Ohlone tiger beetle photo- http://pacific.fws.gov/news/2001/ohlonetigerbeetle.jpg
The Ohlone tiger beetle, a colorful insect that exists only in Santa Cruz County, is being listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today. A species is designated as endangered when it is likely to become extinct within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Researchers discovered the Ohlone tiger beetle in 1987. The species currently exists in remnant stands of native grassland on coastal terraces in four small geographic areas near or within the cities of Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, and Soquel in Santa Cruz County. The beetles inhabit less than 20 acres on a combination of private lands and lands owned by University of California at Santa Cruz, the city of Santa Cruz and California State Parks.
"The tiger beetle inhabits some of the last remaining patches of a coastal prairie ecosystem that once spanned coastal Santa Cruz County and extended into San Mateo County and Monterey counties," said Steve Thomson, acting manager of the Services California/Nevada operations office. "We are already working with developers and land managers to plan for the conservation of this rare species."
The Service was petitioned by a private citizen in 1997 to list the Ohlone tiger beetle. Based on additional scientific research and evaluation the Service proposed to list it as endangered on February 11, 2000.
The final listing of the species was delayed when the Service announced in November 2000 that it would be unable to list any new species in Fiscal Year 2001 because virtually its entire listing budget was being used to comply with court orders and settlement agreements requiring designation of critical habitat for species already listed under the Act. Last month, the Service announced an agreement with a variety of plaintiffs that would free up funds to list the Ohlone tiger beetle and other species.
The primary threat to the Ohlone tiger beetle is habitat destruction and fragmentation caused by urban development. Other threats include habitat changes caused by invasive non-native plants, over-collection, impacts from recreational activities, pesticides, and vulnerability to extinction from natural events such as disease, fire, drought, or flood.
Ohlone tiger beetles (Cicindela ohlone) measure no more than one-half inch long. They have large, prominent eyes, and metallic green leathery forewings with small light spots and coppery-green legs. Active by day, adults are ferocious, swift and agile predators that seize small prey with powerful sickle-shaped jaws. Even their larvae are predatory. Tiger beetle larvae live in small vertical or slanting burrows from which they lunge and seize passing invertebrate prey.
There are more than 2,000 species of tiger beetles worldwide. About 100 of these species are found in the United States. Aside from the Ohlone tiger beetle, two species of tiger beetles are currently listed as threatened and three are candidates for the List of Threatened and Endangered Species.
Public comment on the proposed rule was taken until April 11, 2000. The final rule to list the Ohlone tiger beetle as endangered was published in todays Federal Register.
