Mating-aggregation
Guides
Buprestis lineata
Lined Buprestid Beetle, lined buprestris
Buprestis lineata is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. Adults have been observed on the lower trunks of shortleaf pines (Pinus echinata) in Arkansas, where they congregate to mate. The species is one of several wood-boring beetles associated with pine trees in the southeastern United States.
Diadasia
cactus bees, bindweed turret bees
Diadasia is a genus of solitary bees in the family Apidae, tribe Emphorini, containing approximately 42 species. These bees are oligolectic pollen specialists that primarily forage on plants in the family Malvaceae, though some species have evolved associations with other plant groups including cacti, bindweeds, and willowherbs. They are ground-nesting bees, with many species constructing distinctive turrets or chimney-like structures at their nest entrances. Male Diadasia form large mating aggregations where they compete intensely for access to emerging females.
Diadasia bituberculata
Bindweed Turret Bee, Bindweed Bee, Digger Bee, Chimney Bee
Diadasia bituberculata is a solitary ground-nesting bee in the family Apidae, commonly known as the bindweed turret bee. It is native to the western coast of North America, with its range extending from Oregon through California to Baja California, Mexico. The species is an obligate specialist pollinator of bindweed (morning glory), foraging almost exclusively on plants in the genus Convolvulus. Females construct distinctive soil turrets at nest entrances in flat, bare ground, provisioning underground cells with pollen for their offspring.
Diadasia rinconis
Cactus Bee
Diadasia rinconis is a solitary ground-nesting bee in the family Apidae, commonly known as the cactus bee. In the Sonoran Desert, it feeds almost exclusively on native cactus species, with its life cycle closely tied to cactus flowering phenology. Males form large mating aggregations where hundreds or thousands patrol nesting areas and compete in "mating balls" for access to emerging females. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, with females possessing specialized pollen-collecting structures and males showing elongated hind legs.
Eupompha
Eupompha is a genus of blister beetles (family Meloidae) comprising approximately 14 described species distributed in arid regions of North America. Members of this genus are characterized by their association with creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and other desert plants, on which adults feed and aggregate in mating pairs. The genus belongs to the tribe Eupomphini, which includes other genera with similar desert-adapted ecologies.
Hypoderma tarandi
Reindeer Warble Fly, Reindeer Botfly, Caribou Bot Fly
Hypoderma tarandi is a parasitic warble fly (Diptera: Oestridae) that infests reindeer and caribou across Arctic and subarctic regions. Adult females lay eggs on host hair shafts; larvae penetrate the skin and develop in subcutaneous tissues, creating warble lesions. The species has exceptionally strong flight capacity in females, with maximum lifetime flight distances estimated at 600–900 km, an adaptation linked to the migratory behavior of its host. Adults do not feed; they rely entirely on fat reserves accumulated during larval development. The species causes economic damage to hides, meat, and milk production in domesticated herds and has been documented causing ophthalmomyiasis in humans.
Pyrota bilineata
Pyrota bilineata is a blister beetle (family Meloidae) distributed across western North America. The species exhibits extreme sexual size dimorphism, with males frequently less than half the size of females. Adults are diurnal and commonly observed feeding and mating on flowers of yellow rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) and related Asteraceae. Like other meloids, it produces cantharidin, a defensive compound that renders it unpalatable to predators.