First population estimates of the vulnerable southeast Iberian endemic tiger beetle Cephalota (Taenidia) deserticoloides

Abstract

The tiger beetle Cephalota deserticoloides is a species found in a few localised sites in south-eastern Iberia, where it is a highly specialised inhabitant of the arid saline steppe habitat. Although regarded as vulnerable, very little is known about the actual population dynamics and degree of endangerment of this taxon, which may be worse than previously reported. In this work, mark-recapture estimates of total population size are presented for one of the main known populations of C. deserticoloides. Additionally, some further remarks on seasonality and co-occurring tiger beetle species are made. At the seasonal peak of adult activity, the area under consideration holds a relatively dense tiger beetle population with around 865 simultaneously active adult beetles, which is numerically comparable to those of other endangered cicindelids. These results will help assess the conservation status of C. deserticoloides and set the stage for more long-term efforts, which are clearly needed to analyse population viability, and the priority of C. deserticoloides and its habitat as targets for protective measures. Our observations indicate that a reconsideration of the current International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listing of C. deserticoloides is strongly justified, from its current status as ‘vulnerable’ to a new listing as ‘endangered’.