Mexican-fauna
Guides
Aneflus prolixus
Aneflus prolixus is a longhorn beetle species in the tribe Elaphidiini, first described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1873. The species belongs to a genus of relatively small cerambycids. Observations indicate association with Baccharis sarothroides, a desert shrub. It occurs in the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Aphrastus
Aphrastus is a genus of broad-nosed weevils (Entiminae) established by Thomas Say in 1831. The genus contains five described species distributed across North America and Mexico. These weevils are placed in the tribe Phyllobiini within the family Curculionidae. The genus is represented by 589 iNaturalist observations, indicating moderate documentation of its occurrence in the field.
Barytettix
spur-throated grasshoppers
Barytettix is a genus of spur-throated grasshoppers in the family Acrididae, comprising approximately nine described species. Members are found in western Mexico and the southwestern United States. At least one species, Barytettix psolus, is obligately flightless, lacking functional wings and associated flight musculature. The genus belongs to the tribe Conalcaeini within the subfamily Melanoplinae.
Chilometopon pallidum
Chilometopon pallidum is a species of darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, described by Thomas Lincoln Casey in 1890. The genus Chilometopon is endemic to Mexico, and this species appears to be poorly known with no documented observations in major biodiversity databases. Like other tenebrionids, adults likely inhabit arid or semi-arid environments and may be nocturnal or crepuscular in activity.
Chrysina lecontei
Leconte's chrysina
Chrysina lecontei is a species of shining leaf chafer beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The species is known for its metallic coloration, typical of the genus Chrysina. It has been documented in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and in several Mexican states including Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Zacatecas.
Euphoria biguttata
Euphoria biguttata is a species of flower chafer (subfamily Cetoniinae) in the scarab beetle family. The species was described in 1833 and is primarily distributed in Mexico and Central America, with rare records from the southwestern United States. As a member of the genus Euphoria, it shares the characteristic bee-mimic flight behavior and sap-feeding habits common to this group of flower scarabs. The specific epithet "biguttata" refers to two spots or markings, though detailed morphological descriptions are limited in available sources.
Laphystia bromleyi
Laphystia bromleyi is a species of robber fly (family Asilidae) described by Wilcox in 1960. The genus Laphystia comprises small to medium-sized predatory flies distributed primarily in the New World. As a member of Asilidae, this species is presumed to be an aerial predator of other insects. Published records for this species are extremely limited, with minimal observational data available in public repositories.
Leptofoenus rufus
Leptofoenus rufus is a species of chalcidoid wasp in the family Pelecinellidae, described by LaSalle and Stage in 1985. The genus Leptofoenus is notable within the Chalcidoidea for its relatively large body size compared to most members of this superfamily. This species is known from Mexico based on distribution records.
Limnichoderus ovatus
Limnichoderus ovatus is a species of minute marsh-loving beetle in the family Limnichidae. It is associated with marsh habitats in the southern United States and Mexico. The species was described by LeConte in 1854 and belongs to a family commonly known as 'minute marsh-loving beetles' for their affinity for wetland environments.
Myrmecocystus wheeleri
Wheeler's Honeypot Ant
Myrmecocystus wheeleri is a species of honeypot ant native to arid regions of California, Baja California, and Coahuila. Like other members of the genus, it possesses specialized workers called repletes that store liquid carbohydrates in their distended crops for long-term colony sustenance. The species has been documented to host a gut microbiome dominated by halophiles, distinguishing it from congeners that harbor lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria in their replete crops.
Notibius puberulus
Notibius puberulus is a species of darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1851. The genus Notibius is a small, poorly known group within the large tenebrionid fauna of North America. This species has been recorded from Mexico and appears to be rarely collected, with limited biological information available.
Octotoma marginicollis
Octotoma marginicollis is a leaf beetle (family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Cassidinae) occurring in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Adults have been recorded feeding on Perezia thurberi and collected from a variety of woody and herbaceous plants including Fraxinus, Baccharis, Brickellia, Viguiera, and Monarda species. The species was described by Horn in 1883.
Parides alopius
white-dotted cattleheart
Parides alopius, commonly known as the white-dotted cattleheart, is a swallowtail butterfly endemic to Mexico. It is a member of the ascanius species group within the genus Parides, characterized by distinctive wing patterning with submarginal spots. The species has been recorded from very few localities and is considered uncommon, though not currently known to be threatened. A single stray individual has been documented in southeastern Arizona.
Placoschema
Placoschema is a monotypic genus of longhorned beetles (family Cerambycidae) in the tribe Trachyderini, established by Chemsak & Hovore in 2010. The genus contains a single species, Placoschema dimorpha, which exhibits striking sexual dimorphism in coloration. The genus was described from Mexican specimens, with the first U.S. record documented from Arizona in 2013. Members are notably small and somberly colored compared to other Trachyderini, which may have contributed to their being overlooked by collectors.
Pleuropasta reticulata
Pleuropasta reticulata is a species of blister beetle in the family Meloidae, described by Van Dyke in 1947. The species is found in Central America and North America, with records from the southwestern United States and Mexico. As a member of the tribe Eupomphini, it belongs to a group of meloid beetles characterized by aposematic coloration and chemical defenses. The specific epithet 'reticulata' refers to a net-like or reticulated pattern, likely describing the elytral markings. Field observations indicate adults are active during warmer months and may be found in association with flowering plants.
Pogonomyrmex bicolor
bicolored harvester ant
Pogonomyrmex bicolor, the bicolored harvester ant, is a species of harvester ant native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Like other members of the genus Pogonomyrmex, this species is characterized by its seed-collecting behavior and potent defensive sting. The species was described by Cole in 1968.
Rhachoepalpus olivaceus
Rhachoepalpus olivaceus is a species of bristle fly in the family Tachinidae, first described by Townsend in 1908. It belongs to a genus of tachinid flies whose larvae are parasitoids of other insects. The species is known from Mexico, though detailed biological information remains limited.
Rudenia leguminana
Black-tipped Rudenia Moth
Rudenia leguminana is a small tortricid moth known as the black-tipped rudenia moth. It occurs across much of the United States and parts of Mexico. The species is associated with leguminous plants, with larvae feeding on Fabaceae species.
Stenomorpha obliterata
Stenomorpha obliterata is a species of darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, described by Champion in 1892. It is a small to medium-sized beetle native to Mexico. The genus Stenomorpha comprises numerous species of ground-dwelling tenebrionids, many of which are poorly studied and difficult to identify without examination of genitalia or other fine structural characters.
Stenomorpha obovata
Stenomorpha obovata is a species of darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, first described by LeConte in 1851. The genus Stenomorpha comprises small to medium-sized beetles primarily distributed in arid and semi-arid regions of North America. This species is poorly documented in scientific literature, with minimal observational records available.
Strigamia fusata
Strigamia fusata is a species of soil-dwelling centipede in the family Linotaeniidae, originally described from Mexico in 1903 by Attems as Diplochora fusata and later transferred to Strigamia. The species belongs to a genus characterized by distinctive morphological features including a conspicuous basal denticle on the forcipular tarsungulum and paired ventral pore areas on trunk segments. Like other Strigamia species, it likely exhibits substantial variation in leg number, with the genus ranging from 31 to 83 pairs.
Tortistilus
Tortistilus is a genus of treehoppers (Membracidae: Ceresini) established by Caldwell in 1949. The genus includes at least one well-documented species, T. wickhami, which has been studied in California and Mexican vineyards as a potential vector of grapevine red blotch virus. Members of this genus are morphologically cryptic and difficult to distinguish from related genera such as Spissistilus without molecular diagnostics. The genus belongs to the diverse New World treehopper fauna.