Cobblestone
Guides
Cicindelidia marginipennis
Cobblestone Tiger Beetle
Cicindelidia marginipennis is a North American riparian specialist tiger beetle restricted to sandy cobblestone banks and bars along rivers. The species has a highly disjunct distribution spanning from southern Alabama and Mississippi through a northern corridor to New Brunswick, Canada, with a significant gap across the southeastern United States. It is state-listed as threatened or endangered throughout its U.S. range and has been periodically considered for federal listing since 1984 due to habitat decline from dam construction, channelization, and development. The species exhibits potential geographic population structure based on mitochondrial DNA, with Alabama populations possessing unique haplotypes that may represent a cryptic species.