''Manticora latipennis'' 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. ...

native to South Africa,

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, Bechuanaland,

Ngami Lake Ngami is an endorheic lake in Botswana north of the Kalahari Desert. It is seasonally filled by the Taughe River, an effluent of the Okavango River system flowing out of the western side of the Okavango Delta. It is one of the fragmented remn ...

and

Damaraland Damaraland was a name given to the north-central part of what later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damara (people), Damaras. It was bounded roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the east, a ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Taxonomy

This species was the second to be described in the genus ''Manticora'' and was based on a single female specimen from Kurrichane, South Africa.

Description

The head, thorax and abdomen of both adult males and females are black, occasionally reddish brown, and very glossy. The legs and tarsi are black. The body length of males is and for females is .

Feeding Habits

''Manticora latipennis'' is a highly voracious predator, preying on small arthropods such as crickets. The larvae patiently wait for prey to come towards them while the adults actively pursue prey. Manticora_latipennis

References

External links

''Manticora latipennis''"> ''Manticora latipennis''
in

Annales de la Société Entomologique de France Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

Cicindelidae Beetles described in 1837 {{Cicindelidae-stub