What kind of beetle is the Salt Creek tiger beetle?
The Salt Creek tiger beetle is an active, ground‑dwelling, predatory insect that captures smaller or similar-sized arthropods in a tiger‑like manner by grasping its prey with its mandibles (mouthparts). Where does the Salt Creek tiger beetle live in eastern Nebraska? Salt Creek tiger beetle larvae live in permanent burrows in the ground and are voracious predators, fastening themselves by means of abdominal hooks near the tops of their burrows and rapidly extending from them to seize passing invertebrate prey. The adult Salt Creek tiger beetle has a two‑year life cycle and spends 11 months of the year underground, surfacing for only about six weeks, from around mid‑June through July. Adults are found in the moist, muddy areas within just a few yards of wetland and stream edges. They have adapted to brief periods of high water inundation and highly saline conditions. Is habitat a factor in the beetles decline? Yes. Since the late 1800s, more than 90 percent of these wetlands have been d
