Bermuda

Guides

• Clastoptera undulata

  Casuarina Spittlebug

  Clastoptera undulata is a spittlebug species in the family Clastopteridae, first described by Uhler in 1864. It is commonly known as the Casuarina Spittlebug. The species gained attention as an invasive pest in Bermuda, where it was discovered in 1959. Biological control efforts were undertaken using the parasitoid wasp Carabunia myersi. Most individuals in the Bermuda population overwinter as eggs. The species belongs to a group of xylem-feeding insects known for producing protective 'spittle' masses during their nymphal stages.

  HemipteraAuchenorrhynchaClastopteridaespittlebuginvasive-speciesbiological-controlBermudaxylem-feeder

• Hentzia palmarum

  common hentz jumper, common Hentz jumping spider

  Hentzia palmarum is a small jumping spider in the family Salticidae, commonly known as the common hentz jumper. Males possess conspicuously enlarged and darkened front legs that function in visual signaling during courtship and male-male agonistic interactions. The species occurs across North America and has been introduced to Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Cuba.

  jumping-spiderSalticidaesexual-dimorphismvisual-signalingcourtship-behavioragonistic-behaviorNorth-Americaintroduced-rangeBermudaBahamasCuba

• Megachile pruina

  Hoary Leafcutter Bee

  Megachile pruina, commonly known as the Hoary Leafcutter Bee, is a solitary leafcutter bee in the family Megachilidae. It is medium-sized (11–13 mm) and exhibits sexual dichromatism, with females often appearing very dark. The species occurs along coastal habitats from Virginia to Florida and westward to Texas, with an isolated population in Bermuda that represents a genetically distinct evolutionary lineage. Bermuda's population is classified as Vulnerable and is the only arthropod protected under the Bermuda Protected Species Act.

  leafcutter-beesolitary-beecoastalendemicconservationBermudagenetically-distinctVulnerable

• Petrolisthes armatus

  Green Porcelain Crab

  Petrolisthes armatus, commonly known as the green porcelain crab, is a small porcellanid crab native to the southwestern Atlantic, particularly Brazil. The species has established invasive populations along the southeastern United States coast, where densities can exceed 30,000 individuals per square meter. Genetic studies confirm it as a single monophyletic species with exceptional geographic range spanning the Atlantic and eastern Pacific. It is frequently parasitized by the bopyrid isopod Aporobopyrus curtatus, which causes parasitic castration.

  invasive-speciesfilter-feederparasite-hostintertidalporcelain-craboyster-reefsymbiosisplanktonic-larvaevisual-ecologycrustaceandecapodanomuraporcellanidaesouthwestern-atlanticeastern-pacificsoutheastern-united-statesbopyrid-parasiteAporobopyrus-curtatusestuarinemangrovesponge-symbiosisgaze-stabilizationachromatic-visionlarval-transportoyster-bedballast-wateraquaculturemonophyleticcryptic-species-complexparasitic-castrationzoeamegalopapleopodspermatophorechellipedcarapacegranulatedolive-greenblue-colorationFarol-IslandBrazilGeorgiaSouth-CarolinaFloridaPanamaCosta-RicaEcuadorPeruBaja-CaliforniaCaribbeanGulf-of-MexicoWest-IndiesAscension-IslandBermudaBahamasWest-Africarock-rubblesoft-sedimentshallow-subtidallower-intertidaldensity-30000-per-square-meter6-8-mm0.5-gorange-spotfour-segmented-chelipedantennae-outside-eyesvestigial-fourth-leg-pairfeathery-mouthpartszooplanktonscavengerpheromone-settlement-cue3-mm-sexual-maturity17%-parasite-prevalencebranchial-chamber-parasitesynchronous-growth-parasite-hostcastrationvisual-noisecaustic-flickerpolarization-sensitivityoptomotor-assaytidal-creekspectrally-narrow-environmentmitochondrial-DNAgenetic-variabilityexceptional-rangepre-Canal-Panama18591930s-Floridalineagewarm-temperate-Atlanticspecies-complexhalf-crabsquat-lobster-relativetrue-crabfalse-crabDecapodaMalacostracaArthropodaCrustaceaGibbes-1850Porcellana-armatagreen-porcelain-crabPetrolisthes-armatus