Habitat
Omus californicus also known as the
California Night-stalking Tiger Beetle is an insect that is
found mainly in California but there also have been sightings of
the beetle in Oregon, primarily in the southwest area (Pearson
et al. 2006). Tiger Beetles as a subspecies Cicindelinae can be
found all over the world. The species of Tiger Beetle in the
genus Omus live throughout the western part of the United
States, in the states of Oregon, Washington, and California.
This genus is also found in British Colombia, Canada; however,
the California Night-stalking Tiger Beetle, in accordance with
its name mainly inhabits regions of California (Pearson et al.
2006).
Within this region, the tiger beetle inhabits areas between
meadows and forestlands where there are an abundance of
coniferous trees, also the home to
Steller's Jay. One of the main trees Omus
californicus prefers to live near are the grand Redwoods. These
trees are found on the banks of streams, west of the coastal
part of the Klamath Mountains 900 meters in elevation (Pearson
et al. 2006). This Tiger Beetle is not found in the
San Joaquin
Valley; however, as the altitude increases along the west side
of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, the population of beetles
becomes present once again. On the east side of the Sierra
Nevada Mountains, this species is found throughout California
inhabiting altitudes that reach a maximum of 2400 meters
(Pearson et al. 2006). At these high altitudes, this beetle can
be found once again on the ground of coniferous forests but,
instead of living near redwoods, this beetle prefers to inhabit
areas dominated by Giant Sequoia trees (Pearson et al. 2006).
In the elevations that are between 900 meters and 2400
meters, Omus californicus is primarily located on the floor of
Digger Pine and Ponderosa forests. At these different elevations
subspecies of the California Night-stalking Tiger Beetle are
also found. (Pearson et al. 2006).
Depending upon time of year,
Tiger Beetle adults may or
may not be active. In the coastal areas, these tiger beetles are
active during the summer months of March through June. In
contrast, the beetles that inhabit the northern parts of
California and the mountain range, the species is commonly seen
between January and May (Pearson et al. 2006). Finally if
searching for the California Night-stalking Tiger Beetle in the
region of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountain range, the beetle
is typically active during the months of late April through June
(Pearson et al. 2006).
When active, Omus californicus move through leaf
litter, fallen leaves that pile on the ground. They stay
concealed in leaf litter because this debris acts as camouflage
aiding in protection to allow the organism to blend into the
surroundings, which helps to avoid being spotted by predators
(Pearson et al. 2006). In all these different habitats the Tiger
Beetle adults are found living in the ground in burrows they
make on the steep sides of riverbanks, usually made in the soil
of wet clay (Pearson et al. 2006). Tiger Beetles are nocturnal
and therefore come out at night to eat and move around (Erwin.
2011). They have also been known to come out on cloudy days even
if the temperature is around freezing. Once temperatures become
to cold they will return to their burrows and remain inactive
until it is warm enough to come out again (Pearson et al. 2006).
Tiger beetles are cold-blooded organisms and need heat from the
sun to warm up their bodies. When it is to cold outside they
move slower because their blood is too cold and the organism
tries to find shelter till the morning when they can once again
increase body temperature by the sun.
There is a lot of diversity in animal life where you can find
the California Night-stalking Tiger Beetle. Within these regions
of southwest California there are numerous species of different
animals living among tiger beetles. Some of the animals found
living amongst the beetles in their lower altitude habitat are
black bears, coyotes,
western screech owls, bobcats, skunks (Spotted
Skunk),
dusky footed wood rats, and deer. As elevation
increases in the mountains, animals like great grey owl, Dusky
grouse, and different types of ground squirrels, and
gophers are found in
abundance. This beetle can also be found in areas very similar
to that of
Anna's hummingbird. Even though all these animals may not be aware of the
presence of tiger beetles, they can be found living among and
around Omus californicus.
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