2017-description
Guides
Agra rileyi
Agra rileyi is a species of ground beetle in the family Carabidae, described by Terry Erwin in 2017. It belongs to the large genus Agra, which comprises hundreds of species primarily distributed in the Neotropics. The species epithet honors someone with the surname Riley, though the specific honoree is not documented in available sources. Like other members of its genus, it is likely a predatory beetle inhabiting forested environments.
Anillinus alleni
Anillinus alleni is a minute ground beetle species described in 2017 from the southeastern United States. As a member of the tribe Anillina within Carabidae, it belongs to a group of extremely small, eyeless or nearly eyeless beetles adapted to subterranean or deep soil habitats. The genus Anillinus comprises numerous species with limited distributions, many described only in recent decades as taxonomic attention has focused on this previously overlooked fauna.
Cratotocha ampliata
Cratotocha ampliata is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae, described by Plakidas in 2017. It was originally described as Anaretella ampliata and later transferred to the genus Cratotocha. As a member of the subfamily Lestremiinae, it belongs to a group of cecidomyiids whose larvae typically develop in association with fungi or decaying organic matter rather than forming plant galls. The species is currently recognized as a synonym of Anaretella ampliata in some taxonomic databases.
Dikrella scimitar
Dikrella scimitar is a species of leafhopper in the family Cicadellidae, subfamily Typhlocybinae, described by Chandler in 2017. It belongs to a group of small, plant-feeding insects known for their delicate structure and specialized mouthparts adapted for piercing and sucking plant fluids. The specific epithet "scimitar" may allude to a curved morphological feature, though this is not explicitly documented in available sources.
Hemiquedius infinitus
Hemiquedius infinitus is a rove beetle (Staphylinidae) described in 2017 from eastern North America. It belongs to a small genus of predatory beetles in the tribe Staphylinini. The species has been documented across a broad geographic range spanning southeastern Canada and the eastern and central United States.
Liriomyza pistilla
Liriomyza pistilla is a species of leafminer fly in the family Agromyzidae, described by Lonsdale in 2017. The genus Liriomyza includes numerous economically important leafminer species whose larvae feed internally within leaf tissue, creating distinctive serpentine or blotch mines. As a recently described species, detailed biological information for L. pistilla remains limited. The species is known from specimen records in entomological collections, including the Entomology Research Museum at the University of California, Riverside.
Misumessus tamiami
Misumessus tamiami is a species of crab spider in the family Thomisidae, described by Edwards in 2017. It belongs to a genus of spiders known for their ambush predation strategy and crab-like leg positioning. The species name references the Tamiami Trail region of southern Florida, indicating its geographic association with this area.
Neopalpa donaldtrumpi
Donald Trump Moth
Neopalpa donaldtrumpi is a micro-moth species described in 2017 from specimens collected in the Algodones Dunes of Southern California and Northern Baja California, Mexico. It is the second species in the genus Neopalpa, distinguished by yellowish-white head scales that inspired its eponymous name. The species has a wingspan of less than one centimeter and was discovered through re-examination of museum specimens. Its naming was intended to draw public attention to habitat conservation for undescribed species in urbanized regions.
Neotibicen similaris apalachicola
Apalachicola Scissor-Grinder
Neotibicen similaris apalachicola is a subspecies of annual cicada described in 2017, endemic to the Apalachicola region of the southeastern United States. As a member of the dog-day cicada group, it shares the characteristic biology of Neotibicen species: nymphs develop underground for multiple years feeding on root sap, with overlapping generations producing adults annually during mid- to late summer. The subspecies designation reflects geographic isolation and presumably subtle morphological or acoustic differentiation from the nominate form.
Orchestina quasimodo
Orchestina quasimodo is a species of goblin spider (family Oonopidae) described from the United States in 2017. The species epithet references Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bell-ringer of Notre-Dame, presumably alluding to some morphological feature of the species. Oonopidae are among the most diverse spider families, characterized by their small size and reduced eye complements. Most members of the genus Orchestina are found in leaf litter and soil habitats.
Parathalassius abela
Parathalassius abela is a species of long-legged fly (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) described from the Nearctic Region in 2017. It was one of nine new species described in a revision of the genus Parathalassius. The species has been characterized using COI mitochondrial DNA barcode sequences and included in morphological phylogenetic analyses. As a member of the subfamily Parathalassiinae, it belongs to a group associated with sandy coastal habitats, though specific ecological details for this species remain limited.
Tragosoma soror
Tragosoma soror is a species of longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, subfamily Prioninae, described by Laplante in 2017. It belongs to a genus containing other large, wood-boring beetles. The species is known from very few records, with only a single observation documented on iNaturalist. Like other members of Tragosoma, it likely develops in coniferous wood, though specific biological details remain undocumented in the available literature.