Cicindela highlandensis

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Cicindela highlandensis
Cicindela highlandensis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cicindelidae
Genus: Cicindela
Species:
C. highlandensis
Binomial name
Cicindela highlandensis
Choate, 1984

Cicindela highlandensis, commonly known as the Highlands tiger beetle, is a species of ground beetle in the family Cicindelidae. It is endemic to central Florida in the United States. It is rare and a candidate for federal protection. [1] [2]

Contents


Description

Cicindela highlandensis is mainly black in color and measures 10.5 to 12 millimeters in length. [1]

Distribution and habitat

Cicindela highlandensis is limited to the Lake Wales Ridge. It lives in scrub and sandhill habitat with very sandy substrates and surroundings featuring evergreen scrub oaks, turkey oaks, and longleaf pines. The beetle can be found in open areas, and generally not densely vegetated parts of the habitat. It can sometimes be found on trails and paths. [1]

Threats

An important threat to the survival of this species is habitat loss. Most of the Lake Wales Ridge has been altered or degraded. Its natural vegetation has been lost during development, conversion to citrus groves, and fire suppression. The beetle does not live in dense patches of vegetation, preferring open areas; fire suppression has allowed the overgrowth of plant matter, reducing the available habitat for the beetle. [1]

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<i>Dicerandra christmanii</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Dicerandra frutescens</i> Species of plant

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<i>Eryngium cuneifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

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<i>Cicindela patruela</i> Species of beetle


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<i>Cicindela arenicola</i> Species of beetle

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<i>Ellipsoptera lepida</i> Species of beetle

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<i>Habroscelimorpha dorsalis dorsalis</i> Subspecies of beetle

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<i>Rivacindela hudsoni</i> Species of beetle

Rivacindela hudsoni is an Australian species of the family Cicindelinae or "tiger beetle" and is the fastest running insect. The genus Rivacindela is contentiously treated as a subgenus of the broader Cicindela and are typically found in salty habitats such as dry salt lakes and salt streams and cannot fly far. The species was discovered in South Australia and described in 1997, with an adult form of approximately 20–21mm in length and a running speed of 2.49m/s, or 120 body lengths per second.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 USFWS. USFWS Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Form. March 29, 2012.
  2. Duran, Daniel P.; Gough, Harlan M. (2020). "Validation of tiger beetles as distinct family (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), review and reclassification of tribal relationships". Systematic Entomology. 45 (4). doi: 10.1111/syen.12440 .

Choate, P. M. (1984). A new species of Cicindela Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) from Florida, and elevation of C. abdominalis scabrosa Schaupp to species level. Entomological News 95 3.