2021-description
Guides
Andricus coconinoensis
Andricus coconinoensis is a species of cynipid gall wasp described in 2021. As a member of the family Cynipidae, it induces characteristic galls on oak host plants. The specific epithet references Coconino County, Arizona, suggesting a southwestern United States distribution. Like other Andricus species, it exhibits intimate host plant specialization typical of this diverse gall wasp genus.
Burnettweldia
Burnettweldia is a genus of oak gall wasps (Cynipidae: Cynipini) established in 2021, containing five species distributed in the Nearctic region. Species were transferred from other genera or newly described based on morphological and molecular data. The genus is associated with oak hosts (Quercus), inducing galls on various plant tissues.
Burnettweldia californicordazi
Burnettweldia californicordazi is a species of oak cynipid gall wasp described in 2021 as the type species of the new genus Burnettweldia. The genus was established to accommodate five Nearctic species previously assigned to other genera or newly described. As a member of tribe Cynipini, this species induces galls on oak trees (Quercus spp.). The species name references California, indicating the geographic region of its type locality.
Liriomyza hypopolymnia
Liriomyza hypopolymnia is a leafminer fly species in the family Agromyzidae, described by Eiseman and Lonsdale in 2021. It belongs to a genus containing numerous economically important leafminer pests, though specific information about this particular species remains limited. The genus Liriomyza is characterized by larvae that feed between leaf surfaces, creating visible mines that impair plant photosynthesis.
Melanagromyza hieracii
Melanagromyza hieracii is a species of leaf-mining fly in the family Agromyzidae, described by Eiseman & Lonsdale in 2021. The species is part of a genus containing numerous species associated with herbaceous plants, particularly in the Asteraceae family. As a recently described taxon, detailed biological information remains limited. The specific epithet 'hieracii' suggests an association with Hieracium (hawkweeds), a pattern consistent with related species in the genus.
Nannaria cingulata
Swamp-Dwelling Twisted-Claw Millipede
Nannaria cingulata is a species of twisted-claw millipede in the family Xystodesmidae, described in 2021 from the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. The species belongs to a genus of small, soil-dwelling millipedes that are cryptic and difficult to collect. Like other members of its genus, it plays a role as a decomposer in forest ecosystems. The specific epithet refers to a banded or girdled appearance.
Nannaria hardeni
Curt Harden's Twisted-Claw Millipede
Nannaria hardeni is a species of twisted-claw millipede described in 2021 from the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. It belongs to the genus Nannaria, a group of forest-dwelling millipedes characterized by males having small, twisted and flattened claws on their anterior legs. The species was named in honor of Curt Harden, a millipede researcher who contributed significantly to the study of Appalachian xystodesmid millipedes. Like other members of its genus, N. hardeni plays a role as a decomposer in forest ecosystems.
Nichollsiella
Nichollsiella is a genus of oak cynipid gall wasps described in 2021 from the Nearctic region. The genus comprises three species: N. arizonica, N. sulcata, and N. puigi. As members of the tribe Cynipini, these wasps induce galls on oak trees. The genus was established during a broader taxonomic revision that reorganized several previously described species into new genera based on morphological and molecular data.
Penthetria arizonensis
Penthetria arizonensis is a species of March fly in the family Bibionidae, described by Fitzgerald in 2021. The genus Penthetria comprises distinctive flies known for their robust, hump-backed appearance and early spring emergence. As a recently described species, detailed biological information remains limited.
Selenophorus rileyi
Selenophorus rileyi is a ground beetle species in the family Carabidae, described in 2021 by Messer and Raber. As a member of the genus Selenophorus, it belongs to a group of carabid beetles commonly known as seedcorn beetles. The species epithet honors Edward Riley, a prolific beetle collector whose contributions to North American coleopterology are recognized through multiple taxa bearing his name.
Strumigenys mendezi
A species of miniature trap-jaw ant in the genus Strumigenys, described by Douglas Booher in 2021 from Ecuador. It belongs to the S. ayersthey species group, characterized by distinctive mandible morphology. Like other members of this diverse myrmicine genus, it is likely a cryptic soil-dwelling predator, though specific ecological details remain undocumented.
Symmerista schmidti
Symmerista schmidti is a moth species in the family Notodontidae (prominent moths), described by Miller in 2021. It belongs to the genus Symmerista, which contains several species of caterpillars that serve as hosts for parasitoid wasps, particularly thread-waisted wasps in the genus Ammophila. The genus Symmerista is known for caterpillars that feed on conifer foliage and display cryptic coloration resembling bark or wood.
Tritoxa decipiens
Tritoxa decipiens is a species of picture-winged fly in the family Ulidiidae, described in 2021 from a type locality near Smithers, British Columbia. It is one of seven recognized species in the Nearctic genus Tritoxa, including two species newly described in the same revision. The species can be differentiated from congeners by wing patterns, though examination of male genitalia is required for confident identification of certain sympatric species.