Flightlessness
Guides
Barytettix
spur-throated grasshoppers
Barytettix is a genus of spur-throated grasshoppers in the family Acrididae, comprising approximately nine described species. Members are found in western Mexico and the southwestern United States. At least one species, Barytettix psolus, is obligately flightless, lacking functional wings and associated flight musculature. The genus belongs to the tribe Conalcaeini within the subfamily Melanoplinae.
Carabidae
ground beetles
Carabidae is one of the largest families of beetles, comprising over 40,000 described species worldwide. Members are predominantly predatory, with elongated bodies, thread-like antennae, and prominent forward-directed mandibles. The family includes diverse forms from fast-running tiger beetles to flightless tyrant ground beetles, occupying nearly every terrestrial habitat. Many species serve as important biological control agents of agricultural pests.
Chrysomelinae
broad-bodied leaf beetles, broad-shouldered leaf beetles
Chrysomelinae is a subfamily of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) comprising approximately 3,000 species worldwide, commonly known as broad-bodied or broad-shouldered leaf beetles. The subfamily includes the economically significant Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), a major agricultural pest. Chrysomelinae exhibits remarkable diversity in form and coloration, with adults typically displaying convex, rounded bodies often with bright coloration and variable patterns. The subfamily is distinguished by several unique morphological features including antennae inserted on or adjacent to the anterior head edge, mandibles with large membranous prosthecae, and a single anal cell in each wing. Larvae possess six pairs of stemmata, palmate mandibles, and annular spiracles. Both life stages possess defensive glands that secrete protective chemicals.
Dysdercus concinnus
pale red bug, Turk's cap red bug
Dysdercus concinnus is a red bug in the family Pyrrhocoridae, commonly known as the pale red bug or Turk's cap red bug. It is a significant pest of cotton, feeding on developing bolls and deteriorating seed and fiber quality. The species exhibits notable sexual dimorphism in flight capability: males retain flight throughout life and become facultative migrants using hunger as a migration signal, while females undergo wing muscle histolysis at the reproductive stage, becoming permanently flightless. The species has been extensively studied in the context of transgenic crop impacts, showing that diet (transgenic vs. non-transgenic cotton) and sex influence gut microbial diversity and community structure.
Satyrini
Alpines, Arctics, Nymphs, Satyrs, Graylings, Ringlets
Satyrini is the largest tribe in the subfamily Satyrinae, containing approximately 2,200 species of butterflies. The group includes well-known butterflies such as graylings, ringlets, and satyrs. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have substantially revised the tribe's taxonomy, incorporating many genera formerly placed in the tribe Elymniini. The tribe's evolutionary history is closely tied to the diversification of grasses.