Blue Spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela aurulenta)

Tiger beetles run faster than their eyes can work. Sprinting after prey, the image reaching them updates too slowly to be useful, so they are effectively blind mid-chase - they stop, relocate the target, and sprint again. Some species cover 120 body lengths per second, which scaled to a person is around 480 miles per hour.

Cicindela aurulenta is among the most decorated of them: iridescent green armour studded with vivid blue spots, hunting on sandy riverbanks, forest clearings and open ground from India through China to the Malay Archipelago.

The mandibles are long and sickle-shaped and close on small invertebrates with real precision. What the colour is for is less clear than what the speed is for - but between them they make this one of the most effective ground-level predators in its habitat.

A vector illustration of the blue spotted tiger beetle in dorsal view, drawn for the Bugs series of insect art prints.

Bugs is a collection of natural history illustration prints drawn from the insect world - beetles, flies, bugs, butterflies, and moths selected for the strangeness, beauty, and variety of their forms.

Each illustration is adapted from Simon Tyler's book Bugs, published by Pavilion in 2017 and subsequently published in French and Chinese. The series draws on the tradition of scientific natural history illustration - precise, considered, and attentive to the details that make each species distinctive.

Insects account for the majority of all known animal species on Earth. This collection is a small survey of what that diversity looks like.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 50 × 70 cm · 20 × 28 in

XLarge · 70 × 100 cm · 28 × 40 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

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Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

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