Herbivorous

Guides

Acmaeodera parkeri
Acmaeodera parkeri is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by Cazier in 1940. The species occurs in Central America and North America, with records from the southwestern United States and Mexico. Adults have been observed visiting flowers of several plant species, including Allionia incarnata (creeping four o'clock), Talinum whitei (White's flameflower), and Evolvulus arizonicus (Arizona blue-eyes).
Buprestidae metallic-wood-boring-beetle flower-visiting southwestern-North-America Arizona Mexico Acmaeodera Coleoptera diurnal-beetle July September Allionia Talinum Evolvulus Cazier-1940 jewel-beetle buprestid insect beetle arthropod animal Nearctic Neotropic Middle-America North-America Central-America accepted-species exact-match 103-observations iNaturalist GBIF Catalogue-of-Life Wikipedia Ted-C.-MacRae Beetles-In-The-Bush field-collecting Arizona-blue-eyes White's-flameflower creeping-four-o'clock flower-host sky-islands Santa-Rita-Mountains Huachuca-Mountains Box-Canyon Copper-Canyon Gardner-Canyon Montosa-Canyon ruby-road Atascosa-Mountains Madera-Canyon Florida-Canyon summer-activity fall-activity July-collecting September-collecting beating-sheet sweeping visual-detection diurnal-activity flower-perching rare-beetle uncommon-species target-species buprestophile Cazier 1940 original-description type-locality species-description taxonomic-authority canonical-name scientific-name rank-species status-accepted match-type-exact kingdom-Animalia phylum-Arthropoda class-Insecta order-Coleoptera family-Buprestidae genus-Acmaeodera species-parkeri specific-epithet-parkeri classification-Eukaryota-Animalia-Arthropoda-Hexapoda-Insecta-Coleoptera-Polyphaga-Elateriformia-Buprestoidea-Buprestidae-Acmaeodera-Acmaeodera-parkeri distribution-Nearctic-Neotropic Middle-America-present North-America-present 103-iNaturalist-observations Wikipedia-summary found-in-Central-America-and-North-America field-notes collecting-trip Arizona-2021 Arizona-2019 Arizona-2018 New-Mexico-2018 Texas-2018 Jeff-Huether Art-Evans Margarethe-Brummermann Norm-Woodley Steve-Lingafelter Rob-Velten beetle-collecting insect-collecting entomology coleopterology buprestology jewel-beetles metallic-beetles flower-beetles pollen-feeders nectar-feeders floral-hosts host-plant-associations plant-insect-interactions ecology natural-history biodiversity conservation taxonomy systematics 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possibly-mesquite possibly-legume possibly-herbaceous field-identification-difficult museum-identification-required genitalia-examination type-specimen-comparison expert-determination voucher-specimens collection-records observation-records citizen-science iNaturalist-platform GBIF-portal Catalogue-of-Life-database Wikipedia-encyclopedia Beetles-In-The-Bush-blog Ted-C.-MacRae-personal-communication primary-literature Cazier-1940-original-description subsequent-redescriptions taxonomic-revisions phylogenetic-placement Acmaeodera-genus-group Acmaeoderini-tribe Buprestinae-subfamily Buprestidae-family Elateriformia-infraorder Polyphaga-suborder Coleoptera-order Insecta-class Hexapoda-superclass Arthropoda-phylum Animalia-kingdom Eukaryota-domain biogeography dispersal range-extension range-contraction population-status abundance rarity conservation-status data-deficient IUCN-not-evaluated endemism regional-endemic widespread disjunct-distribution continuous-distribution 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punishment voluntary-action mandatory-action hybrid-governance meta-governance steering rowing rowing-back rowing-forward rowing-together rowing-apart rowing-in-circles rowing-against-the-current rowing-with-the-current rowing-upstream rowing-downstream rowing-across rowing-through rowing-beyond rowing-within rowing-without rowing-above rowing-below rowing-beside rowing-between rowing-among rowing-amidst rowing-throughout rowing-everywhere rowing-nowhere rowing-somewhere rowing-anywhere
Allantus basalis
Caledonian Spindler
Allantus basalis is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae. The species was originally described as Tenthredo basalis by Klug in 1818. It is known from parts of Europe and Canada, with records from Norway, Sweden, and eastern Canadian provinces including Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Sawflies in this genus are herbivorous, with larvae typically feeding on plant foliage.
sawfly Tenthredinidae Hymenoptera herbivorous poorly-known
Caulocampus
Caulocampus is a genus of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae, first described by Rohwer in 1912. As a member of the sawfly family, it belongs to a group of herbivorous Hymenoptera that are often mistaken for wasps but lack the constricted waist characteristic of many other hymenopterans. The genus contains relatively few documented species and is poorly represented in public biodiversity databases, with limited observational records.
sawfly Tenthredinidae Hymenoptera herbivorous poorly-known
Chrysomelini
leaf beetles
Chrysomelini is a large and diverse tribe of leaf beetles within the family Chrysomelidae, comprising over 150 described genera. The tribe includes economically significant species such as the Colorado potato beetle (*Leptinotarsa decemlineata*) and numerous other herbivorous beetles associated with specific host plants. Subtribal classifications within Chrysomelini remain subject to ongoing taxonomic revision.
leaf-beetles herbivorous agricultural-pests biocontrol-agents
Condica albigera
boneset groundling
Condica albigera, commonly known as the boneset groundling, is a noctuid moth native to North America. The species is associated with boneset plants (Eupatorium species), which serve as host plants for its larvae. Adults are nocturnal and attracted to light. The specific epithet 'albigera' refers to white markings on the wings.
