11/150: Damned by the dam-The Cobblestone Tiger Beetle

animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae: Cicindela: Cicindela marginipennis (DeJean, 1831)

Cobblestone tiger beetles (Cicindela marginipennis) live in small, divided communities in North America, and are endangered in Canada, with an estimated 5,000 individuals remaining. These beetles live in only two areas along the Saint John River in New Brunswick, as they need specialized river habitats with large tree covered islands and sprawling cobblestone beaches to thrive. The beetles are threatened by developing waterfronts, agricultural effluent and by insect collectors, as the species is quite beautiful and are a popular target for hobbyists and researchers alike. In Canada, the most powerful stress on Cobblestone tiger beetle populations has historically been the creation of dams. The two existing Canadian populations were likely split and disjointed by the creation of the Mactaquac Dam in 1967, which led to the flooding of many island habitats that may have supported C. marginipennis. These two Canadian populations, although small and fragmented, are very significant since they contain rare individuals that are green and cobalt blue in colour which are not found anywhere else and should be protected to preserve the diversity of the species.  #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID:  CNC1388-11

nucleotide sequence

AACCTTATATTTTATTCTTGGAGCCTGATCAGGAATAGTAGGAACCTCATTAAGTATATTAATTCGAGCAGAATTGGGGAGTCCAGGATCTCTTATTGGAGATGATCAGATTTACAATGTAATTGTAACAGCTCACGCCTTTGTAATAATTTTCTTTATAGTAATGCCTATCATAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAATTGACTAGTACCCTTAATACTGGGAGCTCCAGATATGGCTTTCCCCCGAATAAATAATATAAGTTTCTGACTTCTACCACCATCACTAACCTTATTATTAATAAGTAGAATAGTAGGAGATGGGGCTGGAACAGGCTGAACTGTTTATCCTCCATTATCAGCTGGAATTGCTCATGCAGGGGCTTCAGTTGATTTAGCAATTTTTAGCTTGCATCTAGCCGGAGTTTCTTCAATTCTCGGTGCAGTAAATTTTATTACTACAATTATTAATATACGATCGGTAGGAATAACATTCGACCGAATGCCTTTATTTGTATGATCAGTCGGTATTACAGCCTTACTATTACTGTTATCACTACCTGTACTAGCAGGTGCAATTACCATGTTACTTACTGATCGTAATCTAAATACATCCTTCTTTGACCCGGCAGGCGGGGGGGATCCTATTCTTTATCAACATCTATTC

amino acid sequence

TLYFILGAWSGMVGTSLSMLIRAELGSPGSLIGDDQIYNVIVTAHAFVMIFFMVMPIMIGGFGNWLVPLMLGAPDMAFPRMNNMSFWLLPPSLTLLLMSSMVGDGAGTGWTVYPPLSAGIAHAGASVDLAIFSLHLAGVSSILGAVNFITTIINMRSVGMTFDRMPLFVWSVGITALLLLLSLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLNTSFFDPAGGGDPILYQHLF

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAD4681

Title Image: Specimen CNC COLEO 00117566 – Saint John River, Becaguimec Island – 26-Jul-2008
Photo Credit: CNC/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics