Fossorial
Guides
Sphex tepanecus
Sphex tepanecus is a species of thread-waisted digger wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is a large solitary wasp known from the western United States, with records from Arizona, Colorado, and potentially Idaho. Like other members of the genus Sphex, it constructs subterranean nests and provisions them with paralyzed prey for its larvae. The species was first described by de Saussure in 1867.
Sphodros
purseweb spiders
Sphodros is a genus of mygalomorph spiders in the family Atypidae, native to North America. The genus was reinstated in 1980 after being treated as a synonym of Atypus for over a century. Seven species are recognized, distributed across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. These spiders are known for constructing distinctive purse-shaped webs attached to tree trunks and root systems.
Steniolia
sand wasps
Steniolia is a genus of solitary sand wasps in the family Crabronidae, containing approximately 15 described species. All North American species are western in distribution, with four species extending only as far north as Mexico. Females are fossorial, constructing single-celled burrows in dry, powdery soil to provision with paralyzed flies. The genus is notable for ornate coloration, elongated mouthparts adapted for nectar feeding, and distinctive nightly sleeping clusters formed by both sexes.
Stenomorphus sinaloae
Stenomorphus sinaloae is a ground beetle in the family Carabidae, described by Darlington in 1936. It belongs to the S. sinaloae species group, which also includes S. penicillatus. The species exhibits allometric trends in prothorax shape and hind tibia proportions, with evolutionary trends associated with burrowing behavior and sexual selection.
Thynnidae
thynnid wasps, flower wasps, thynnid flower wasps
Thynnidae is a family of solitary wasps formerly classified within Tiphiidae but now recognized as a distinct lineage based on molecular and morphological studies. Adults feed on nectar and function as minor pollinators, with some species involved in specialized pollination systems including orchid sexual deception. Larvae are parasitoids, primarily attacking scarab beetle larvae (Scarabaeoidea), though some species parasitize tiger beetle larvae (Cicindelinae) and other hosts including bees and ants. The family exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism: in many subfamilies, females are wingless and fossorial while males are winged and aerial.
Ticrania
Ticrania is a genus of planthoppers in the family Dictyopharidae, described by Emeljanov in 2006. It belongs to the tribe Orgeriini, a group of flightless, often subterranean planthoppers with fossorial (burrowing) forelegs. Members of this genus are poorly known and likely inhabit sandy or loose soil environments associated with plant roots.
Tiphiidae
Tiphiid Flower Wasps, Tiphiid Wasps, Flower Wasps
Tiphiidae is a family of large, solitary wasps whose larvae are parasitoids of beetle larvae, particularly scarab beetles (Scarabaeoidea). The family has undergone significant taxonomic revision, with former subfamilies now reclassified as the separate family Thynnidae. Some members, particularly in the subfamily Brachycistidinae, exhibit striking sexual dimorphism: males are winged and aerial, while females are wingless and fossorial, hunting ground-dwelling beetle larvae.
Tominotus unisetosus
burrowing bug
Tominotus unisetosus is a species of burrowing bug in the family Cydnidae, first described by Froeschner in 1960. As a member of the burrowing bug family, it is adapted for fossorial life in soil or leaf litter. The species occurs in both Central America and North America.
Tortopsis puella
Tortopsis puella is a species of burrowing mayfly in the family Polymitarcyidae, originally described by Pictet in 1843. It belongs to a genus characterized by fossorial (burrowing) larvae that inhabit sandy or muddy substrates in freshwater environments. The species is known from the Nearctic region, with records from North America.
Zygona duplex
Zygona duplex is a species of soil-dwelling centipede in the family Geophilidae, described by Chamberlin in 1960. It belongs to the order Geophilomorpha, which comprises the most diverse group of centipedes characterized by their elongated, worm-like bodies with numerous leg pairs. The species is known from the United States.