Cicindela theatina

Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Carabidae
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]

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

"Insects, Spiders, Centipedes, Millipedes". Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. National Park Service. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
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. JSTOR 25078819.
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. Retrieved November 25, 2017.

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[nps-1] "Insects, Spiders, Centipedes, Millipedes". Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. National Park Service. Retrieved November 25, 2017.

[nh-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. JSTOR 25078819.

[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. Retrieved November 25, 2017.