Great-plains
Guides
Prionus geminus
Prionus geminus is a longhorned beetle species in the subfamily Prioninae, described in 2016 from material collected in the Great Plains region of North America. It belongs to the subgenus Homaesthesis, a group of grassland-associated Prionus species whose biology remains poorly documented. The species is part of a genus whose larvae are subterranean root feeders, though specific host associations for P. geminus have not been established.
Prionus integer
Prionus integer is a longhorned beetle (Cerambycidae) in the subgenus Homaesthesis, endemic to the United States and found in shortgrass prairie habitats of the Great Plains. Adults exhibit unusual burrowing behavior, with both sexes creating shallow soil burrows. Males are strongly attracted to prionic acid pheromone lures, and adult activity appears triggered by rainfall events. The species was described by LeConte in 1851 and remains poorly known compared to economically important congeners.
Proserpinus juanita
Juanita sphinx
Proserpinus juanita, the Juanita sphinx, is a hawkmoth in the family Sphingidae first described by Herman Strecker in 1877. It is a medium-sized moth with a wingspan of 45–64 mm, distributed across the Great Plains and southwestern United States. The species is notable for its specialized larval diet on evening primroses and related plants in the family Onagraceae.
Psiloscelis abnormalis
clown beetle
Psiloscelis abnormalis is a species of clown beetle in the family Histeridae, described by Mann in 1924. It is known from limited distribution records in the northern Great Plains region of North America, specifically from the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and the U.S. state of North Dakota. Like other members of Histeridae, it is presumed to be associated with decomposing organic matter, though specific ecological details remain undocumented.
Romaleidae
lubber grasshoppers, lubbers
Romaleidae, commonly known as lubber grasshoppers, are a family of large, flightless or short-winged grasshoppers found in the Americas. The family includes some of the largest and most robust grasshoppers in North America, with adults often exceeding 50 mm in length and displaying striking color patterns. The common name "lubber" derives from nautical slang for a clumsy person, referencing their slow, deliberate movements and inability to fly. The family comprises two subfamilies, Bactrophorinae and Romaleinae, with the latter containing the well-known genus Romalea. Many species exhibit aposematic coloration as nymphs and adults, advertising their chemical defenses against predators.
Schinia cupes
Schinia cupes is a small noctuid moth in the subfamily Heliothinae, described by Grote in 1875. The species is characterized by a wingspan of approximately 30 mm. It exhibits bivoltine flight periods, with adults active in spring and again in late summer. The larvae are specialized feeders on specific host plants in the southwestern United States.
Schinia hulstia
Hulst's Flower Moth
Hulst's Flower Moth is a small noctuid moth described by Tepper in 1883. The species was named in honor of George Duryea Hulst, an entomologist and authority on the Catocalinae. It is found across the Great Plains and adjacent regions of western North America, with a wingspan of approximately 24 mm.
Somatochlora ensigera
Plains Emerald
Somatochlora ensigera, the plains emerald, is a medium-sized dragonfly in the family Corduliidae. First described in 1906 from Montana, this species inhabits slow-flowing streams and small rivers across the northern Great Plains of North America. Adults are active from June through September and exhibit distinctive male cerci that aid in identification.
Spilodiscus gloveri
clown beetle
Spilodiscus gloveri is a species of clown beetle in the family Histeridae, first described by Horn in 1870. It is characterized by a black body with two distinctive red maculations (spots) on the elytra, a color pattern that inspired the genus name 'Spilodiscus' (spotted disc). The species occurs in North America, with documented records from the south-central and south-western United States.
Stiphrosoma artum
Stiphrosoma artum is a small fly species in the family Anthomyzidae, described from the northern Great Plains of North America. It is one of 13 new species described in a 2005 revision of New World Stiphrosoma. The species exhibits wing polymorphism, with both fully winged and reduced-wing individuals documented.
Strigoderma knausi
A small scarab beetle endemic to the Great Plains sand dune systems of south-central Kansas, Oklahoma, and northern Texas. Males are frequently encountered by sweeping low vegetation or at light traps, where they adopt a characteristic horizontal posture with forelegs extended and antennal clubs spread to detect female sex pheromones. The species was described from specimens collected by Warren Knaus in 1923–1925 at the type locality near Medora, Kansas, and named in his honor. Females are extraordinarily rare in collections, with only a single specimen among nearly 100 examined by Bader (1992).
Synanthedon alleri
Synanthedon alleri is a clearwing moth in the family Sesiidae, native to the Nearctic region. The species was originally described as Thamnosphecia alleri in 1946 and later transferred to Synanthedon. As with other sesiids, it exhibits wasp-mimicking morphology and reduced wing scaling that creates a transparent appearance. The species appears to be rarely encountered, with limited observational records available.
