Cicindela dorsalis dorsalis, a federally threatened species, formerly occurred on ocean beaches from Cape Cod, Massachusetts south to the Chesapeake Bay. Today it occurs at two sites in Massachusetts, one in New Jersey (the result of a reintroduction program), and along the eastern and western shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia (USFWS, 1993; Suckling, 2006).

Beach development, destruction of habitat by vehicles and stabilization of beaches with artificial jetties, bulkheads, groins, and riprap have resulted in the near extirpation of Cicindela dorsalis dorsalis in the northeast and threaten the Chesapeake Bay populations (Pearson, et al., 2006). The overall population is currently stable, though the Calvert County, Maryland population has declined since it was listed in August 1990 (Suckling, 2006).