Salt-flat
Guides
Cicindela parowana parowana
Dark Saltflat Tiger Beetle
Cicindela parowana parowana is a subspecies of tiger beetle in the family Carabidae, described by Wickham in 1905. It is one of the nominate subspecies of the Dark Saltflat Tiger Beetle, a species associated with saline or alkaline habitats. The subspecies occurs in western North America where it inhabits salt flat environments. Like other tiger beetles, it is a fast-running, visually-oriented predator.
Cicindela willistoni estancia
Torrance Tiger Beetle
Cicindela willistoni estancia is a subspecies of tiger beetle known from salt lake habitats in New Mexico. It was described by Rumpp in 1962 and is commonly called the Torrance Tiger Beetle. The subspecies shows a strong preference for the water's edge in salt flat environments, representing a distinct microhabitat specialization that reduces competition with sympatric tiger beetle species. Adult emergence is triggered by summer monsoonal rains, restricting activity to a relatively short post-monsoonal period.
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.
Cicindela willistoni pseudosenilis
Owens Lake Tiger Beetle
Cicindela willistoni pseudosenilis is a subspecies of tiger beetle in the family Carabidae. It is known from western North America, particularly associated with saline lake habitats. Adult emergence is triggered by summer monsoonal rains. The subspecies is part of a complex of tiger beetles that exhibit fine-scale habitat partitioning in salt flat environments.
Cicindelini
tiger beetles, flashy tiger beetles
Cicindelini is a tribe of tiger beetles comprising approximately 80% of the family's genera and species diversity. The tribe contains over 90 genera and more than 2,000 described species, making it one of the most species-rich groups within the ground beetle assemblage. Members are characterized by their diurnal activity patterns, rapid running speed, and distinctive predatory behaviors. The tribe exhibits broad geographic distribution with highest diversity in tropical and subtropical regions, though species occur across all continents except Antarctica.
Saltonia
Saltonia is a monotypic genus of North American cribellate araneomorph spiders containing the single species Saltonia incerta. The genus was first described in 1942 and has undergone several taxonomic revisions, most recently moved to the family Argyronetidae in 2025. It represents a rare relict lineage restricted to hypersaline desert habitats in southwestern North America.
Saltonia incerta
Rare sheet-web-weaving spider, sole representative of monotypic genus Saltonia. Restricted to salt crusts of intermittent or dry lakes, streams, and rivers in desert southwestern North America. Previously presumed extinct following 1905 flooding of type locality at Salton Sea, but rediscovered in 1990s at multiple sites. Genetic analyses reveal significant population structure with two major clades (New Mexico versus California-northern Baja California) and minimal gene flow among isolated populations in fragmented desert salt flat habitats.