Cicindela sylvatica

Cicindela sylvatica is a tiger beetle, commonly known as the wood tiger beetle or heath tiger beetle. It is the largest of the British tiger beetles[1] with a length of between 15–19 millimetres (0.59–0.75 in). It is black in colour with a blue tinge, more pronounced on the underside, and sometimes appears with a bronze sheen.[2]

Wood tiger beetle
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Carabidae
Genus:	Cicindela
Species:	C. sylvatica
Binomial name
Cicindela sylvatica Linnaeus, 1758
Subspecies
Cicindela sylvatica ssp. rubescens Cicindela sylvatica ssp. sylvatica

The beetle occurs throughout Europe with the exception of the Mediterranean and the extreme north.[3] In the UK, it is found in England. The beetle has been given priority status under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) and has been included in the English Nature's Species Recovery Programme.[2] The beetle population has declined in England by 65% over 40 years. The beetle's traditional stronghold is on the Dorset heaths where there are at least 4 populations, and also persists in two populations on the Surrey heaths.[3]

The distribution list is Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, mainland France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary (doubtful), Ireland, Kaliningrad, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mongolia, the Netherlands, North Korea, North Macedonia, mainland Norway, Poland, Romania (doubtful), Russia,[4] Slovakia, Slovenia, mainland Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine.[5][6]