Cicindela theatina, commonly known as the Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle, is a predatory beetle found in sparsely vegetated sandy habitats.[1] The species' range encompasses only about 290 square kilometres (110 sq mi) in the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.[2] Despite its small range, the species is relatively secure because its entire habitat is within a protected national park.[3][4]
| Cicindela theatina | |
|---|---|
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| Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Cicindelidae |
| Genus: | Cicindela |
| Species: | C. theatina
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| Binomial name | |
| Cicindela theatina Rotger, 1944
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The adults are about 13 millimetres (0.51 in) long and are readily distinguished by the violin-shaped marking on their backs and their iridescent green-blue heads.[1]
The insects live for approximately 2.5 years, with mating occurring in late May and larvae appearing the next month.[2] The larval stage lasts a little more than a year, with adults emerging the next July.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Insects, Spiders, Centipedes, Millipedes". Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. National Park Service. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ a b c Pineda, Phyllis M.; Kondratieff, Boris C. (December 2003). "Natural History of the Colorado Great Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle, Cicindela theatina Rotger". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 129 (3/4): 333–360. JSTOR 25078819.
- ^ Finley, Bruce (June 25, 2017). "How biologists are working to keep the Great Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle off the endangered species list". The Denver Post. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ Duran, Daniel P.; Gough, Harlan M. (2020). "Validation of tiger beetles as distinct family (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), review and reclassification of tribal relationships". Systematic Entomology. 45 (4). doi:10.1111/syen.12440.
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