Climate-sensitivity
Guides
Ellipsoptera nevadica
Nevada tiger beetle
Ellipsoptera nevadica is a species of flashy tiger beetle in the family Cicindelidae. The species is distributed across Central America and North America, with nine recognized subspecies including the critically endangered E. n. lincolniana (salt creek tiger beetle). Subspecies E. n. lincolniana has been intensively studied due to its conservation status, with research demonstrating that egg survival and oviposition are negatively impacted by high temperatures and low precipitation.
Enaphalodes rufulus
Red Oak Borer
Enaphalodes rufulus, commonly known as the Red Oak Borer, is a native North American cerambycid beetle that develops in oak trees. It is typically associated with stressed or declining oaks and normally occurs at low population densities. However, the species gained significant attention following a major outbreak in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains during the late 1990s and early 2000s, which contributed to widespread mortality of northern red oak. The beetle has become an important subject of ecological research regarding native insect outbreaks, tree resistance mechanisms, and climate-insect interactions.
Euplatypus parallelus
Common Ambrosia Beetle
Euplatypus parallelus is a polyphagous ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae. Native to Central and South America, it has spread invasively to Africa, tropical Asia, and other regions, likely via timber trade. Adults bore galleries into tree trunks and cultivate symbiotic fungi for food, causing wood staining and economic damage in forest plantations. The species is attracted to ethanol and plant volatiles, with flight activity strongly influenced by temperature and precipitation.
Eurytetranychus buxi
Boxwood Mite
Eurytetranychus buxi, commonly known as the boxwood mite, is a spider mite in the family Tetranychidae that specializes on boxwood (Buxus species). It is a significant pest of cultivated boxwood in North America and Europe. Climate change may allow this mite to complete additional generations in warmer conditions, potentially increasing damage in regions where it was previously unproblematic.
Melanoplus femurrubrum
Red-legged Grasshopper, Garden grasshopper
Melanoplus femurrubrum, the red-legged grasshopper, is a medium-sized, widely distributed grasshopper native to North America. It ranges across most of Canada, the United States, and into central Mexico, making it one of the most common and broadly distributed grasshopper species on the continent. The species exhibits developmental polymorphism, allowing populations to adapt to variable environmental conditions and seasonal timing. It is frequently used as a model organism in scientific research due to its abundance and behavioral sensitivity to climate variation.
Mindarus
balsam twig aphid
Mindarus is a genus of conifer-feeding aphids in the family Mindaridae, commonly known as balsam twig aphids. Species in this genus are specialized phloem feeders on fir trees (Abies spp.), where they cause needle discoloration, shoot deformation, and reduced aesthetic quality. Several species are significant economic pests in Christmas tree plantations, particularly M. abietinus on balsam fir and M. pinicola on Fraser fir. The genus exhibits a holocyclic life cycle with overwintering eggs, spring fundatrices, and summer parthenogenetic generations.
Mindarus abietinus
Balsam Twig Aphid, Fir Shoot Aphid
Mindarus abietinus is an economically significant pest of fir Christmas trees, particularly in commercial plantations of Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea). The aphid causes leaf curling and shoot stunting of new foliage, reducing aesthetic quality and marketability despite having minimal impact on tree health and vigor. Temperature influences colony growth rates, with warmer conditions in late spring and early summer favoring higher population densities. The species has a holocyclic life cycle with precise seasonal timing tied to host phenology.
Neophilaenus lineatus
lined spittlebug
Neophilaenus lineatus, commonly known as the lined spittlebug, is a species of spittlebug in the family Aphrophoridae. It has a broad distribution spanning Europe, northern Asia (excluding China), and North America. Studies indicate a two-year life cycle with subterranean root-feeding nymphs, unlike the annual cycle of some related species. The species shows sensitivity to temperature gradients, with developmental timing varying by altitude.
Nepytia
false hemlock loopers, false pine loopers
Nepytia is a genus of geometrid moths (loopers) in the family Geometridae, established by George Duryea Hulst in 1896. The genus includes at least 13 described species distributed in North America. Several species, notably N. janetae and N. freemani, have been documented as forest defoliators capable of outbreak population dynamics that cause significant damage to coniferous trees. The genus exhibits considerable variation in life history traits, with some species being summer feeders and others, uniquely among studied Nepytia, feeding during autumn and winter at high elevations.
Stenammini
Stenammini is a tribe of myrmicine ants established by Ashmead in 1905, containing six extant genera (Aphaenogaster, Goniomma, Messor, Novomessor, Oxyopomyrmex, Stenamma, Veromessor) and one fossil genus (†Paraphaenogaster). The tribe includes harvester ants that specialize in seed collection. Phylogenomic studies of the genus Messor indicate an origin in the Irano-Indian region approximately 20 million years ago, with diversification patterns strongly linked to thermal conditions.
Tomicus
pine shoot beetles
Tomicus is a genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, described by Pierre André Latreille in 1802. The genus contains at least seven recognized species, including economically significant forest pests such as T. piniperda, T. minor, T. destruens, and T. yunnanensis. These beetles are commonly known as pine shoot beetles due to their distinctive life history involving feeding on pine shoots before trunk colonization. Several species have caused substantial mortality in pine forests across Europe, the Mediterranean region, and southwestern China, with T. yunnanensis described as unusually aggressive in its native range.