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Insects

Cicindela hybrida

Dean’s table says 6.7 mph (3 m/s) as the maximum for Cicindela hybrida, citing Nachtigall 1996b. That paper’s title is locomotion on hot sand. A 1.3 mph (0.6 m/s) take-off cell does not count.

A cicindela hybrida can travel 6.7 mph (3 m/s), a verified measurement.

Also known as northern dune tiger beetle
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Top speed

Published as 3 m/sPublished as 3 m/sPublished as 3 m/s

Dean, Table 1. The row under Cicindera hybrida (Dean’s spelling) continues with 6.7 mph (3 m/s), maximum, airspeed, free flying, Nachtigall 1996b. The bibliography title for 1996b is locomotory behaviour of Cicindela hybrida on a small, hot, sandy area. The 1996 take-off paper is a different cell, 1.3 mph (0.6 m/s), average airspeed, free flying. The figure is the table’s 6.7 mph (3 m/s) maximum. The airspeed code and the locomotion title do not describe the same kind of movement, and the note says so.

VerifiedUniversity of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • 2.2× walking paceConstant · A typical walking pace, 5 km/h
  • 29% of Usain Bolt's 100 m world-record paceSourced · Usain Bolt, 100 m in 9.58 s. World Athletics, Berlin 2009. Averaged over the race
  • A football field in 30 sConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

Quick answers

People also ask

How fast can a cicindela hybrida travel?

A cicindela hybrida can travel 6.7 mph (3 m/s), a verified measurement.

Is that figure claimed or verified?

Cicindela hybrida is labeled Verified. Independently measured and published, for example in a peer-reviewed study or with certified timing.

What is the source?

The figure cites University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology, “Book of Insect Records, Chapter 1, tiger beetle maximum.”

Where does Cicindela hybrida rank?

Cicindela hybrida is 10th of 10 on Fastest Insects.

Mechanism

Why it's so fast

Cicindela hybrida is ranked at 6.7 mph (3 m/s), the maximum Dean’s table says for Nachtigall 1996b. The paper’s title is locomotion on hot sand. The table still codes the cell as airspeed. A 1.3 mph (0.6 m/s) take-off cell does not count.

Table maximum
6.7 mph (3 m/s)
Take-off cell
1.3 mph (0.6 m/s)
Paper
Hot-sand locomotion

  1. The title says running

    Nachtigall 1996b is “Locomotory behaviour in a population of the tiger beetle species Cicindela hybrida on a small, hot, sandy area.” Hot sand is where these beetles sprint. Dean’s code A for airspeed does not match that title, so the row is travel, not a flight record.

  2. The other cell is take-off

    The 1996 paper, take-off and flight, is the 1.3 mph (0.6 m/s) cell, coded average airspeed. That is a real flight number and it is slower. The comparison keeps the table’s 6.7 mph (3 m/s) maximum and says what the paper actually studied.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 10.8km/h6.7mph3m/s5.8knRanked figure

    Dean, Table 1. The row under Cicindera hybrida (Dean’s spelling) continues with 6.7 mph (3 m/s), maximum, airspeed, free flying, Nachtigall 1996b. The bibliography title for 1996b is locomotory behaviour of Cicindela hybrida on a small, hot, sandy area. The 1996 take-off paper is a different cell, 1.3 mph (0.6 m/s), average airspeed, free flying. The figure is the table’s 6.7 mph (3 m/s) maximum. The airspeed code and the locomotion title do not describe the same kind of movement, and the note says so.

    The 1996b title is locomotion on hot sand. The table still codes A for airspeed. 1.3 mph (0.6 m/s) is the 1996 take-off cell and does not count.

    Verified
    University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Species
Cicindela hybrida
Table maximum
6.7 mph (3 m/s)
Take-off cell
1.3 mph (0.6 m/s), not the figure

Context

Background

Dean’s beetle table says two speeds for the tiger beetle he spells Cicindera hybrida. The maximum cell is 6.7 mph (3 m/s), coded maximum, airspeed, free flying, and cited to Nachtigall 1996b. The bibliography title of that paper is locomotory behaviour on a small, hot, sandy area, which is running, not a flight. The figure is still 6.7 mph (3 m/s), qualifier verified, because that is the number the table says. The mismatch between the airspeed code and the paper title is the reason this row sits at the bottom and is described as travel, not as a flight record.

The other cell is 1.3 mph (0.6 m/s) from Nachtigall 1996, whose title is take-off and flight. That slower flight cell does not count. No separate running speed beyond the 6.7 mph (3 m/s) cell is given.

Head to head

Compare Cicindela hybrida

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