Adults are approximately 11–17 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Thopeutica vantoli
A South Sulawesi predator known from a paratype series that fixed a new species in one of Earth’s most complex islands.
About this species
Thopeutica vantoliCassola, 1991
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Thopeutica vantoli was described by Cassola in 1991 from Sulawesi. It belongs to the nominate subgenus rather than Wallacedela and is documented from South Sulawesi, including Bantimurung.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Carabidae · Cicindelinae · Thopeutica
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
South Sulawesi, IndonesiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Limestone and forest landscapes with open paths, banks and sunlit ground.
Day-active visual predator.
Small arthropods.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The original description was part of a landmark revision of Sulawesi tiger beetles, transforming museum specimens from scattered localities into a new named species with a fixed holotype and paratypes.
Documented males and females from Bantimurung show that the species belongs to the nominate Thopeutica line rather than Wallacedela, despite living on the same extraordinarily diverse island.
South Sulawesi is separated from other island arms by mountains and geological history; for a ground-associated predator, those barriers can isolate populations long enough for genital and body form to diverge.
Sources and scientific references
- GBIF — taxon record/search for Thopeutica vantoli
- Catalogue of Life — taxon search for Thopeutica vantoli
- Cassola 1991 — revision of Sulawesi tiger beetles and original descriptions
- GBIF species record citing Cassola’s Sulawesi revision
- Carabidae image gallery — male and female/paratype from South Sulawesi