Mediterranean
Guides
Actenodia
Actenodia is a genus of blister beetles in the family Meloidae and tribe Mylabrini. A 2008 systematic revision recognized 18 species across the Mediterranean and Saharo-Arabian regions, and eastern and southern Africa. The revision treats adult morphology and provides a species key, while its biological notes draw on records of seasonality, elevation, habitat preferences, and host plants.
Afraflacilla tarajalis
Afraflacilla tarajalis is a small jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It has been recorded around the Mediterranean, including Greece, Morocco, Portugal and Spain; GBIF records independently include Portugal and Spain. Reported adults measure roughly 4–6 mm and have contrasting gray, brown, orange and dark markings. Its identification relies on details of the reproductive structures, rather than color alone.
Agalmatium bilobum
Agalmatium bilobum is a planthopper species in the family Issidae, first described as Hysteropterum bilobum by Fieber in 1877. It belongs to the tribe Hysteropterini within the subfamily Hysteropterinae. The species has been documented across Turkey and southern Italy, with over 800 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Like other issid planthoppers, it possesses a compact body form and reduced wings characteristic of the family.
Airaphilus
Airaphilus is a genus of beetles in the family Silvanidae, subfamily Silvaninae. The genus contains approximately 30 described species distributed across Europe, North Africa, Madagascar, and Japan. At least one species, Airaphilus abei, is flightless (apterous) and has been assessed as potentially endangered due to habitat loss. The genus was first described by Redtenbacher in 1858.
Anacridium aegyptium
Egyptian grasshopper, Egyptian locust, Egyptian Bird Grasshopper
One of the largest European grasshoppers, reaching up to 70 mm in females. Distinguished by striped eyes, blue hind tibiae, and orange hind femora with dark markings. Solitary and folivorous, inhabiting warm, bright environments from sea level to 1,500 m. Active year-round with adults most visible August–September; overwinters as adults and spawns in spring.
Anamastigona
Anamastigona is a genus of chordeumatidan millipedes in the family Anthroleucosomatidae. A 2016 revision recognized 20 species and documented the genus across southern and southeastern Europe, Mediterranean islands, Turkey, Israel, and the Caucasus. Its genus-level diagnosis relies on the structure of the reproductive legs (gonopods), while one described member, A. cypria, is known from streamside and forest sites in Cyprus.
Blaptini
Blaptini is a tribe of darkling beetles within the subfamily Blaptinae (Tenebrionidae). The tribe contains more than 30 genera and was moved from Tenebrioninae to the resurrected subfamily Blaptinae in 2021, representing a major taxonomic reclassification. Members are primarily distributed in arid and semi-arid regions of Asia, with notable diversity on the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau and in the Mediterranean basin. The tribe includes flightless species adapted to high-elevation and xeric environments.
Brachyceridae
Brachyceridae is a family of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) containing at least 150 genera. The family has been treated historically as a subfamily of Curculionidae, but is now recognized as distinct. Some constituent genera, such as Absoloniella, contain blind, wingless species restricted to Mediterranean regions. The family belongs to the superfamily Curculionoidea, placing it among the true weevils.
Brachyiulus
Short Snake Millipedes
Brachyiulus is a genus of millipedes in the order Julida and family Julidae, established by Berlese in 1884. Its documented range is centered on the Mediterranean region of Europe and Asia, although records of individual species extend farther north. In one studied species, B. jawlowskii, local population density varied among habitats and seasons, illustrating ecological variation within the genus without establishing a trait shared by all its species.
Caliscelis bonellii
Caliscelis bonellii is a planthopper species in the family Caliscelidae, originally described as Fulgora bonellii by Latreille in 1807. It belongs to the infraorder Fulgoromorpha, a group known for their enlarged frons and distinctive head morphology. The species has been recorded across Mediterranean Europe and has been introduced to North America, with observations in California. It is one of the more frequently documented species in its genus, with over 250 iNaturalist observations.
Cardiocondyla elegans
*Cardiocondyla elegans* is a Mediterranean ant in the genus *Cardiocondyla*. Studies describe colonies with a single queen and nests on river banks. Males are wingless, and workers may bring unrelated sexual ants into nests during reproduction—a reproductive pattern investigated in this species.
