This little gem is the larva of Cicindela albissima, formerly C. limbata albissima - recent research showed that it is a separate species.
And an adult…
I photographed these individuals at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, outside of Kanab, UT. This species is found only in the state park and adjoining BLM lands; with the bulk of the population found within a 300m x 2.7 km protected area of state park.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the conservation agreement between BLM, USFWS, Utah State Parks and Kane County which established the protected area. Before the agreement, these beetles were facing imminent habitat loss from off-road vehicle traffic, which de-stabilized the dunes and destroyed vegetation.
For more information, see this page. For more images from CPSD, see here
3 responses so far ↓
Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle on ARKive « Beetles In The Bush // April 12, 2009 at 11:27 am
[...] of this species and presents stunning examples of both the larva and the adult in his post Cicindela albissima (Re-post). I myself am making plans to visit Coral Pink Sand Dunes – perhaps this season – to find and [...]
Crooked Beak // April 18, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Great blog/website with excellent content and substance. Enjoying your Photography 101 series. Keep up the good work Chris.
cicindela // April 21, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Thanks a bunch!