Beetles of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):
Scientific Name: Common Name:

View	CARABIDAE Members:	Members of Cicindelidia:	49 NC Records
Cicindelidia abdominalis - Eastern Pinebarrens Tiger Beetle

Compare with: Eastern Red-Bellied Tiger Beetle Punctured Tiger Beetle
Identification Tips: Move the cursor over the image, or tap the image if using a mobile device, to reveal ID Tips.
Note: ID Tips follow Pearson et al., 2015

Photo: Mark Shields

Taxonomy

Family: CARABIDAE	Subfamily: Cicindelinae	Subgenus: Cicindela
Comments: One of 19 species in this genus that have occur in North America north of Mexico (Pearson et al., 2015); four have been recorded in North Carolina.
Species Status: No subspecies have been described (Pearson et al., 2015)

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Evans (2014)

Online Resources: BugGuide, Google, Wikipedia, GBIF, iNaturalist

Technical Description, Adults/Nymphs: Knisley and Schultz (1997); Pearson et al. (2015)

Distribution in North Carolina


County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: This is a highly psammophilic species, found most regularly in sparsely vegetated sand hills. Our records come primarily from the Fall-line Sandhills and Carolina bay rims in the Lower Coastal Plain. At least one record comes from an open sandy area on the sound side of a barrier island but we otherwise do not have any records from ocean-side dunes.

See also Habitat Account for Dry-Xeric Sand Barrens and Glades

Diet: Predacious, presumably feeding on a wide variety of small insects and other arthropods

Observation Methods: Although small, the dark color of this species makes it conspicuous against the pale, sandy substrates it prefers.

Abundance/Frequency:

Adult Phenology:

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G3G4 [S3S4]

State Protection: As with other North Carolina insects, no state laws provide them any protection. Permits must be obtained, however, to collect them in State Parks and other nature preserves

Comments: This species is a strong habitat specialist and large areas of its sandhill habitats have been converted to pine plantations, golf courses, and other human uses. Suppression of naturally occurring fires is also changing the once open barrens habitats it prefers to shrub thickets or closed canopy forests. Management recommendations include protection of larval habitats from the impacts of sand-mining, off-road vehicle use, and trampling from human foot-traffic. Where associated with fire-maintained vegetation, prescribed burns should be used to keep the habitats open.

Photo Gallery for Cicindelidia abdominalis - Eastern Pinebarrens Tiger Beetle
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Columbus Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips Bladen Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Scotland Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Morgan Ariel Freese New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Morgan Ariel Freese New Hanover Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Morgan Ariel Freese New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Brunswick Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Columbus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Hunter Phillips Onslow Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Dorothy Pugh New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: ASH Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: E. Corey, M. McCloy, A. Blan Moore Co. Comment:

Cicindelidia abdominalis - Eastern Pinebarrens Tiger Beetle

Photo Gallery for Cicindelidia abdominalis - Eastern Pinebarrens Tiger Beetle