Chiricahua-mountains
Guides
Acmaeodera chiricahuae
Acmaeodera chiricahuae is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by Barr in 1972. It is known from the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona and adjacent regions of southwestern North America. Adults are associated with oak woodlands, particularly Quercus arizonica (Arizona white oak), where they have been collected by beating fresh foliage. The species is one of many oak-associated Agrilus and related buprestids that emerge prior to the summer monsoon season in the Sky Islands region.
Agrilus huachucae
Agrilus huachucae is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, first described by Schaeffer in 1905. The species has been documented in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, where it occurs in association with Helianthus (sunflower) vegetation. It is part of the hyperdiverse genus Agrilus, which contains hundreds of species worldwide, many with specialized host plant relationships.
Brachys floccosus
Brachys floccosus is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, originally described by Mannerheim in 1837. The species occurs in Central America and North America. Records indicate it has been collected from oak woodland habitats in montane regions of southeastern Arizona, specifically from Quercus hypoleucoides (silverleaf oak).
Ceuthophilus chiricahuae
Chiricahua cave cricket
Ceuthophilus chiricahuae is a species of camel cricket (family Rhaphidophoridae) endemic to North America. The species was described by Hubbell in 1936 and is named for the Chiricahua Mountains region. Like other members of the genus Ceuthophilus, it is wingless and adapted to cool, dark, moist habitats. Very few observations of this species have been recorded, with only six documented occurrences in biodiversity databases.
Chiricahua multidentata
Chiricahua multidentata is a species of geometrid moth described by Guedet in 1941. It belongs to the family Geometridae, commonly known as inchworm or geometer moths. The species has been recorded from Central America and North America, though specific details about its biology and ecology remain limited in available sources.
Drapetes chiricahua
Drapetes chiricahua is a species of fungus weevil in the family Anthribidae, named after the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The species epithet reflects its type locality in this sky island mountain range, part of the Madrean Archipelago. Like other members of the genus Drapetes, it belongs to a group of beetles associated with fungal substrates. The Chiricahua Mountains are renowned for high endemism due to their isolated montane forest habitats separated by desert lowlands.
Efferia mortensoni
Portal Hammertail
Efferia mortensoni is a species of robber fly in the family Asilidae, described by Wilcox in 1966. It is known by the common name "Portal Hammertail." Like other members of the genus Efferia, this species is a predatory dipteran that likely hunts other insects. The species name suggests a connection to the Portal area in southeastern Arizona, a region well-known among entomologists for its exceptional biodiversity. Robber flies in this genus are typically active during daylight hours and are often observed perching on vegetation or the ground while hunting.
Ellipes monticolus
canyon pygmy mole cricket
Ellipes monticolus is a poorly known pygmy mole cricket endemic to canyon environments in the southwestern United States. First described in 1977 from genitalia drawings alone, the species remained without natural history documentation until 2020, when the first live photographs and field observations were published from the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. The species inhabits the Sky Islands region, a biodiversity hotspot characterized by isolated mountain ranges. As a member of Tridactylidae, it likely exhibits fossorial adaptations for burrowing in moist substrates near water.
Eupithecia huachuca
Eupithecia huachuca is a species of pug moth in the family Geometridae, first described by Grossbeck in 1908. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States, with confirmed records from Arizona and Texas. Its specific epithet references the Huachuca Mountains in southeastern Arizona, one of its documented localities. The species belongs to the large genus Eupithecia, whose members are commonly known as pugs due to their small size and distinctive resting posture with wings held flat and narrow.
Gymnognathus chiricahuae
Gymnognathus chiricahuae is a species of fungus weevil (family Anthribidae) described by Sleeper in 1954. The species epithet references the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, indicating the type locality and primary known distribution. Like other members of the genus Gymnognathus, this species belongs to a group of weevils associated with fungal substrates. The species is provisionally accepted in taxonomic databases and has been recorded from North America.
Hadoa chiricahua
Chiricahua Sun-Singer
Hadoa chiricahua is an annual cicada species in the genus Hadoa, endemic to the southwestern United States. The species was originally described as Tibicen chiricahua by Davis in 1923 and later transferred to Hadoa. It is known from the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona and adjacent areas of New Mexico, inhabiting mid- to high-elevation forests within the Madrean Sky Island ecosystem. As an annual cicada, it completes its life cycle within a single year, unlike periodical cicadas that emerge on multi-year cycles.
