Nebraska’s Tiger Beetle, \u3ci\u3e Cincindela nebraskana\u3c/i\u3e Casey

Named for the state where it was discovered, Cicindela Nebraskana Casey is among the rarest insects in Nebraska. Although this beetle was described in 1909, only nine specimens had been collected in Nebraska in the 95 years before we conducted surveys in 2003 and 2004 in the extreme western portion of the state. Because of scant records, little was known about the Nebraska populations relative to populations of the species in the remainder of the western United States. We discovered two populations in Sioux and Scotts Bluff counties. We review the taxonomy of this species and document its habitat and adult seasonality. This information is vital to conserving this extremely rare species in the Great Plains