Atlantic coastal beaches of the southeastern United States
Fine-art photographic collection
Habroscelimorpha dorsalis media
A beach predator whose larva can escape danger by becoming a wind-blown wheel.
About this species
Common White Tiger Beetle
Habroscelimorpha dorsalis media(LeConte, 1856)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Habroscelimorpha dorsalis media is a pale coastal tiger beetle of open Atlantic beaches in the southeastern United States. Adults run over bare sand, while larvae live in vertical burrows and ambush passing prey.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Carabidae · Habroscelimorpha
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
Atlantic coastal beaches of the southeastern United StatesBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Wide, open ocean beaches with firm moist sand and limited vegetation.
Diurnal in hot sunny weather.
Adults and larvae prey on small shoreline arthropods.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
When dislodged on a slope, the larva can curl into a wheel and let wind carry it rolling across the sand — reported over distances of tens of metres.
The pale body reflects the beach background while long legs hold the beetle above sand hot enough to overheat slower insects.
Its habitat is not simply “the coast” but a narrow band of open sand continually renewed by waves, wind and storms.