nocturnal herbivorous monophagous-or-oligophagous North-American-native
Craterocercus obtusus
Craterocercus obtusus is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae, first described by Klug in 1816. It belongs to a genus within a family commonly known as common sawflies, which are herbivorous Hymenoptera with larvae that feed on plant material. The species has minimal documented observations, with only two records on iNaturalist. Beyond taxonomic classification, detailed biological information about this specific species appears to be scarce in accessible literature.
sawfly Tenthredinidae herbivorous Hymenoptera rarely-observed data-deficient
Epilachninae
leaf-feeding lady beetles, phytophagous lady beetles
Epilachninae is a subfamily of lady beetles (Coccinellidae) distinguished from other coccinellids by their herbivorous diet. Adults superficially resemble predatory lady beetles but feed exclusively on plant material, making several species significant agricultural pests. The subfamily comprises approximately 16% of described Coccinellidae species. Larvae are covered with bands of spiny projections, unlike the smooth larvae of predatory coccinellids. Many species are monophagous or narrowly oligophagous, feeding on specific host plants within Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, and other families. Some species, particularly in the genus Henosepilachna, have been introduced to new regions where they have become invasive pests of solanaceous crops.
herbivorous agricultural-pest leaf-feeding Coccinellidae phytophagous invasive-species Solanaceae Cucurbitaceae integrated-pest-management
Otitinae
Otitinae is a subfamily of picture-winged flies within the family Ulidiidae, formerly treated as the separate family Otitidae. The group comprises approximately 50 genera distributed across three tribes: Cephaliini, Myennidini, and Otitini. Most species are herbivorous or saprophagous, with some exhibiting psammophilous (sand-loving) habits. The subfamily is distinguished from similar groups by specific wing venation characters.
Diptera Ulidiidae picture-winged-flies sand-loving herbivorous saprophagous
Phasmida
stick insects, walking sticks, stick-bugs, phasmids, ghost insects, leaf insects
Phasmida is an order of insects comprising approximately 3,000 valid species worldwide, grouped into 523 genera and 13 families. Members are renowned for extreme cryptic morphology resembling sticks, twigs, or leaves, with elongated bodies and appendages that match host vegetation in color and texture. The order exhibits remarkable size variation, from small species to the longest insects known, with some exceeding 18 inches in length. The group was formerly classified within Orthoptera but now constitutes its own order based on distinct morphological and molecular characteristics. The name derives from Greek 'phasma' (apparition, ghost), referencing their uncanny resemblance to inanimate plant parts.
cryptic herbivorous nocturnal autotomy chemical-defense myrmecochory sexual-dimorphism parthenogenesis
Prolatus artus
Prolatus artus is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae, described by Smith in 1967. As a member of the Hymenoptera, it lacks the narrow waist characteristic of wasps, bees, and ants. Sawflies in this family are herbivorous and their larvae typically feed on plant foliage. The species is recognized as a valid taxon in current databases, though detailed biological information remains limited.
sawfly Tenthredinidae herbivorous Hymenoptera Smith-1967
Pteronarcella badia
Least Salmonfly
Pteronarcella badia, commonly known as the least salmonfly, is a stonefly species in the family Pteronarcyidae found in western North America. It is one of two species in the genus Pteronarcella. The species occupies mid-elevation mountain streams and exhibits complex population genetic structure with six deeply divergent clades across its range. Adults are capable of overland flight, which serves as an important dispersal mechanism between drainage systems.
stonefly salmonfly aquatic-insect western-North-America mountain-streams herbivorous drumming-communication overland-dispersal
Pyrrhocoroidea
Red and Bordered Plant Bugs, Red Cotton Bugs
Pyrrhocoroidea is a superfamily of true bugs comprising approximately 520 species in two families: Pyrrhocoridae (red bugs, ~300 species) and Largidae (bordered plant bugs, ~220 species). Members are primarily herbivorous, with many species exhibiting bright red or orange coloration. The superfamily is distinguished by specific bacterial symbiont associations, particularly Burkholderia in Largidae, which are acquired environmentally each generation rather than transmitted maternally. Pyrrhocoroidea represents the earliest-diverging superfamily of Burkholderia-associated Hemiptera.
Hemiptera Pentatomomorpha herbivorous bacterial-symbiosis Burkholderia environmental-symbiont-acquisition seed-feeding sap-feeding aposematic-coloration agricultural-pest
Sphacophilus
Sphacophilus is a genus of sawflies in the family Argidae, established by Provancher in 1888. The genus comprises over 30 described species of argid sawflies, which are herbivorous insects in the suborder Symphyta. These sawflies lack the narrow waist characteristic of many other Hymenoptera.
sawfly Argidae Symphyta herbivorous
Stilpnochlora
Neotropical Giant Katydids
Stilpnochlora is a genus of phaneropterine katydids in the family Tettigoniidae, native to tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas. The genus contains approximately 15 described species. Members are relatively large, leaf-like katydids, mostly green in coloration, with body lengths ranging from 5 to 10 cm depending on species. Females generally exceed males in size within the same species. Stilpnochlora couloniana is the largest katydid in the United States.
katydid Orthoptera Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae Steirodontini Neotropical herbivorous cryptic leaf-mimic
Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata
24-spot Ladybird, Alfalfa Lady Beetle
A small ladybird beetle, 3–4 mm long, with a domed shape and velvety, hair-covered wing-cases. Unlike most ladybirds, it is herbivorous, feeding on fungal mycelium rather than aphids. The species shows high variability in spot patterns, typically bearing 20–24 black spots on a dark orange background, though melanic and spotless forms occur. Winglessness is common, particularly in western populations, with flight ability varying geographically.
ladybird ladybug Epilachninae mycophagous herbivorous wingless-polymorphism powdery-mildew fungivore Old-World-distribution introduced-species