A new county record for the tiger beetle Cicindela patruela dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) from West Virginia, with notes on habitat and other upland tiger beetle species

2007·1 MB·

by  Jonathan R Mawdsley

PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
109(3), 2007, pp. 725-726
Note
A New County Record for the Tiger Beetle Cicindela patruela Dejean (Coleoptera:
Carabidae: Cicindelinae) from West Virginia, with Notes on Habitat and Other
Upland Tiger Beetle Species
Cicindela patruela Dejean is an un- stones, respectively). Mining of these
common or rare tiger beetle throughout formations for sand has occurred in
much of its range. As with many rare Morgan County for at least a century
cicindelid species, C patruela has be- (West Virginia Geological and Econo-
come the subject ofconservation concern mic Survey 2004), and there are several
in recent years. Extirpations of popula- abandoned sand pits and one large active
tions of this tiger beetle have been sand quarry just north of the village of
reported from the District of Columbia, Berkeley Springs.
Maryland, and New York (Glaser 1984, Following these initial observations, I
McCabe 1995, Mawdsley 2005), and conducted more extensive surveys in
populations are formally protected by May, 2006, which resulted in the discov-
state law in Maryland and Massachu- ery of a small population of C. patruela
setts (Maryland Department of Natural along a ridgetop trail near Berkeley
Resources 2003, Massachusetts Division Springs. Adults were found basking in
of Fisheries and Wildlife 2004). sunny spots along several hundred meters
West Virginia is one of the few states of trail. The ridge in this area consists of
where C. patruela remains fairly common eroded outcrops ofwhite sandstone. The
in suitable habitats. Acciavatti et al. substrate of the trail consists of uncon-
(1992) reviewed the tiger beetle fauna of solidated fine white sand which had
West Virginia and noted that popula- eroded from the bedrock. The principal
tions of this species could be found tree species at the site included Quercus
"where sandstone strata create natural castanea Nee (Fagaceae) and Pinus vir-
forest openings, and along woodland giniana Miller (Pinaceae), with Kalmia
roads and at the edges of abandoned latifolia L. and species of Vaccinium (both
sand quarries." In the latter habitat, they Ericaceae) present in the understory.
noted that this species could even be Mosses, lichens, and sedges (Carex spp.,
"locally abundant." These authors re- Cyperaceae) were common along the
ported C. patruela from nine West margins of the trail. This population of
Virginia counties: Barbour, Berkeley, C. patruela was evidently quite small, as
Lincoln, Mineral, Monongalia, Pendle- the maximum number ofadults observed
ton, Preston, Randolph, and Wyoming. per visit was eight.
During my first visit to Morgan The only other tiger beetle present at
County in September, 2005, it quickly this site during my visits was the closely
became apparent that there was ample related C. sexguttata F. In Morgan
habitat to support populations of C County, C. sexguttata is found in a wide
patruela. The dominant geological fea- variety of xeric and mesic habitats asso-
tures of the county are two ridges, ciated with diverse soil types (clay, sand,
Cacapon Mountain and Warm Springs cobble, shale, and organic forest soils). It
Ridge, both of which have actively is interesting to note the differences in
eroding exposures of white sandstones ecological tolerances between these two
(the Tuscarora and Oriskany Sand- species which are very closely related.
726 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
according to the latest molecular analyses Glaser, J. D. 1984. The Cicindelidae (Coleoptera)
(Barraclough and Vogler 2002). of Maryland. Maryland Entomologist 2(4):
During my surveys in Morgan County, 65-76.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources,
I found another upland tiger beetle Rare, threatened, and endangered animals of
species, C. purpureapurpurea Olivier, only Maryland. December 12, 2003. World Wide
on shale or clay substrates, at sites where Web document at http://dnrweb.dnr.state.md.
C patruela was absent. Cicindela sexgut- us/download/rteanimals.pdf(accessed Septem-
tata was consistently found in the same ber 13, 2005).
C Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife,
habitats as purpurea. It is interesting to
contrast these findings with my recent eMnaesds,acahnusdetStpseciLailstCoonfceErnndasnpgeecireesd.,JuTnherea1t8-,
observations in the Pine Barrens of New 2004. World Wide Web document at http://
Jersey, where C purpurea is a common www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/nhrare.htm
associate of the endemic subspecies C. (accessed September 13, 2005).
patruela consentanea Dejean. In New Mawdsley, J. R. 2005. Extirpation ofa population
of Cicindela patruela Dejean (Coleoptera:
Jersey, adults of both species are found
Carabidae: Cicindelinae) in suburban Wash-
at approximately the same times of year ington, D.C., USA. Proceedings of the Ento-
on sandy substrates, often at the same mological Society of Washington 107(1): 64—
sites (Mawdsley 2007). Comparison of 70.
these observations suggests that different . 2007. Ecology, distribution, and conserva-
populations of C purpurea may exhibit tion biology of the tiger beetle Cicindela
patruela consentanea Dejean (Coleoptera: Car-
associations with different substrate types.
abidae: Cicindelinae). Proceedings of the En-
I thank Terry L. Erwin who graciously tomological SocietyofWashington 109: 17-28.
permitted theexamination ofspecimens in McCabe, T. L. 1995. The changing insect fauna of
the collection ofthe National Museum of Albany'sPine Barrens. WorldWideWebdocu-
Natural History. Corinne M. Carter ment at http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/noframe/
accompanied me on trips to West Virgin- fl24.htm (accessed September 13, 2005).
West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey.
ia. Michael A. Valenti provided valuable 2004. History of West Virginia Mineral In-
comments on the manuscript. dustries - Sandstone. World Wide Web docu-
ment at http://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/www/
Literature Cited
geology/geoldvss.htm (accessed July 18, 2006).
AcciavaUi. R. E., T. J. Allen, and C. Stuart. 1992.
The West Virginia tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Jonathan R. Mawdsley, Research
Cicindelidae). Cicindela 24(3-4): 45-78. Associate, Department of Entomology,
Barraclough, T. G. and A. P. Vogler. 2002. Recent National Museum of Natural History,
bdeievtelressifiecsattiimoanterdatefsroimn aNodratthedAmmetrDicNaAn ptihgye-r SMmRitChsonian Institution, PD.OC. Box 37012,
logenetic tree. Molecular Biology and Evolu- 187, Washington, 20013-7012
tion 19(10): 1706-1716. U.S.A. (e-mail: ma\[email protected])