Adults are roughly 14–20 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Heptodonta melanopyga
A Philippine forest hunter whose survival now depends on protecting the islands that produced it.
About this species
Heptodonta melanopygaSchaum, 1862
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Heptodonta melanopyga is a Philippine tiger beetle associated with tropical forest. It is a visual, fast-striking predator with large eyes, long legs and toothed mandibles.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Carabidae · Cicindelinae · Heptodonta
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
PhilippinesBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Philippines
Lowland and foothill forest, river margins and open patches within forest.
Diurnal predator on warm ground and low vegetation.
Small arthropods.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The species is confined to the Philippine archipelago, making every surviving population part of a single island radiation that cannot be replaced from continental Asia.
It is officially listed among the Philippines’ “Other Threatened Species”, a legal recognition that habitat loss and collection pressure can erase an entire evolutionary lineage from a small geographic area.
Its hunting system is built around speed and vision: enormous compound eyes detect movement, while long serrated mandibles close like paired sickles before prey can cross the exposed forest floor.