Predators and Parasites
L

Robber fly eating a Salt Creek tiger beetle

University researchers have only witnessed a Salt Creek tiger beetle preyed upon once, and that was by a robber fly (family Asilidae) which caught a Salt Creek tiger beetle in flight, pulled it to the ground, and bit it.  Other potential predators include birds (often reported in the literature), spiders, predatory bugs, and other tiger beetles, like the Painted-edge tiger beetle, C. circumpicta (although C. circumpicta rarely interacts with C. n. lincolniana).  It’s also conceivable that large dragonflies (families Aeschnidae and Libellulidae) could catch and eat a tiger beetle, but this is purely speculative. 
L
Enemies of larval tiger beetles include ants, wasps, and bee flies. Parasitic wasps sting the larva, paralyzing it, then lay an egg on the larva, which hatches in a few days and feeds on the larva.  Bee flies hover over the burrow entrances and flip eggs into the burrow, which hatch and the maggot attaches itself to the tiger beetle larva and feeds on it.
L
Competition
The adult Salt Creek tiger beetle is in direct competition with the Common Shore tiger beetle, Cicindela repanda.  Both occur together, although numbers of C. repanda, which is a spring-fall species (adults are active in spring and in fall), are decreasing as numbers of C. n. lincolniana are increasing.  There is some evidence that these species may use different soil strata when choosing sites to lay eggs along the creek banks, however.
L
Food Supply
Although tiger beetles are active sight and search predators, they must rely on what seems to be a very limited food supply.  We do not know specifically what food the Salt Creek tiger beetle eats, although we have seen other tiger beetle species at the salt marsh eating maggots and lepidopterous larvae.  In the lab, Salt Creek tiger beetle adults readily consume fruit flies. In nature, they probably consume whatever they can catch, unless the insect prey has some sort of chemical defense (like some true bugs).  Tiger beetle larvae are even more directly affected by the food supply, because they cannot actively leave their burrow and search for food.  The larvae must wait until some unsuspecting insect stumbles over their burrow entrance. When the food supply is limited, tiger beetle larvae may actually prolong their development a year.  Low food levels may cause up to 75% mortality in larvae of some species of tiger beetles (Mury Meyer 1987).
L
Human Intervention
Regardless of what we want to believe, Lincoln is growing northward.  A few years ago, the only interactions that humans had with Salt Creek tiger beetles was a handful of collectors that took a few beetles for their collections, which had no effect on the population.  In the 1980s, most neighbors of Salt Creek tiger beetles were family farms scattered across the landscape.  As of 2001, however, much development is occurring adjacent to the eastern Nebraska saline marshes.  New homes are springing up along N. 1st St., and Interstate 80 now has an exit at N. 27th St., just south of Arbor Road.  Businesses are already flooding the area to compete for interstate traffic.  A 600-acre development near N. 27th and Arbor Road will feature hundred of homes and thousands of square feet of industrial space, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star. Unfortunately, because the Salt Creek tiger beetle is so intimately associated with the eastern Nebraska saline wetlands, any habitat loss will be detrimental to the beetle. Outside of habitat loss, several other factors may affect the Salt Creek tiger beetle. Pesticide use may increase with increased urbanization.  Fresh water runoff may dilute Little Salt Creek and change the hydrology. Pollution into Little Salt Creek may increase, and light pollution is one area that hasn’t been studied at all.  Unfortunately, the possible effects of these factors is unknown and much research needs to be done. 
L
Other Factors
Flooding may affect the populations of Salt Creek tiger beetle. Although tiger beetle larvae are able to withstand submersion for prolonged periods, flooding may erode their larval burrow sites and wash larvae downstream.  Drought may impact prey populations, which may lead to high tiger beetle mortality rates. Intense cattle grazing may also be detrimental.  At one site where Salt Creek tiger beetles occurred yearly, adult estimates were down to four individuals in 2000, and none were seen in 2001.  Most of the prime habitat at this site had been trampled by cattle both years.