Saline-habitat-specialist
Guides
Cicindela fulgida
Crimson Saltflat Tiger Beetle, Shiny Tiger Beetle
Cicindela fulgida is a tiger beetle species specialized for saline habitats, occurring in dry, salt-encrusted soils of the central and western North American plains. Adults are active primarily during spring and fall, avoiding the hottest summer months. The species is notable for its distinctive larval burrows, which feature unique turret-like structures that extend above ground level—an adaptation thought to aid in thermoregulation in extreme environments.
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.
Dieunomia nevadensis bakeri
Baker's Nomia
Baker's Nomia is a subspecies of the Nevada nomia, a sweat bee in the family Halictidae. It was described by Cockerell in 1898 and is distinguished from the nominate subspecies by morphological characteristics. The subspecies occurs in western North America, where it is associated with alkali and saline habitats. Like other Dieunomia species, it is a ground-nesting bee with specialized ecological requirements.
Eunota praetextata pallidofemora
Virgin River Tiger Beetle
Eunota praetextata pallidofemora is a subspecies of tiger beetle in the family Carabidae (subfamily Cicindelinae), described by Acciavatti in 1981. It is known from the Virgin River region of the southwestern United States. As a member of the genus Eunota, it belongs to a group of tiger beetles specialized for saline and alkaline habitats. The subspecies epithet 'pallidofemora' refers to pale femora, suggesting a distinguishing leg coloration.
Eunota togata togata
White-cloaked Tiger Beetle
Eunota togata togata is the nominate subspecies of the White-cloaked Tiger Beetle, occurring in salt marshes and tidal flats along the Gulf Coast of the United States and Mexico. Unlike the inland subspecies E. t. globicollis (Alkali Tiger Beetle) and E. t. fascinans (Salt Flat Tiger Beetle), this form shows the least expansion of the characteristic white elytral band that gives the species its name. The species epithet 'togata' derives from Latin 'toga,' referring to this cloaking white margin.