Recently, I was sorting through some photos taken a week earlier (8 August 2020) from the same beach, but the beetles I photographed that day looked different.
Below is an example from 8 August 2020. Compare the patterning on the wing covers between the beetle above and the beetle below:
Did you notice how the first beetle has much more extensive markings? Each of the areas — the shoulder (closer to the neck), the middle (the marking that looks a bit like a musical eighth note), and the tail end are more robust in the first beetle. Note especially that along the edge of the wing cover, the middle marking extends both forward and backward creating a line along the margin.
I'm guessing the second beetle is a Western Tiger Beetle (Cicindela oregona). I don't encounter tiger beetles as often in the Bodega Head area, so I hadn't realized these two species could co-occur. It's always informative to look closely!
P.S. Thank you, firefighters, for working so tirelessly in our behalf!
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