Friday Beetle Blogging: Giant Tiger Beetle

Amblycheila cylindriformis, New Mexico

Amblycheila cylindriformis, New Mexico

The Giant Tiger Beetle Amblycheila cylindriformis is a tank of an insect, at 35mm in length the largest tiger beetle in North America.   Unlike the more familiar day-active Cicindela tiger beetles, the flightless Amblycheila lumbers about at night, catching hapless insects in its massive jaws.

Photographing Amblycheila was difficult on account of the insect's shiny integument, so I used a white-lined cardboard box as a miniature studio.  A strobe fired into the box produced a diffuse white light.

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On display at the Audubon Insectarium.

photo details (top photo): Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D

ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/16, indirect strobe in a white box

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I love your beetle photos. So much. He's beautiful.

Oh, I'm so jealous. I haven't even had the pleasure of seeing these things, much less photographing them. It's part of the plan this summer, for sure.

Very nice photos.