Adults are approximately 14–19 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Oxygonia prodiga
An Andean tiger beetle that hunts on boulders beside mountain torrents, beneath vegetation hanging over fast water.
About this species
Oxygonia prodigaErichson, 1847
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Oxygonia prodiga is a Neotropical tiger beetle of the eastern Andean slopes. It is associated with mountainous streams from northern Bolivia to northern Peru, where adults occupy wet boulders and shaded banks.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Carabidae · Cicindelinae · Oxygonia
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
Northern Bolivia and Peru, potentially extreme southern EcuadorBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Northern Bolivia and Peru, potentially extreme southern Ecuador
Mountain streams with boulders, wet banks and overhanging vegetation.
Diurnal predator on rocks and stream margins.
Small arthropods associated with wet rock and bank surfaces.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
This species occupies a habitat where a single misstep can mean entering a torrent: adults hunt on wet boulders and vegetation immediately over running mountain water.
Its known range follows the eastern Andean slope across national borders rather than the lowlands, creating a long, narrow distribution tied to cool upland drainage systems.
The elongated legs keep the body above wet rock while the large claws and flattened stance maintain purchase — a pursuit predator adapted to a surface that is both steep and slippery.