Colorado-fauna
Guides
Acrolophitus hirtipes
Green Fool Grasshopper, Plains Point-head Grasshopper, Crested-keel Grasshopper
Acrolophitus hirtipes is a slant-faced grasshopper in the family Acrididae, commonly known as the green fool grasshopper or plains point-head grasshopper. It is native to the grasslands of central North America, with documented occurrences in Colorado, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. The species is part of the tribe Acrolophitini, which is characterized by distinctive head morphology. It has been recorded in systematic surveys of western rangeland grasshoppers, indicating it is a regular component of prairie grasshopper communities.
Cyrtopogon bigelowi
Cyrtopogon bigelowi is a species of robber fly in the family Asilidae, described by Charles Howard Curran in 1924. It belongs to a large genus of predatory flies distributed primarily in North America. Members of the genus Cyrtopogon are typically associated with open, sunny habitats where they perch on vegetation or bare ground to hunt. As with most asilids, this species is presumed to be an active aerial predator of other insects.
Cyrtopogon chagnoni
Cyrtopogon chagnoni is a species of robber fly in the family Asilidae, described by Curran in 1939. The genus Cyrtopogon comprises predatory flies that typically hunt from perches. Limited observation records exist for this species, with only one documented observation on iNaturalist. As with other Cyrtopogon species, it is expected to exhibit characteristic robber fly predatory behavior, though species-specific details remain poorly documented.
Cyrtopogon dasylloides
Cyrtopogon dasylloides is a species of robber fly (family Asilidae) described by Samuel Wendell Williston in 1883. It belongs to the genus Cyrtopogon, a group of medium-sized robber flies found primarily in North America. The species is documented in Colorado, where it has been observed in foothill and montane habitats. Like other asilids, it is a predatory insect that captures prey in flight.
Epiblema tripartitana
Epiblema tripartitana is a small tortricid moth in the leafroller family Tortricidae. The species has been documented in Colorado and Vermont, with observations at light stations during summer moth surveys. Its common name references the three-part or tripartite wing pattern. The moth exhibits distinctive coloration that has been described as resembling bird droppings, a form of protective camouflage.
Phidippus arizonensis
Phidippus arizonensis is a jumping spider in the family Salticidae. Despite its name, it is not known from Arizona. Males average slightly over 9 mm in body length and exhibit a metallic blue-black coloration with a distinctive entirely yellow fringe of hairs on the front legs. Females are larger, reaching up to 13.4 mm, and have a yellowish appearance with spots and stripes on the abdomen. The species has been documented as a probable state record in Colorado, expanding its known range.
Polyblastus fulvilinealis
Polyblastus fulvilinealis is a small ichneumon wasp in the subfamily Tryphoninae. It is a koinobiont ectoparasitoid of sawfly larvae, meaning the host continues development until the wasp larva completes its growth. Females have been observed carrying multiple eggs externally beneath the abdomen, a behavior whose precise function remains unclear. The species occurs in North America and has been documented in Colorado.