Beetles of North Carolina

Family (Alpha):
Scientific Name: Common Name:

View	CARABIDAE Members:	Members of Ellipsoptera:	10 NC Records
Ellipsoptera lepida - Ghost Tiger Beetle

Compare with: Whitish 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: Ellipsoptera	Synonym: Cicindela lepida
Comments: One of thirteen species in this genus, all of which occur in North America north of Mexico with a few also extending southward (Pearson et al., 2015); four have been recorded in North Carolina.
Species Status: No subspecies have been described, although there is some local variation in color (Pearson et al., 2015)

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Evans (2014)

Online Resources: BugGuide, 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 species is restricted to deep loose sands associated with actively accreting or drifting sand dunes with minimal vegetation. Our records come from two such sites located on a barrier island where live dunes used to be more numerous. Most have been artificially stabilized to prevent their moving into developed areas.

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: This species is highly camouflaged and often relies on remaining still to avoid detection rather than running or flying to escape (Knisley and Schultz, 1997). It active to some extent during the day but may seek shelter during particularly hot periods; it is also active in the evening.

Abundance/Frequency: Knisley and Schultz (1997) describe this species as locally abundant (in proper habitat)

Adult Phenology:

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status: SR

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G3G4 S1

State Protection: This species is listed as Significantly Rare by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, which gives it some value in identifying priority natural areas for conservation but does not give it any sort of legal protection. Nor is protection provided by either the Federal or State Endangered Species Acts. While all species are eligible for federal protection, the populations of this species are still considered relatively secure at the national level, and in the case of North Carolina endangered species protection, no insects even qualify for statewide protection no matter how endangered they might be within the state. This is markedly different from the case of vertebrates, molluscs, or crustaceans, all of which may receive protection from hunting, collection, or other forms of exploitation depending on their state conservation status. Individual state agencies -- such as the Division of Parks and Recreation and Wildlife Resources Commission -- can nonetheless require permits for collecting insects on lands they own or manage. The same is true for other types of nature preserves.

Comments: This species is uncommon to rare throughout its range (G3G4) and is known in North Carolina from only two nearby sites. It is definitely a resident species rather than a transient, however, based on observations made at that site over the past several decades. The overall rarity of this species appears to be due to its extreme specialization on live sand dunes, i.e., those that are still shifting with the winds rather than stabilized by vegetation. Such dunes are particularly rare in North Carolina, with only a couple of examples remaining along the northeast coast. Larval burrows are found within sand drifts, usually at the base of dunes. Protection of these burrows from trampling by either foot or vehicular traffic is critical to maintaining a population.

Photo Gallery for Ellipsoptera lepida - Ghost Tiger Beetle
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, M. Shields, Quinn, Sam, Austin Paul Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, M. Shields, Quinn, Sam, Austin Paul Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, M. Shields Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Max Ramey Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Matt Windsor, David Berrane, Heather Smith Dare Co. Comment: JORI - caught by APR's David Berrane and Heather Smith in dunes- this species was first identified at JORI by Mike Dunn and is a disjunct population of a rare tiger beetle found on northern dunes- MHW

Ellipsoptera lepida - Ghost Tiger Beetle

Photo Gallery for Ellipsoptera lepida - Ghost Tiger Beetle