Heteropogon chiricahua
A species of robber fly in the family Asilidae, described by Wilcox in 1965. The specific epithet "chiricahua" refers to the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, suggesting a geographic association with this Sky Island region. As with other members of the genus Heteropogon, this species is presumed to be a predatory fly, though specific observations of its behavior and ecology remain undocumented in available sources.
Lithophane leeae
Lithophane leeae is a noctuid moth described in 2009, notable for its extremely restricted distribution. It is known solely from the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona, making it one of the most geographically limited species in its genus. The species was named by Walsh and remains poorly known due to its rarity and limited study.
Madoniella chiricahua
Madoniella chiricahua is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It is known from the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, a region characterized by high biodiversity and endemism within the Madrean Sky Islands. The species has been documented from a single observation, indicating it is likely rare or poorly sampled. Its specific epithet refers to the Chiricahua Mountains, the type locality.
Megacyllene snowi
Megacyllene snowi is a species of longhorn beetle in the tribe Clytini, described by Casey in 1912. It belongs to a genus of North American beetles characterized by bold yellow and black banding patterns that resemble wasps. Records indicate it occurs in the southwestern United States and Mexico, with specific observations from the east side of the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona.
Microphotus chiricahuae
Chiricahua glow-worm
Microphotus chiricahuae is a species of glow-worm beetle in the family Lampyridae, described by Green in 1959. The species epithet references the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, indicating its geographic association with this region. As a member of the genus Microphotus, it belongs to a group of beetles known for bioluminescent larvae and flightless, larviform adult females. The species is rarely encountered and poorly documented in scientific literature.
Platambus apache
Platambus apache is a predatory diving beetle endemic to high elevations in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. First described in 1981, this species exhibits unusual morphological adaptations for a dytiscid, including reduced swimming setae that suggest a primarily crawling rather than swimming lifestyle. Its restricted range and specific habitat requirements make it of conservation interest.
Priocera chiricahuae
checkered beetle
Priocera chiricahuae is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, first described by Knull in 1939. The specific epithet refers to the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, suggesting this region as part of its native range. As a member of Cleridae, it likely functions as a predator of other insects, though specific biological details remain poorly documented. The species is recorded from North America with confirmed observations in the southwestern United States.
Rhopalophora meeskei
Rhopalophora meeskei is a longhorn beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by Casey in 1891. The species has been documented in the southwestern United States and Mexico, with confirmed records from Arizona and observations in Guatemala and Honduras. Field observations indicate adults are active during summer months and are associated with flowering plants, particularly milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) and Ceanothus species.
Stenamma chiricahua
Stenamma chiricahua is a species of ant in the family Formicidae, first described by Snelling in 1973. The species epithet refers to the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, indicating its type locality and geographic association with this Madrean Sky Island range. As a member of the genus Stenamma, it belongs to a cryptic ant group known for occurring in cool, wet forest habitats at mid to high elevations. The Middle American clade of Stenamma, which includes this species, underwent a major taxonomic revision in 2013 that recognized 40 species, 33 of which were newly described, revealing a previously overlooked radiation of Neotropical ants.
Strumigenys chiricahua
Strumigenys chiricahua is a species of trap-jaw ant described by Ward in 1988. The specific epithet references the Chiricahua Mountains, a mountain range in southeastern Arizona known for high endemism and biodiversity. The species belongs to a large genus of miniature predatory ants characterized by specialized mandible morphology. Like other members of Strumigenys, it likely possesses elongated mandibles capable of rapid closure to capture prey.
Tetraopes discoideus
Tetraopes discoideus is a small milkweed longhorn beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1847. Adults measure 7–9 mm in length, making this species notably smaller than congeners. The species is associated with milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) throughout its range in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Adults have been observed resting, feeding, and mating on milkweed stems and flowers. Larvae develop by feeding on milkweed roots, either tunneling directly into large taproots or living in surrounding soil when roots are small.
Xylotrechus sagittatus chiricahuae
Xylotrechus sagittatus chiricahuae is a subspecies of longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by Chemsak in 1959. As a member of the tribe Clytini, it belongs to a group of wood-boring beetles commonly known as typical longhorns. The subspecies epithet "chiricahuae" refers to the Chiricahua region, suggesting a southwestern North American distribution. Like other members of its genus, this beetle is associated with pine trees and develops in dead or dying wood.