Cataleptoneta
Cataleptoneta is a genus of small spiders in the family Leptonetidae. J. Denis described the genus in 1955, and Cataleptoneta edentula is its type species. World Spider Catalog records place accepted members in parts of the eastern Mediterranean and southeastern Europe, including Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Greece. The genus is part of a spider family associated with dark, moist environments, but genus-level sources do not establish the same habitat or natural history for every member.
Cerocoma
Cerocoma is a genus of blister beetles (Meloidae) recorded from the Palaearctic region. Adults are morphologically diverse, and descriptions emphasize differences among species and subgenera rather than one uniform appearance. The genus includes species whose first-instar larvae have been described, but early-stage identification remains limited.
Closterotomus trivialis
trivial plant bug
Closterotomus trivialis is a mirid true bug in the family Miridae, recorded from parts of southern Europe. Adults are about 6.6–7.9 mm long and vary in color, with reported differences between females and males. It has been reported as a pest of olive and citrus, where its seasonal life history has been studied in Crete.
Colaspidea
Colaspidea is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus exhibits a disjunct distribution, occurring in the Mediterranean region and in western North America (California and the southwestern United States). A notable morphological distinction exists between regional species: North American species possess fully developed wings, while Mediterranean species are wingless. Recent phylogenetic hypotheses suggest that Mediterranean Colaspidea may be sister to Chalcosicya, with Colaspina sister to both combined; North American species may represent a separate genus. The genus currently contains 19 described species.
Coleophora perplexella
Coleophora perplexella is a case-bearing moth in the family Coleophoridae, described by Toll in 1960. A 2019 study reports it as native to Spain and Portugal, with records elsewhere in the Mediterranean region. In Tunisia, its larvae were reported damaging young oat and barley seedlings, an unusual documented agricultural impact for this species.
Conosimus
Conosimus is a genus of issid planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) established by Mulsant and Rey in 1855. A 2014 taxonomic review treated six species, distributed across southern Europe and nearby Mediterranean localities. Species comparisons emphasize the shape and proportions of the head, especially the coryphe, the plate behind the face; females have a longer coryphe than males in the groups discussed, while C. baenai is intermediate. Detailed natural-history information is available for only a few species.
Cosmochthonius
Cosmochthonius is a genus of oribatid mites (Oribatida: Cosmochthoniidae) established by Berlese in 1910. The genus comprises at least eleven species distributed across the Mediterranean basin and parts of the former Soviet Union. Species exhibit a split distribution pattern, with five species occurring in both western and eastern Mediterranean regions while six species are endemic to the eastern Mediterranean.
Derelomus
Derelomus is a genus of weevils (Curculionidae: Derelomini) distributed across the Afrotropical and Mediterranean regions. The genus comprises 32 recognized species, organized into four main species groups based on morphological and molecular data. Species exhibit specialized brood site pollination mutualisms with host plants, with different species groups associated with distinct plant families: Fabaceae (Vachellia), Achariaceae/Ebenaceae, Strelitziaceae/Arecaceae (Strelitzia and Phoenix reclinata), and Arecaceae palms (Chamaerops, Cocos, Phoenix). Adults are small weevils with rostrate heads typical of the family.
Dichelia
Dichelia is a genus of tortrix moths in the tribe Archipini, established by Guenée in 1845. The genus includes at least five described species distributed across Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean region. One species, D. cedricola, has been documented as a significant pest of Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani), causing needle drop and bud damage through larval feeding. Larvae construct silk-bound needle nests and overwinter in protective silk coverings on host trees.
Dictyla echii
Bugloss Lace Bug
A lace bug (Hemiptera: Tingidae) native to the Palearctic and introduced to North America. In Canada, it is univoltine and overwinters as adults in soil near host plant rosettes in reproductive diapause. In the Mediterranean region, it produces at least 2–3 generations annually. Associated primarily with Boraginaceae, especially Echium species. Tested as a biological control agent for Echium plantagineum (Paterson's curse) in Australia but rejected due to insufficient host specificity.
