Microhabitat-partitioning
Guides
Cicindela willistoni
Williston's Tiger Beetle
Cicindela willistoni is a tiger beetle restricted to saline and alkali flats in the southwestern United States. Adults and larvae occur on open, sparsely vegetated salt flats where they occupy distinct microhabitats. The larvae construct unique chimney-like turrets above their burrow entrances, an adaptation that facilitates thermoregulation and prey attraction. Adult emergence is triggered by summer monsoonal rains, resulting in a relatively short active season.
Cicindela willistoni praedicta
Augured Tiger Beetle
Cicindela willistoni praedicta is a subspecies of tiger beetle in the family Carabidae. It is one of several tiger beetle taxa inhabiting saline and salt flat habitats in the arid western United States. Adult emergence is triggered by summer monsoonal rains, limiting activity to a brief post-monsoonal period. The subspecies exhibits strong microhabitat fidelity, primarily occupying areas immediately adjacent to water edges in salt lake environments.
Eunota togata fascinans
Salt Flat Tiger Beetle
Eunota togata fascinans is a subspecies of tiger beetle in the family Carabidae. It is known from salt flat habitats in the southwestern United States and Mexico, where it occupies unvegetated sandy areas near water edges. The subspecies exhibits specific microhabitat preferences that allow coexistence with other tiger beetle species through resource partitioning. Adult emergence is triggered by summer monsoonal rains, limiting its active period to a relatively short post-monsoonal season.
Parvindela terricola cinctipennis
Belted-winged Tiger Beetle
Parvindela terricola cinctipennis is a subspecies of tiger beetle in the family Cicindelidae, formerly placed in the genus Cylindera. It is one of eight tiger beetle species documented from the Laguna del Perro salt lake region of New Mexico, where it exhibits highly specific microhabitat preferences. Adult emergence is triggered by summer monsoonal rains, and the species occupies a narrow ecological niche that minimizes competition with sympatric tiger beetle species.