Monitoring the St. Anthony Dune tiger beetle (Cicindela arenicola) in the St. Anthony sand dune system

The St. Anthony Dune Tiger Beetle, Cicindela arenicola Rumpp, is found only in the dune systems of southern Idaho and southern Montana, with the largest population located at the St. Anthony dune system in southeastern Idaho. While larvae are present year round in their underground burrows, adults and larvae are generally only active and visible from April through June, and again in September and October. While gathering population distribution and density data on C. arenicola, certain populations of larvae were observed exhibited strictly nocturnal hunting behaviors, while other populations remained active throughout a 24 hr. period. These differences in larval behavior seem to correspond with various sand conditions.  Current research is devoted to learning if and why there is a difference in larval behavior within the same species, and/or whether two species are involved.