 

 known as Semut Rajah, (Camponotus gigas). This ant makes 

 nests in the bases of hollow trees, and the workers are commonly 

 to be seen scampering about on paths, especially in the early 

 morning and late evening, in search of food. The Tricondyla 

 appears to mimick the ant, for though when the two insects are 

 compared the resemblance is less striking, the general form, long 

 legs, and method of running about cause the beetle to so much 

 resemble the ant that I very nearly let it escape mistaking it for 

 the ant. 



Of the genus Collyris we have three species here and 

 probably more will be found, as the species very closely 

 resemble one another. They are much smaller than the 

 Tricondyla but of very much the same shape, though they have 



R. A. Soc, No. 38, 1902. 



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