Salt Creek Tiger Beetle vs Microcaddisfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Salt Creek Tiger Beetle Microcaddisfly
Scientific Name Cicindela nevadica lincolniana Hydroptila sparsa
Order Coleoptera Trichoptera
Family Carabidae Hydroptilidae
Size 10-12 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Predators Omnivores
Regions Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States Europe, North America
Conservation Endangered Least Concern

Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

One of the rarest insects in the world, this small tiger beetle has dark olive-brown elytra with faint white markings. It is found only on saline mud flats along Salt Creek in Lancaster County, Nebraska.

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Did You Know?

With fewer than 500 adults estimated in the wild, it is considered one of the rarest insects on Earth, threatened by urban development around Lincoln, Nebraska.

Microcaddisfly

One of the smallest caddisflies, with adults only 3-4 mm long. Larvae build tiny purse-shaped cases from silk and algae on submerged rocks.

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Did You Know?

Microcaddisfly larvae build a new case for each instar, and their final pupal case is so small it is barely visible to the naked eye.