Diorhabda sublineata
Subtropical Tamarisk Beetle, Saltcedar Beetle, Saltcedar Leaf Beetle, Tamarisk Leaf Beetle
Diorhabda sublineata is a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as the subtropical tamarisk beetle. Originally described from Algeria in 1849, it was restored to full species status in 2009 after being treated as a subspecies or synonym of D. elongata for over a century. It is a specialist feeder on tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) and has been introduced to North America as a biological control agent against invasive saltcedar. The species is particularly adapted to subtropical and Mediterranean climates.
Dioxys
Dioxys is a genus of parasitic bees in the family Megachilidae, tribe Dioxyini. These bees are characterized by distinctive morphological features including a median tubercle on the metanotum and an extremely reduced, non-functional sting. The genus contains approximately 13 recognized species in the West Palaearctic region, with a taxonomic revision published in 2024 resolving several long-standing species-level issues. Dioxys species are distributed across the Mediterranean basin, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Canary Islands, with varying geographic ranges and habitat preferences.
Dolichopoda
cave crickets
Dolichopoda is a genus of cave crickets in the family Rhaphidophoridae. More than 50 described species are reported, with the greatest diversity in Greece. The genus is documented across the Mediterranean basin, including southern Europe and western Asia. Its varied subgeneric groupings use leg-spine characters in some diagnoses, so no single such character should be treated as universal across the genus.
Eukoenenia mirabilis
*Eukoenenia mirabilis* is a palpigrade arachnid described in 1885. Records place it widely across the Mediterranean region, with additional populations reported from Madagascar, South Africa, Chile, and southern Australia. In a species study, specimens were found beneath rocks embedded in soil and in leaf litter. Females can be distinguished under magnification by a single blade in the lateral organ and 5–6 stout glandular setae on sternites V and VI.
Eupholidoptera
Marbled Bush-crickets
Eupholidoptera is a genus of bush crickets (katydids) in the family Tettigoniidae, native to the northern Mediterranean region. A major taxonomic review recognized two large species groups, named chabrieri and prasina. Males are especially useful for identification: the review provides a male key and distinguishes the groups by genital structures. Calling songs were documented for 25 species and were relatively uniform, consisting of series of separate syllables.
Euphyllura
olive psyllids, olive psylla
Euphyllura is a genus of plant-feeding psyllids (Hemiptera: Liviidae) established by Arnold Förster in 1848. Species are primarily associated with olive (Olea europaea) and related host plants in the Oleaceae. The genus is predominantly Palaearctic in distribution, with most species occurring in southern Europe and Asia, though records extend to southern Africa and western North America. Several species are economically significant pests of olive cultivation, including E. olivina, E. phillyreae, and E. straminea, which damage developing inflorescences and fruits. The genus exhibits typical psyllid biology with temperature-dependent reproduction and seasonal diapause strategies.
Euphyllura olivina
olive psyllid
Euphyllura olivina is a psyllid species in the family Liviidae that feeds exclusively on olive (Olea europaea). Native to the Mediterranean region, it has become invasive in California where it threatens olive production. The species develops two generations annually, with spring and autumn reproductive activity and summer reproductive diapause induced by high temperatures. Nymphal infestations concentrate near fruits and on shaded, lower canopy portions. Temperature sensitivity shapes its distribution and seasonal activity patterns.
Eupithecia sardoa
Eupithecia sardoa is a small, locally recorded Mediterranean geometer moth in the family Geometridae. A 2026 taxonomic study treats it as a coastal species associated with prickly juniper (Juniperus macrocarpa), with records from Corsica, Sardinia, coastal mainland Italy, Sicily, and Tunisia. It is closely similar to the newly described E. iberica; genetic evidence and detailed morphological comparison, including genitalia, were used to separate the two. Adults have been recorded from early autumn through spring, with the study proposing spring and autumn generations.
Fibla
Fibla is a genus of snakeflies in the family Inocelliidae and order Raphidioptera. GBIF recognizes eight species, including fossil taxa. Occurrence records assigned to the genus are concentrated in southern and central Europe, with additional records in Russia, the United States, and Poland. In one living species, F. maclachlani, researchers documented a likely human-assisted move from Mediterranean islands to mainland Italy.
