Mountain-fauna
Guides
Amiota
Amiota is a genus of small flies in the family Drosophilidae, established by Loew in 1862. The genus contains over 100 described species with a cosmopolitan distribution, though it exhibits particularly high diversity in East Asia. Southwestern China has been hypothesized as a possible center of origin and diversification. Some species serve as intermediate hosts and vectors for parasites, including Amiota okadai which transmits the zoonotic nematode Thelazia callipaeda.
Anthobium
Anthobium is a genus of rove beetles (Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini) established by William Elford Leach in 1819. The genus has undergone extensive taxonomic revision, with multiple former genera (Deliphrum, Lathrimaeum, Eudeliphrum, Arpediopsis) synonymized under Anthobium. Species are organized into numerous species groups including atrocephalum, fusculum, gracilipalpe, nigrum, morchella, reflexum, consanguineum, crassum, tectum, algidum, morosum, fortepunctatum, and convexior groups. The genus is distributed across the entire Palaearctic region, with highest diversity in mountainous areas of China, the Himalayas, and Nepal.
Antrodiaetus montanus
Mountain Folding-Door Spider
Antrodiaetus montanus is a mygalomorph spider in the family Antrodiaetidae, commonly known as folding-door spiders. The species constructs silk-lined burrows with hinged, trapdoor-like closures made of silk and soil. It is native to mountainous regions of the western United States. Like other antrodiaetids, it exhibits fossorial behavior and is rarely observed above ground except during dispersal events.
Carmenta wellerae
Carmenta wellerae is a clearwing moth in the family Sesiidae, described in 1976 from specimens collected in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It belongs to a genus of seed-feeding moths characterized by wasp-mimicking appearance and diurnal activity. The species is associated with mountainous terrain and has a restricted known distribution.
Chordeumatida
Sausage Millipedes, Spinning Millipedes
Chordeumatida is a large order of millipedes containing over 1,100 species, commonly known as sausage millipedes or spinning millipedes. Members of this order are distinguished by their teloanamorphic development—adding segments through molts until reaching a fixed adult number, after which molting ceases. They are notable for possessing spinnerets on their telsons that produce silk used to construct protective chambers for molting and egg-laying. The order exhibits considerable morphological diversity, with species ranging from 3.5 to 42 mm in length and displaying both cylindrical and flat-backed body forms.
Dichrorampha
Dichrorampha is a genus of small tortricid moths in the subfamily Olethreutinae, comprising over 100 described species distributed across Europe, Asia, and North America. The genus includes both diurnal and crepuscular species, many associated with mountain and alpine habitats. Several species have been investigated as biological control agents for invasive weeds, including D. aeratana for oxeye daisy and D. odorata for Chromolaena odorata. The genus has been subject to recent taxonomic revision, with cryptic species discovered through integrative approaches combining morphology and molecular data.
Dinothenarus
Dinothenarus is a genus of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae, established by Thomson in 1858. The genus contains at least two described species and has a disjunct distribution spanning northern North America, Eurasia, and Mexico. The subgenus Dinothenarus (s. str.) was previously known only from northern North America and Eurasia until the discovery of D. amisadaiae in the high mountains of central Mexico, representing a significant range extension.
Ethmia marmorea
Ethmia marmorea is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, distributed across western North America from the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains. The species exhibits distinctive wing patterning with a longitudinal dividing line separating dark and light areas. Adults are active during summer months, with likely a single generation per year. Larval biology remains poorly documented for this species.
Gelae
round fungus beetles
Gelae is a genus of round fungus beetles in the family Leiodidae, established in 2004 to accommodate species previously placed in Agathidium. The genus contains eight species distributed across Central and North America, ranging from Canada to Panama. Species are small, dome-shaped beetles that feed on slime moulds. The genus name derives from Latin gelatus ("congealed" or "jellied"), referencing both their habitat and pronunciation like "jelly". Five species described in 2004 received whimsical names based on wordplay: G. baen, G. belae, G. donut, G. fish, and G. rol.
Neocrepidodera
Neocrepidodera is a genus of flea beetles (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) containing approximately 100 described species distributed worldwide. Species occur primarily in the Western Palearctic, with many restricted to medium and high elevation mountain ecosystems. Adults are typically small, often exhibiting metallic or rusty coloration, and possess the enlarged hind femora characteristic of flea beetles that enable jumping. Several species have become established outside their native ranges, including N. ferruginea in North America.
Omoglymmius hamatus
wrinkled bark beetle
A small beetle in the family Rhysodidae, described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1875. Adults measure 6–7 mm in length. The common name 'wrinkled bark beetle' applies to this species but also refers to the entire family Rhysodidae.
Tenuiphantes
Tenuiphantes is a genus of sheet-weaving spiders (family Linyphiidae) comprising 44 described species as of 2019. The genus was established by Saaristo and Tanasevitch in 1996 to accommodate species previously placed in other genera, particularly within the Lepthyphantes complex. Species occur across diverse habitats in the Northern Hemisphere and have been introduced to multiple Southern Hemisphere locations, including New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina.
Veraphis
Veraphis is a genus of minute rove beetles in the subfamily Scydmaeninae, family Staphylinidae. The genus is rarely collected and was historically considered to have its greatest diversity in Northern Europe, but recent taxonomic work has revealed Japan to be the center of diversity with at least fourteen species. Additional species occur in China, Korea, and other parts of the East Palaearctic region. The grammatical gender of Veraphis is feminine.