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Abstract
Tourism, sea trade, and real estate development on coastal beaches have numerous impacts on the environment, including pollution, trampling, and habitat loss or fragmentation. This study assesses the current population status of a potential bioindicator species, Habroscelimorpha dorsalis media LeConte (Coleoptera: Carabidae), along urban and non-urban beaches of the barrier islands in Georgia, USA. Beetle abundances were shown to be negatively impacted by human presence, and near potential extirpation in Tybee and St. Simons Islands. They were also shown to have superior indicator potential, supported by the predictive value of beach index variables. This subspecies has the potential to be an easy to use habitat monitoring tool for beach managers and scientists.