Diapause

Guides

Sapyga
Sapyga is a genus of sapygid wasps comprising at least 19 described species. Species in this genus are cleptoparasites (kleptoparasites) of solitary bees, particularly megachilid bees. They enter host nests to lay eggs in unfinished or provisioned cells, with their larvae consuming host provisions and killing host larvae. The genus exhibits specialized parasitic adaptations including the ability to oviposit through cell closures.
cleptoparasite kleptoparasite solitary-bee-parasite Megachilidae-parasite nest-parasite hymenoptera sapygidae pollinator-parasite diapause supercooling
Saturniidae
Emperor and Giant Silk Moths, saturniids, giant silkworm moths, royal moths
Saturniidae is a family of Lepidoptera containing approximately 2,300 described species, including some of the largest moths in the world. Adults are characterized by large lobed wings, heavy bodies covered in hair-like scales, reduced or vestigial mouthparts, and the absence of a frenulum. The family exhibits notable diversity in the Neotropics, with highest species richness in tropical and subtropical wooded regions. Many species produce silk cocoons, and several have significant economic or cultural importance.
Lepidoptera moths giant-silk-moths saturniids wild-silk defoliator-pests urticating-caterpillars Neotropical-diversity diapause pheromone-communication
Speyeria
greater fritillaries
Speyeria is a genus of approximately 19 species of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, commonly known as greater fritillaries. The genus was reestablished as separate from Argynnis in 2017 based on phylogenetic evidence. Three species occur in Eurasia and 16 in North America. Species are univoltine, with larvae feeding exclusively on native violets (Viola spp.) and adults nectaring on diverse flowers. Several species and subspecies are threatened or endangered due to habitat loss and climate change.
butterfly fritillary Nymphalidae conservation climate-change violet-feeding univoltine diapause visual-navigation North-America Eurasia
Speyeria cybele
Great Spangled Fritillary
Speyeria cybele, the great spangled fritillary, is a large brush-footed butterfly native to North America. Adults have a wingspan of 2.25 to 4 inches, with orange-brown upper wings marked by black chevrons and distinctive silvery spots on the undersides. The species exhibits pronounced geographic variation: eastern populations are more orange, while western populations are browner. Females are slightly darker than males and have longer lifespans, often surviving into October. The butterfly has an obligate relationship with violets (Viola spp.) as larval host plants. Research has demonstrated that S. cybele relies primarily on vision for habitat detection and navigation, with flash-blinded individuals showing 30 times lower success in locating habitat patches.
butterfly Nymphalidae fritillary North-America violet-specialist visual-navigation pollinator model-organism postage-stamp dispersal-ecology metapopulation flash-blindness habitat-detection diapause univoltine meadow-habitat prairie conservation-biology Lepidoptera Speyeria great-spangled-fritillary
Stathmopoda
Stathmopoda is a genus of small moths in the family Stathmopodidae (or subfamily Stathmopodinae within Oecophoridae, depending on classification system). The genus exhibits diverse larval feeding habits: some species are seed, fruit, or bud borers of angiosperms, including significant agricultural pests, while others are specialized fern spore feeders. The genus has a broad geographic distribution including Asia, Europe, and New Zealand, with particularly high species diversity documented in China.
moth agricultural-pest fern-feeder seed-borer fruit-borer diapause specialized-herbivore
Tanytarsus
non-biting midge
Tanytarsus is a large genus of non-biting midges comprising over 480 described species. The genus belongs to the tribe Tanytarsini within the subfamily Chironominae. Larvae occur in diverse freshwater habitats, with some species inhabiting marine environments. Species-level studies reveal complex life cycles with photoperiod and temperature as key determinants of seasonal patterns.
