The forgotten tigers: the arboreal tiger beetles of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Thirty-one species of arboreal tiger beetles are known to occur in Sri Lanka of which twenty-five species are stated to be endemic. However, the group has not been studied for more than a century and the last organised records are provided by Fowler (1912) in his studies of the ‘Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma (Coleoptera General Introduction and Cicindelidae and Paussidae)’. Due to high endemicity rates, biodiversity value and current disturbances and destruction to natural forests of the country, which are the main habitat types of the arboreal tiger beetles, it is important that this insect group be thoroughly studied. Therefore, a study was initiated on the ‘Diversity, distribution and habitat types of arboreal tiger beetles (Coleoptera, Cicindelinae) of Sri Lanka’, funded by the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka. This review compiles and records previous information on the arboreal tiger beetles of Sri Lanka, which will provide a foundation for future studies and reveal gaps in the knowledge of this insect group. The review discusses: 1) taxonomy of the arboreal tiger beetles, highlighting the genera found in Sri Lanka and their affinities to arboreal tiger beetle genera elsewhere in the world; 2) previous locations and distribution of species throughout the island and districts and provinces from which species are not recorded, habitat and micro-habitat types; 3) morphological characters of genera and species and unique characters used for the separation of species, life-cycle strategies; and 4) methods employed to collect arboreal tiger beetle species and threats to the survival of this insect group.