Family: Carabidae
Subfamily: Cicindelinae
Length: 9-12 mm
Cicindela rufiventris varies considerably in the size and number of markings on the elytra. The key ID trait is the one alluded to in the scientific and common names: the red abdomen, visible most easily in profile. The red abdomen is also visible as the beetle flies though the air. The rear (apical) marks are always present, and another important trait is that this is a smaller beetle than most other West Virginia Tigers.
The adults of this species are typically active beginning in April, where they often hunt in areas of human disturbance: strip mine roads, loading areas at logging sites, and road cuts. Distribution seems to be statewide.
Elsewhere in North America, the Eastern Red-Bellied Tiger Beetle has a range stretching from the lower Rio Grande Valley to Georgia and north to southern New York and New England.
Insects of West Virginia