chironomid non-biting-midge freshwater marine model-organism parthenogenesis diapause toxicology Belgium Colombia Ecuador Brazil Finland Neotropical Palearctic Nearctic trivoltine COI-barcode hypopygium species-groups aquatic-macrophytes trout-ponds pH-sensitivity
Tetanops myopaeformis
sugar beet root maggot, sugarbeet root maggot
Tetanops myopaeformis is a picture-winged fly (family Ulidiidae) and the most economically significant pest of sugar beet in North America. Larvae feed on sugar beet roots, causing yield losses up to 100% in affected fields. The species overwinters as freeze-tolerant third-instar larvae in soil, with some individuals exhibiting prolonged diapause lasting multiple years. It is native to North America, though its original host plant remains unidentified; sugar beet, introduced to the continent, became its primary agricultural host.
agricultural-pest root-maggot freeze-tolerance diapause bacterial-symbionts genome-sequenced economic-pest sugar-beet Ulidiidae picture-winged-fly
Tetranychinae
Tetranychinae is a subfamily of spider mites (Tetranychidae) containing economically significant agricultural and ornamental crop pests. The subfamily includes the genera Tetranychus, Eutetranychus, Oligonychus, Panonychus, Amphitetranychus, Schizotetranychus, Aponychus, Paraponychus, and Stylophoronychus. Species within this subfamily are phytophagous and pose serious threats to crop yield and quality. Identification relies primarily on morphological examination of adult male genitalia, though molecular and biochemical methods are increasingly employed for accurate species discrimination.
spider-mites agricultural-pests phytophagous-mites crop-pests invasive-species acarology integrated-pest-management molecular-identification DNA-barcoding Turkey Russia Paleotropical Neotropical North-America Malus Prunus Quercus Picea Abies rosaceous-plants coniferous-plants monocotyledons dicotyledons acaricide-resistance quarantine-pests diapause male-genitalia aedeagus PCR-RFLP real-time-PCR LAMP MALDI-TOF-MS allozyme-analysis species-discrimination reproductive-isolation Tetranychus Eutetranychus Oligonychus Panonychus Amphitetranychus Schizotetranychus Aponychus Paraponychus Stylophoronychus Eotetranychus Bryobia Prostigmata Acari Arachnida Arthropoda Animalia
Tetropium parvulum
Northern Spruce Borer
Tetropium parvulum, the northern spruce borer, is a small cerambycid beetle specialized on spruce hosts. It was elevated from synonymy with T. cinnamopterum based on distinct morphological differences in larvae and adults, and exhibits strict host specificity to Picea compared to the conifer generalist T. cinnamopterum. The species has a one-year life cycle and is an economically important borer of white and Engelmann spruce logs in western Canada.
Cerambycidae spruce-borer wood-boring-beetle forest-pest western-Canada conifer-specialist Tetropium Picea economic-pest one-year-life-cycle Tetropium-parvulum Northern-Spruce-Borer Tetropium-cinnamopterum-complex morphological-diagnosis strict-host-specificity Tetropium-alaskanum-synonym Rhimphoctona-alaskensis-parasitoid spruce-log-pest Alberta-forestry boreal-forest-insect phloem-feeder cambium-borer L-shaped-galleries early-summer-emergence woodpecker-predation disease-mortality excess-heat-mortality Tetropium-velutinum-comparison lectotype-designation Tetropium-parallelum Tetropium-schwarzianum coniferous-forest-decomposer primary-borer Tetropium-taxonomy Casey-1891 Canadian-Entomologist economic-entomology forest-health timber-pest spruce-regeneration Picea-glauca-pest Picea-engelmannii-pest western-Canadian-distribution North-American-Cerambycidae Tetropium-morphology larval-urogomphi adult-genitalia pronotal-punctation eye-morphology scutellum-structure host-preference-divergence conifer-specialist-vs-generalist sympatric-species species-elevation-from-synonymy type-specimen-examination diagnostic-key forest-insect-natural-enemies insect-disease-mortality parasitoid-wasp woodpecker-insectivory thermal-mortality gallery-depth overwintering-biology spring-pupation September-larval-maturity one-year-univoltine spruce-logging-impact forest-management integrated-pest-management