Restricted to San Pietro Island, southwestern Sardinia, Italy.
Fine-art photographic collection
Cicindela campestris saphyrina
A sapphire-blue island form of the green tiger beetle confined to Sardinia.
About this species
Cicindela campestris saphyrinaGené, 1836
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Cicindela campestris saphyrina is a highly localised Sardinian form of the green tiger beetle in which the usual green metallic palette has shifted toward intense sapphire blue. Its island restriction and strong colour change make it one of the most distinctive members of the campestris complex.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Carabidae · Cicindela
Accepted subspecies and a highly restricted Sardinian endemic. · checked 2026-07-15
San Pietro Island, SardiniaBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Sunny open ground on San Pietro Island.
Diurnal.
Predatory on small arthropods.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The usual green of the campestris complex is replaced by intense sapphire blue across most of the wing cases.
The blue is structural rather than a painted pigment, so the apparent hue changes as the angle of light moves across the shell.
This form is endemic to Sardinia and very localised, meaning the entire natural population is tied to one Mediterranean island.