🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨

The Australian tiger beetle, Cicindela hudsoni, was clocked running at a remarkable 2.5 meters per second. That's the equivalent of 5.6 miles per hour and makes it the fastest running insect in the world. Running a close second is another Australian species, Cicindela eburneola, which ran an impressive 4.2 miles per hour.

On its lower back, the larva has a pair of large, forward facing hooks, used to anchor the organism to the substrate. Further, it has mandibles for prey capture which originate below its eyes.

The beetle's forewings are hardened to form a protective layer known as the elytra and are fused to the hindwings. The species has two large eyes that together make the head wider than the thorax, underneath which a pair of filiform antennae are attached. Surrounding the mouth is the labrum, onto which sharp projections and maxillae are attached next to a pair of sickle-like mandibles with both compound and simple teeth arranged along its length.

It has been observed that at high speeds, tiger beetles experience temporary blindness when chasing prey. This is because the beetle cannot gather enough photons that reflect its prey to form an image of it, resulting in a stop-start mode of hunting made affordable by its high speeds. As a predator living in dry, saline environments, the C. hudsoni eats almost anything it can capture such as other beetles, caterpillars and ants while also taking advantage of other, larger meals as scavengers.