boreal-forest-ecology subcortical-insect phloeophagous-beetle xylophagous-larvae wood-degradation nutrient-cycling forest-succession disturbance-ecology fire-killed-spruce windthrow-spruce salvage-logging-insect standing-dead-timber spruce-beetle-complex Scolytinae-competitor Cerambycidae-community coniferous-wood-borer-guild North-American-forest-insects western-Canadian-entomology Alberta-entomology British-Columbia-entomology Manitoba-entomology Labrador-entomology transcontinental-distribution boreal-forest-biodiversity spruce-ecosystem-engineer 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biotic-interaction competition facilitation apparent-competition indirect-effect network-ecology food-web-topology trophic-level energy-flow biomass-pyramid productivity ecosystem-function ecosystem-service-valuation natural-capital green-accounting sustainable-development-goal Aichi-target Kunming-Montreal-framework 30x30-target protected-area OECM conservation-effectiveness management-effectiveness governance indigenous-knowledge local-knowledge citizen-science iNaturalist community-monitoring participatory-research knowledge-co-production transdisciplinary-research science-policy-interface IPBES IPCC FAO ITTO IUFRO CABI CFS USDA USFS NRCan provincial-forestry industrial-forestry smallholder-forestry community-forestry urban-forestry agroforestry social-forestry forest-restoration reforestation afforestation natural-regeneration assisted-natural-regeneration enrichment-planting direct-seeding nursery-practice seedling-quality outplanting-survival competition-control vegetation-management herbicide mechanical-site-preparation prescribed-fire wildfire fire-management fire-ecology pyrodiversity serotiny seed-bank post-fire-regeneration salvage-logging sanitation-cutting insecticide fumigant contact-insecticide systemic-insecticide insect-growth-regulator chitin-synthesis-inhibitor juvenile-hormone-analog ecdysone-agonist semiochemical aggregation-pheromone anti-aggregation-pheromone sex-pheromone kairomone allomone synomone push-pull-strategy mating-disruption mass-trapping attract-and-kill sterile-insect-technique incompatible-insect-technique gene-drive RNA-interference precision-pest-management site-specific-management variable-rate-application unmanned-aerial-vehicle precision-forestry digital-forestry smart-forestry Industry-4.0 Internet-of-Things sensor-network real-time-monitoring big-data artificial-intelligence deep-learning computer-vision automated-identification taxonomic-impediment taxonomic-capacity parataxonomist DNA-taxonomy metabarcoding environmental-DNA biosurveillance biosecurity One-Health planetary-health ecohealth sustainability-science resilience-science complexity-science systems-thinking adaptive-management learning-organization knowledge-management institutional-memory capacity-building education extension outreach science-communication public-engagement media-relations social-media open-access data-sharing FAIR-principles reproducible-research open-science research-integrity research-ethics animal-welfare 3Rs wildlife-research-ethics indigenous-data-sovereignty benefit-sharing access-and-benefit-sharing Nagoya-Protocol Convention-on-Biological-Diversity CITES IUCN Red-List-assessment conservation-status population-trend threat-assessment climate-change-vulnerability adaptive-capacity evolutionary-potential extinction-risk minimum-viable-population effective-conservation systematic-conservation-planning prioritization gap-analysis representativeness complementarity irreplaceability vulnerability 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Thremmatidae
Thremmatidae is a family of caddisflies (Trichoptera) currently classified within the family Uenoidae as subfamily Thremmatinae. The family includes genera such as Thremma, Neophylax, and Oligophlebodes. Larvae are case-building and can be identified by distinctive morphological features including mesonotal sclerite shape, foretrochantins, forefemora, ventral sclerites on abdominal segment I, head coloration patterns, and case morphology. At least one species, Neophylax splendens, exhibits an extended pre-pupal diapause lasting approximately three months.
