Why is maintaining existing habitat for the Puritan tiger beetle so important?
Puritan tiger beetle habitat is limited due to specific requirements needed for the adult and larval life stages. Puritan tiger beetles undergo their entire life cycle on or near cliffs. They require some cliff erosion to maintain unvegetated habitat suitable for larvae. Adult beetles feed and mate on the beach below the cliff. Additionally, this species only occurs in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and at a few sites along the Connecticut River in New England. The Chesapeake Bay contains two metapopulations along its shorelines, one on the western shore, and the other on the eastern shore.