Twelve-Spotted Skimmer vs Festive Tiger Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Twelve-Spotted Skimmer Festive Tiger Beetle
Scientific Name Libellula pulchella Cicindela scutellaris
Order Odonata Coleoptera
Family Libellulidae Cicindelidae
Size 65-75 mm wingspan 10-14mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Beaches & Coastal
Diet Predators Predators
Regions North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Twelve-Spotted Skimmer

A showy dragonfly with three dark spots on each wing, totaling twelve. Mature males develop additional white spots between the dark ones.

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Did You Know?

Despite the name twelve-spotted, mature males actually have 24 wing markings when the white pruinose spots are included.

Festive Tiger Beetle

A small brilliantly colored tiger beetle varying from deep purple to bright green depending on the subspecies. It runs at incredible speeds on sandy soils.

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Did You Know?

Different populations display different metallic colors from purple to green to red based on their geographic location.