lists in the 1990s. On October 6, 2005, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the beetle as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act. From 1991 to 2005, the number of sites containing Salt Creek tiger beetles declined from six to three, on 35 acres. On May 5, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published its "final rule" on critical habitat for the beetle in the Federal Register, designating 1,110 acres for conservation effective June 5, 2014. Established areas include saline wetlands along Little Salt Creek, Rock Creek, Oak Creek and Haines Branch Creek in Lancaster County, with a goal of supporting at least six populations. A similar recovery plan was published in 2017. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has indicated they will downgrade its status from endangered to threatened once there are between 500 and 1,000 individuals in each of three protected zones, alongside additional habitat criteria. See also Platte River caddisfly References External links UNL Department of Entomology - Salt Creek Tiger Beetle Salt Creek Tiger Beetle - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service F&WS endangered species listing press release Cicindela Fauna of Nebraska Endangered fauna of the United States Critically endangered insects Beetles of North America ESA endangered species