Fordini
Fordini is a monophyletic tribe of gall-forming aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) characterized by complex two-year life cycles, strict host specificity, and sophisticated plant manipulation abilities. The tribe comprises two subtribes: Fordina, associated with Pistacia species and producing spherical to cauliflower-like galls; and Melaphidina, associated with Rhus species with galls positioned on leaf midribs and petioles. These aphids alternate between primary woody hosts where they induce conspicuous galls and secondary grass hosts where they feed on roots.
Glaucolepis
Glaucolepis is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, established by Braun in 1917. Species in this genus are leaf miners with specialized host associations, particularly with plants in the genus Bupleurum (Apiaceae). The genus is distributed in southwestern Europe and northern Africa, with some records from North America. DNA barcode analysis suggests monophyletic origins for host plant associations within the genus.
Homotoma ficus
Mediterranean fig psyllid, fig psylla
Homotoma ficus is a Mediterranean psyllid species in the family Homotomidae, commonly known as the Mediterranean fig psyllid or fig psylla. It has been introduced to regions outside its native range, including Serbia, through the cultivation of fig plants. The species can cause economic damage to its host plant in certain years. First described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Chermes ficus, it is now classified under the genus Homotoma.
Hyadaphis foeniculi
Fennel Aphid
Hyadaphis foeniculi is a cosmopolitan aphid species and major pest of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), native to Mediterranean regions and introduced to Brazil and other areas. Laboratory studies demonstrate strict thermal requirements: nymph development occurs only between 15-30°C, with 3°C and 33°C lethal. The species exhibits four nymphal instars with temperature-dependent development rates, completing the nymphal stage in 5 days at 30°C to 19 days at 15°C. Winged adults reproduce parthenogenetically, forming colonies inside fennel flowers during hot periods. The aphid vectors at least 12 plant viruses and produces honeydew that facilitates sooty mold growth, compounding crop damage.
Hypocacculus metallescens
clown beetle
Hypocacculus metallescens is a small histerid beetle first described from Europe in 1834. The species has a broad Old World distribution spanning the Mediterranean basin, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, with introduced populations established in Florida, USA. As a member of the clown beetle family Histeridae, it likely occupies habitats associated with decaying organic matter.
Ischiodon aegyptius
Epauletted Hover Fly
Ischiodon aegyptius is a hoverfly in the family Syrphidae, also called the epauletted hover fly. It is reported from Africa, the Near East and parts of southern Europe; recent records document it in four departments of continental France and Corsica. Like other documented Ischiodon species, its larvae prey mainly on aphids. European females can be difficult to distinguish from the related I. scutellaris, so reliable identification may require DNA barcodes or associated males.
Lethocerus
giant water bugs, toe biters, electric light bugs
Lethocerus is a genus of large predatory aquatic true bugs in the family Belostomatidae. Members are among the largest true bugs, with some species exceeding 12 cm in length. The genus is distinguished from related genera by specific morphological features of the fore femur and parasternites. Unlike other giant water bugs, females do not deposit eggs on males' backs; instead, eggs are laid on emergent vegetation above the waterline and guarded by males. The genus shows greatest diversity in the Americas, with limited representation in Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia.
Lithurgus chrysurus
Mediterranean wood-boring bee, Golden-tailed Woodborer
Lithurgus chrysurus is a wood-nesting megachilid bee native to the Mediterranean region that has established adventive populations in North America. It is one of the few bees that excavates its own nesting tunnels in wood rather than using pre-existing cavities. The species is univoltine, producing one generation per year, and constructs distinctive silk-lined cocoons for overwintering larvae.
Longitarsus candidulus
Longitarsus candidulus is a flea beetle in the leaf-beetle family Chrysomelidae. Studies of the L. candidulus species group describe this species as thermophilic and widely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin. It is associated with the shrubs Daphne gnidium and Thymelaea hirsuta. The group’s evolutionary history has been linked to climatic shifts and changes in host-plant ranges.
Luridiblatta
Luridiblatta is a genus of cockroaches in the family Ectobiidae. A 2022 revision recognized ten species, arranged in three species groups, across an almost circum-Mediterranean range. The species are separated through detailed morphology; the revision provides a key to males and highlights striking variation in the abdominal plates of some species.
Luridiblatta
Luridiblatta is a genus of cockroaches in the family Ectobiidae, established by Fernandes in 1965. The genus contains 10 recognized species, including L. trivittata which has been introduced to California and is known there as the "tiny cockroach." Most species exhibit an almost circum-Mediterranean distribution. A 2022 taxonomic revision described 7 new species and organized them into three species-groups based on morphological characteristics.
Luridiblatta trivittata
Three-lined Cockroach, Tiny Cockroach
Luridiblatta trivittata is a small cockroach species native to the Mediterranean region, belonging to the family Ectobiidae. It is one of ten species in the genus Luridiblatta, which has an almost circum-Mediterranean distribution. The species is part of the trivittata species-group along with L. habbachii. It has been introduced to California, where it is recognized as one of eight exotic cockroach species present in the state. Unlike major indoor pest cockroaches, this species is primarily an outdoor inhabitant that occasionally enters buildings but does not normally reproduce indoors.
Lycosa tarantula
tarantula wolf spider
Lycosa tarantula is a Mediterranean wolf spider in the family Lycosidae, not a member of the unrelated tarantula family Theraphosidae. It is described as one of the larger species of wolf spider. Experiments on this species show that it uses visual information from its surroundings to estimate distance while returning to its burrow. Its historical association with the Apulian tarantella gave the word “tarantula” a cultural story that is distinct from modern medical understanding of its bite.
Marinarozelotes barbatus
A ground-dwelling spider species in the family Gnaphosidae, first described by L. Koch in 1866. The first cytogenetic analysis of this species was conducted on specimens from Turkey, revealing a diploid chromosome number of 2n♂=22 with an X1X20 sex chromosome system. All chromosomes are telocentric, with X1 being the largest and X2 the smallest chromosome in the karyotype. Sex chromosomes exhibit positive heteropycnosis during prophase I of meiosis. The species has a broad native distribution across the Mediterranean to Caucasus region and has been introduced to the USA.
Mediimorda
Mediimorda is a genus of tumbling flower beetles in the family Mordellidae. GBIF currently lists seven accepted species, while a western Palaearctic revision documents a history of species-status changes and describes two North African species. Published summaries place the genus mainly in southern Europe and Mediterranean countries; the available records give examples, not a complete range.
Messor ibericus
Iberian Harvester Ant
*Messor ibericus* is a harvester ant species in the family Formicidae, independently recognized by GBIF and iNaturalist. A 2025 study documented workers and queens in Malta and compared sound signals among populations from Malta, Gozo, Sicily, Crete, and Bulgaria. Its recorded stridulatory distress signals make this species a subject of research on acoustic variation in ants.
Microplax
Microplax is a genus of true bugs in the family Oxycarenidae, established by Fieber in 1860. The genus includes species native to the Mediterranean region, with at least one species, Microplax albofasciata, having expanded its range northward to the Channel Islands and Germany, and subsequently introduced to North America. The 2012 detection in California represents the first documented occurrence in the United States.
Microplax albofasciata
Microplax albofasciata is a true bug in the family Oxycarenidae, native to the Mediterranean region and parts of western Europe. The species was first described by Costa in 1847 and has been documented across southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It was first recorded in North America in California in 2012, representing a recent range expansion. The specific epithet 'albofasciata' refers to a white banded pattern characteristic of this species.
Mordellistena peloponnesensis
Mordellistena peloponnesensis is a tumbling flower beetle in the family Mordellidae, originally described from the eastern Mediterranean. Records documented from Cyprus and Greece were extended to Italy and Turkey in a 2024 redescription. Adults are small, dark beetles with pale dorsal pubescence; identification relies on a combination of antennal, hind-tibial, and male-genital characters. A DNA-barcode study found three mitochondrial haplotypes among sampled Greek, Cypriot, and Italian specimens.
Nicobium castaneum
Nicobium castaneum is a beetle in the anobiid group, recorded as a widely distributed Mediterranean species. Adults are small, reddish brown and densely hairy on the wing covers. Its larvae develop in wood; a documented infestation in a Catania church affected wooden sculpture in a humid, poorly ventilated case. The species can also feed on paper and leather bindings.