Baja-california
Guides
Serradigitus
Sawfinger Scorpions
Serradigitus is a genus of small scorpions in the family Vaejovidae, commonly known as sawfinger scorpions. The genus contains more than 25 described species distributed across arid regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. These scorpions are lithophilous, inhabiting rocky crevices and stone habitats. The venom of Serradigitus gertschi has been characterized through transcriptomic and proteomic analysis, revealing a complex mixture of ion channel toxins, enzymes, and other bioactive peptides.
Stenosphenus sobrius
Stenosphenus sobrius is a species of longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by Newman in 1840. Adults have been observed on fresh wind-thrown branches of palo verde (Cercidium floridum) in the San Lucan xeric scrub of Baja California Sur, Mexico. The species appears to be associated with woody legume hosts and has a distribution spanning Middle America and North America.
Stictiella villegasi
Algodones Sand Wasp
Stictiella villegasi, commonly known as the Algodones Sand Wasp, is a species of sand wasp in the family Crabronidae (formerly Bembicidae). It is endemic to the Algodones Dunes in North America, indicating a highly restricted geographic range. The species was described by R. Bohart in 1982.
Synecdoche irrorata
Synecdoche irrorata is a species of planthopper in the family Achilidae, first described by Van Duzee in 1914. This small hemipteran belongs to a group of fulgoroid insects commonly known as achilid planthoppers. Members of this family are typically associated with fungal-feeding habits and are often found in wooded habitats. The species is known from western North America, with records from California and Baja California.
Tegeticula maculata
Chaparral yucca moth
Tegeticula maculata is a small moth in the family Prodoxidae, commonly known as the chaparral yucca moth. It is the sole pollinator of Hesperoyucca whipplei, forming an obligate mutualism in which the moth's larvae feed exclusively on developing seeds of this host plant. The species exhibits high genetic structure across its range with limited morphological divergence, suggesting ancient lineage sorting rather than recent speciation.
Tetracis australis
Tetracis australis is a geometrid moth described by Ferris in 2010. It is restricted to a narrow coastal and montane range in southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico. The species exhibits spring seasonality, with adult flight from March through late June. Larval host associations remain provisional, with Quercus and Populus species suggested as probable food plants.
Ticrania chamberlini
Ticrania chamberlini is a species of planthopper in the family Dictyopharidae, subfamily Orgeriinae. The species was described by Van Duzee in 1923. It belongs to the infraorder Fulgoromorpha, a group of true bugs known for their distinctive head morphology and often elaborate pronotal structures. Like other members of the family Dictyopharidae, this species is characterized by an elongated, often snout-like head projection. The genus Ticrania is placed in the tribe Orgeriini within the subfamily Orgeriinae.
Tinea occidentella
Western Clothes Moth
Tinea occidentella is a keratophagous moth species in the family Tineidae, native to coastal California and northern Baja California. Despite its common name "western clothes moth," it does not feed on clothing but instead consumes keratin from mammalian carnivore scat and bird of prey pellets. The species is tightly restricted to fog-influenced coastal environments where high humidity allows larvae to obtain water from atmospheric moisture absorbed by their fur and feather diet.
Tortistilus wickhami
A North American treehopper in the family Membracidae, recently documented for the first time in Mexico's Baja California peninsula. Previously known from the western and southwestern United States, this species was collected from grapevines in Valle de Guadalupe vineyards during 2023. Its presence in commercial vineyards raises concerns about potential economic impact, as it is suspected to be a candidate vector for grapevine red blotch virus.
treehopperMembracidaevineyard-pestgrapevine-red-blotch-virusagricultural-pestMexico-first-recordBaja-CaliforniaValle-de-GuadalupeVitis-viniferaDNA-barcoding-identification2023-detectioneconomic-entomologyplant-virus-vectorSmiliinaeCeresiniHemipteraCicadomorphaNorth-Americawestern-United-Statesinvasive-potentialviticulturewine-grape-pestTragidion agave
Tragidion agave is a species of longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by Swift and Ray in 2008 from California and Baja California. It is one of two species in the genus known to breed in dead flower stalks of Agave (Agavaceae), the other being T. armatum. The species exhibits bright orange and black coloration characteristic of the genus, which functions as mimicry of spider wasps (family Pompilidae).
Triepeolus matildae
Matilda's Longhorn-Cuckoo
Triepeolus matildae is a cleptoparasitic bee species described by Rightmyer in 2014. As a member of the genus Triepeolus, it is commonly known as Matilda's Longhorn-Cuckoo. The species is documented from California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. It has been recorded visiting flowers of several plant families including Asteraceae and Polygonaceae. Activity records span from mid-May through late September.
Trypoxylon tridentatum
Trypoxylon tridentatum is a spider-hunting wasp in the family Crabronidae, subgenus Trypargilum. It inhabits mesic and xeric habitats in arid regions, particularly the Baja California peninsula. The wasp provisions nest cells with paralyzed spiders as food for its larvae, showing strong preference for orb-weaving spiders in the family Araneidae. Unlike its congener T. politum, which constructs free-standing mud nests, T. tridentatum nests in pre-existing cavities such as hollow twigs, beetle borings, and abandoned mud dauber nests.
Trypoxylon tridentatum tridentatum
Trypoxylon tridentatum tridentatum is a spider-hunting wasp in the family Crabronidae, subgenus Trypargilum. It occurs in mesic and xeric habitats of the arid Baja California peninsula and has been documented in British Columbia, Canada. This subspecies provisions nest cells with paralyzed spiders, with Araneidae comprising the majority of prey.
Tylos punctatus
Spotted Calloused Beach Pillbug
Tylos punctatus is a large, strictly nocturnal sand-beach isopod inhabiting sheltered intertidal zones from southern California to Baja California. It exhibits remarkable behavioral adaptations to this harsh environment, including precise burrowing cycles synchronized with tidal patterns and seasonal dormancy. The species has an exceptionally slow life history for an isopod, with females breeding only once annually after reaching maturity at approximately three years of age.
Vostox excavatus
Vostox excavatus is a species of earwig in the family Spongiphoridae, described from western Mexico in 1961. It belongs to a genus of small, delicate earwigs often found in arid and semi-arid environments. The species name 'excavatus' refers to a concave or hollowed feature, likely describing a diagnostic morphological character. Records indicate it occurs in Baja California Sur and Sinaloa.
Xenox delila
Xenox delila is a species of bee fly in the family Bombyliidae, found in California and Baja California Norte. As with other bee flies, adults are likely pollinators that visit flowers for nectar. The genus Xenox includes parasitic species whose larvae develop in the nests of other insects.
Xeranoplium
Xeranoplium is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) established by Linsley in 1957. The genus comprises eight described species distributed in western North America, particularly California and the Baja California peninsula. Species were described primarily by Chemsak and Linsley between 1932 and 1986. The genus belongs to the tribe Hesperophanini within the subfamily Cerambycinae.
Zelotes gabriel
Zelotes gabriel is a ground spider species in the family Gnaphosidae, described by Platnick and Shadab in 1983. It is native to the United States, specifically recorded from southern California and Baja California. Like other members of the genus Zelotes, it is a nocturnal hunting spider that does not build webs to capture prey. The species name honors Gabriel, the son of entomologist Walter Leal, who attended the ceremony where his father received the National Academy of Inventors Fellowship.