Temnoscheila acuta
Temnoscheila acuta is a bark-gnawing beetle in the family Trogossitidae. The species was described by LeConte in 1858. It closely resembles Eleodes suturalis, a darkling beetle with which it shares size, coloration, and a reddish-brown sutural stripe on the elytra. Both species occur sympatrically in the Great Plains region. T. acuta averages larger than E. suturalis, approximately 30 mm versus under 26 mm.
Tetraclipeoides testaceiventris
Tetraclipeoides testaceiventris is a small scarab beetle in the subfamily Aphodiinae, described by Fall in 1932. It belongs to a genus of aphodiine dung beetles found in North America. The species is known from scattered records across the Great Plains and south-central United States.
Tetraopes pilosus
Pilose Milkweed Beetle
Tetraopes pilosus is a longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by Chemsak in 1963. It is a milkweed specialist restricted to Quaternary sandhills of the central and southern Great Plains. Adults are characterized by dense white pubescence and bright red-and-black aposematic coloration. The species is closely associated with sand milkweed (Asclepias arenaria), feeding on both foliage as adults and roots as larvae.
Tortistilus minutus
Tortistilus minutus is a species of treehopper in the family Membracidae, first described by Caldwell in 1949. The species belongs to the tribe Ceresini within the subfamily Smiliinae. Distribution records indicate occurrence in the northern Great Plains region of North America, specifically Manitoba, Montana, and North Dakota. As with other treehoppers, it is presumed to feed on plant sap, though specific host associations remain undocumented.
Trimerotropis pistrinaria
Barren Land Grasshopper
Trimerotropis pistrinaria, commonly known as the barren land grasshopper, is a band-winged grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It occurs in the Great Plains and adjacent regions of North America, with records from Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, and Mexico. The species inhabits open, sparsely vegetated areas. As a member of the genus Trimerotropis, it likely exhibits cryptic coloration typical of band-winged grasshoppers that inhabit exposed substrates.
Unoka gillettei
Unoka gillettei is a species of leafhopper in the family Cicadellidae, described by Metcalf in 1955. It belongs to the tribe Deltocephalini within the subfamily Deltocephalinae. The species has been documented in the central United States, with records from Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Very few observations exist in public databases, suggesting it may be uncommon or underreported.
Virbia fragilis
Virbia fragilis is a moth species in the family Erebidae, subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by Strecker in 1878 from specimens collected in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The species occupies a restricted but disjunct distribution across the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains regions of western North America, with populations documented from South Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico, Alberta, and British Columbia. It is associated with open field habitats.
Xanthippus corallipes pantherinus
Red shanks
Xanthippus corallipes pantherinus is a subspecies of band-winged grasshopper found in the Great Plains of southern Colorado. Adults are medium to large in size with distinctive red inner faces of the hind femora, giving rise to the common name "red shanks." The subspecies is common and can be destructive to grassland vegetation, particularly western wheatgrass. It produces loud flight and deposits eggs in calcareous soils on hilltops and ridges.
Xenochodaeus americanus
Xenochodaeus americanus is a species of scarab beetle in the family Ochodaeidae, commonly known as sand-loving scarab beetles. The species was described by Westwood in 1852. It occurs in sandy habitats in the Great Plains region of North America, with records from the United States (Iowa, Great Plains) and Canada (Manitoba).
Xysticus auctificus
Xysticus auctificus is a species of ground crab spider in the family Thomisidae, distributed across north-central North America. As a member of the genus Xysticus, it exhibits the characteristic crab-like leg arrangement and ambush hunting strategy typical of this diverse spider group. The species has been documented in prairie and grassland habitats, where it relies on crypsis to capture prey.
Xysticus bicuspis
Xysticus bicuspis is a species of ground crab spider in the family Thomisidae. The genus Xysticus comprises ambush predators commonly known as ground crab spiders, which typically hunt without webs. Xysticus species are distinguished from similar crab spiders in the genus Coriarachne and Misumena by morphological features and habitat preferences. This species has been recorded from the northern United States and southern Canada, including Montana, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
Zygogramma exclamationis
sunflower beetle
Zygogramma exclamationis, the sunflower beetle, is a leaf-feeding chrysomelid beetle native to North America. Adults emerge from hibernation in late spring to early summer, coinciding with sunflower seedling emergence, and feed on young leaves. Larvae develop through summer, feeding nocturnally on foliage while hiding in flower bracts during daylight hours. The species completes one generation per year, with new adults emerging in late summer before overwintering in soil. It is a recognized pest of cultivated sunflowers, particularly damaging to seedlings, and serves as host for parasitoid tachinid flies including Myiopharus neilli.