caddisfly Trichoptera case-building diapause montane-streams
Timarcha
bloody-nosed beetles
Timarcha is a genus of flightless leaf beetles comprising over 100 species across three subgenera, with a disjunct distribution spanning the Mediterranean region and western North America. The genus exhibits several unusual traits for Chrysomelidae, including complete apterism (winglessness), fused elytra, and archaic genital morphology. All species are uniformly black and herbivorous, with host plant associations concentrated in Rubiaceae and Plumbaginaceae. The most familiar species is T. tenebricosa, commonly known as the bloody-nosed beetle, named for its defensive reflex bleeding behavior.
apterous flightless reflex-bleeding Mediterranean Holarctic-disjunction herbivory Chrysomelidae leaf-beetle ancient-lineage Rubiaceae Plumbaginaceae defense-behavior thanatosis monovoltine diapause parasite-mediated-selection mate-choice cryptic-species-complex phylogeography molecular-systematics
Trachelus
stem sawflies
Trachelus is a genus of stem sawflies in the family Cephidae. Species are internal feeders in grass stems, with several species recognized as significant agricultural pests of wheat and barley. The genus occurs across the Palearctic region, with documented species in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Larval development occurs entirely within host plant stems, causing characteristic damage often called 'whiteheads' in cereal crops.
stem-borer agricultural-pest cereal-pest grass-feeder internal-feeder univoltine diapause Palearctic
Trichocorixa
water boatmen
Trichocorixa is a genus of water boatmen in the family Corixidae comprising approximately 14 described species. Members of this genus are notable for their exceptional tolerance of saline and hypersaline habitats, ranging from brackish coastal marshes to salt ponds with salinities exceeding 150‰. Several species have become invasive outside their native ranges, with documented ecological impacts through predation on brine shrimp and other zooplankton. The genus exhibits complex life history adaptations including staggered egg hatching, salinity-dependent embryonic development, and overwintering strategies that vary among species and populations.
saline hypersaline invasive water-boatman brine-shrimp-predator salt-marsh Corixidae diapause trophic-cascade zooplankton-predator
Trichocorixa verticalis
water boatman
Trichocorixa verticalis is a small water boatman (Corixidae) native to North America and the Caribbean, now established as an invasive species in Europe, Morocco, South Africa, and New Caledonia. It is exceptionally euryhaline, inhabiting brackish waters, saline ponds, coastal wetlands, and open marine environments—unusual for a corixid. The species overwinters as diapausing eggs and has demonstrated significant ecological impacts in invaded habitats, including dominance over native corixids and trophic cascades affecting phytoplankton abundance through predation on zooplankton.
invasive-species euryhaline salt-marsh water-boatman predator trophic-cascade diapause climate-change range-expansion
Trichogrammatidae
trichogrammatid wasps, egg parasitoid wasps
Trichogrammatidae are a family of minute endoparasitoid wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea, containing over 840 species in approximately 80 genera with worldwide distribution. Adults of most species measure less than 1 mm in length, with some species of Megaphragma reaching less than 300 μm—among the smallest insects known. The family is distinguished by 3-segmented tarsi, paddle-shaped forewings fringed with marginal cilia, and a unique nervous system adaptation where adult neurons function without nuclei. Trichogrammatids are economically important as biological control agents, parasitizing eggs of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera.
egg-parasitoid biological-control Chalcidoidea minute-wasps agricultural-pest-management diapause integrated-pest-management
Trigonotylus caelestialium
Rice Leaf Bug
Trigonotylus caelestialium is a mirid plant bug known as the rice leaf bug, native to Europe, Northern Asia (excluding China), and North America. It is a multivoltine pest of rice in Japan, where it causes pecky-rice damage by feeding on developing grains. The species has a broad host range within Poaceae, utilizing various grasses as alternative hosts before invading rice paddies during the flowering stage.
agricultural-pest rice-pest multivoltine diapause olfactory-orientation Poaceae Japan endophyte-resistance bet-hedging-strategy
Triops
tadpole shrimp, shield shrimp
Triops is a genus of small branchiopod crustaceans in the order Notostraca, commonly known as tadpole shrimp or shield shrimp. The genus is distinguished by having only a pair of long, thin caudal extensions on the telson, unlike the related genus Lepidurus which bears an additional central platelike process. Some species are frequently sold as aquarium pets in dried egg kits, hatching upon contact with fresh water. In agricultural settings, particularly California rice cultivation, certain species function as early-season pests that damage germinating seedlings.
