Adults are approximately 12–18 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Thopeutica (Wallacedela) nishiyamai
A tiger beetle from an island radiation so fine-grained that male anatomy becomes a geographic map.
About this species
Thopeutica (Wallacedela) nishiyamai(Cassola, 1991)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Thopeutica nishiyamai is a Wallacedela tiger beetle described from Sulawesi in 1991. Its combination of metallic colour, elytral form and male genital structure separates it from close island relatives.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Carabidae · Cicindelinae · Thopeutica
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
Sulawesi, IndonesiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Sulawesi, Indonesia
Tropical forest openings, paths and banks.
Diurnal visual predator.
Small arthropods.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The species was named during a revision that revealed Sulawesi contained many more distinct tiger-beetle lineages than external colour alone had suggested.
Male genital shape functions almost like a geographic barcode in Wallacedela: populations separated by Sulawesi’s mountains and peninsulas can carry consistent internal differences invisible from above.
A preserved specimen image still bears the former genus combination Wallacedela nishiyamai, recording the later decision to nest that whole lineage inside the larger genus Thopeutica.
Sources and scientific references
- GBIF — taxon record/search for Thopeutica (Wallacedela) nishiyamai
- Catalogue of Life — taxon search for Thopeutica (Wallacedela) nishiyamai
- Cassola 1991 — revision of Sulawesi tiger beetles and original descriptions
- Wikispecies — Thopeutica nishiyamai authority
- Wikimedia specimen retaining the historical Wallacedela combination