Biology:Cicindela theatina

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Short description: Species of beetle

Cicindela theatina
Great Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle, 2015 (18684781963).jpg
Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cicindelidae
Genus: Cicindela
Species:
C. theatina
Binomial name
Cicindela theatina
Rotger, 1944

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]

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

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Insects, Spiders, Centipedes, Millipedes". Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/grsa/learn/nature/insects.htm. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 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. 
  3. 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. http://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/25/how-biologists-are-working-to-keep-the-great-sand-dunes-tiger-beetle-off-the-endangered-species-list/. 
  4. 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. 

Wikidata ☰ Q13467923 entry