Habitat Preferences and Seasonal Abundances of Eight Sympatric Species of Tiger Beetle, Genus Cicindela (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), in Bastrop State Park, Texas

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Habitat preferences and seasonal abundances of eight sympatric species of tiger beetle of the genus Cicindela were monitored over a 3-year period in Bastrop State Park, Bastrop Co., Texas. Cicindela scutellaris, Cicindela formosa, and Cicindela punctulata preferred open trails and forest clearings of loose find sand. Cicindela splendida, Cicindela rufiventris, and Cicindela obsoleta preferred eroded bluffs or trails with exposures of red clay mixed with siliceous or sandstone pebbles while Cicindela sexguttata occupied shaded forest trails of sandy loam. Cicindela ocellata occurred sporadically around a temporary pond within the forest. Larvae of each species were restricted to the preferred soil of adult, and several species colonized new areas of microhabitat during the study. Each species exhibited either a spring-fall or summer life-history pattern. Cicindela scutellaris, C. splendida, C. formosa, and C. sexguttata eclosed in the fall, overwintered, and were reproductively active the following spring. Cicindela rufiventris, C. punctulata, and C. ocellata pupated and eclosed in late spring and were active as adults throughout the summer months. Adults of C. obsoleta emerged in early August and were active until late September.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: