Knocking on Heaven's Door—Remarkable High-Elevation Populations of a Non-Riparian Tiger Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

Abstract

The non-riparian tiger beetle species Cylindera (Plectographa) stamatovi (Sumlin, 1979) is herein reported for the first time from Bolivia. The highest of three known Bolivian sites is situated at over 3,600 m above sea level, representing one of the highest known records for a tiger beetle population inhabiting open, non-riparian environments. Specimens included two distinct color morphs: green and cupreous males, and cupreous females. This small-bodied, endemic species appears restricted to open, sandy, non-riparian microhabitats in the Andes of southern Bolivia and northern Argentina. Given the restricted distribution of suitable habitats for C. (P.) stamatovi and the heightened vulnerability of high-Andean flora and fauna to climate change, we recommend further study and inclusion of this species in the upcoming edition of the Bolivian Red Book of Invertebrates to support its long-term conservation.