ring. Larvae are sedentary and live in permanent burrows and feed by using their mandibles to catch arthropods that pass by the mouth of their burrows.
Cicindela albissima is endemic to twenty percent of the 3,500-acre (1,400 ha) Coral Pink Sand Dunes, which are within Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Kane County, Utah. Its occupied habitat is about 5,900 feet (1,800 m) long by 1,000 feet (300 m) wide. The dunes are about 7 miles (11 km) west of Kanab, and their southern extent is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the Arizona border.
Cicindela albissima has been proposed to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It was previously considered a subspecies of Cicindela limbata, but it is over 370 miles (600 km) from any other populations of C. limbata. Its geographic isolation, mtDNA, and morphological differences, particularly the coloration of the elytra and body size, led it to be considered a distinct species.
In 2012, the population of C. albissima was estimated to be 1786 individuals, up from 1116 in 2011. Since annual population surveys began in 1998, the population reached a peak of 2944 in 2002 and a minimum of 558 in 2005. Rainfall is the primary factor controlling the population of C. albissima, and drought is the most severe threat to the species. Off-road vehicle activity has degraded the beetle's habitat, particularly the interdunal swales, which are the habitat where most larvae are found. Vegetation damaged by off-road vehicles can lead to degraded larval habitat and reduced prey abundance. A 370-acre (150 ha) conservation area in which off-road vehicle use is prohibited has been established and covers approximately 80 percent of the beetle's suitable habitat. The conservation area encompassed 87 percent of the beetle's population in 2012, significantly more than in previous years, likely due to the establishment of the conservation area and increased protections within it.
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- Knisley, C. Barry; Hill, James M. (2001). "Biology and conservation of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle, Cicindela limbata albissima Rumpp". Western North American Naturalist. 61 (4): 381–394. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
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