Branchiopoda Notostraca tadpole-shrimp living-fossil desiccation-resistance agricultural-pest rice-pest vernal-pool temporary-pool aquarium-pet diapause hypoxia-adaptation Gondwanan-distribution early-season-pest biological-control integrated-pest-management
Velarifictorus
Velarifictorus is a genus of crickets in the family Gryllidae, tribe Gryllini. Species occur naturally across Australia, Asia, and Africa, with at least one species introduced to eastern North America. The genus includes both wing-dimorphic species exhibiting trade-offs between flight capability and reproduction, and species with discrete life cycle modes adapted to different climatic conditions.
cricket Gryllidae wing-dimorphism diapause introduced-species urban-insect fighting-behavior photoperiodism
Wyeomyia
Wyeomyia is a genus of neotropical mosquitoes comprising approximately 140 species, first described by Frederick Vincent Theobald in 1901. The genus is taxonomically challenging due to high species diversity and incomplete delineation. Adults are diurnal and primarily forest-dwelling, with larvae developing in phytotelmata—water held by plants such as bromeliads, aroids, and pitcher plants. Most species feed on blood and will bite humans, though they are not confirmed vectors of human disease.
mosquito phytotelmata bromeliad neotropical diapause climate-change-indicator
Wyeomyia smithii
Pitcher-plant Mosquito, Pitcher Plant Mosquito
Wyeomyia smithii is a specialized mosquito that completes its entire pre-adult development within the water-filled pitchers of the purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea. It is a top predator in this unique microecosystem, where its presence directly influences bacterial species diversity. The species exhibits remarkable geographic variation in blood-feeding behavior: northern populations are entirely non-biting, while some southern populations may blood-feed after producing an initial egg batch. W. smithii has become a model organism for studying photoperiodism and rapid evolutionary response to climate change, with documented shifts in critical photoperiod over recent decades.
inquiline phytotelmata photoperiodism diapause climate-change model-organism mutualism carnivorous-plant-associate
Xanthippus corallipes corallipes
Redshanked Grasshopper, Red Shanks
A large rangeland grasshopper of western North America, adults are present in spring and are conspicuous due to loud crepitation during evasive flight. The subspecies exhibits strong flight capability and feeds almost exclusively on grasses and sedges. Populations normally remain at low densities but occasionally erupt into outbreaks that damage rangeland and crops. Northern populations have a two-year life cycle while southern populations complete development in one year.
grasshopper rangeland-pest western-North-America spring-adult crepitating grass-feeder outbreak-species diapause overwintering-nymphs
Zetzellia mali
apple mite, Zetzellia mite
Zetzellia mali is a predatory mite in the family Stigmaeidae, widely distributed across apple-growing regions of the world. This small arachnid serves as an important natural enemy of phytophagous mites in orchards, particularly targeting spider mites (Tetranychidae) and eriophyid mites. The species exhibits a three-generation annual life cycle in temperate climates, with adult females overwintering in protected locations on host trees. While less efficient at population regulation than some competing predatory mites such as phytoseiids, Z. mali contributes significantly to biological control in integrated pest management programs.
predatory-mite biological-control apple-pest-management Stigmaeidae integrated-pest-management orchard-ecology acarology natural-enemy arrhenotoky prey-switching diapause overwintering phytoseiid-competitor mite-predator temperate-orchard-fauna