Mountain-mahogany
Guides
Acmaeodera dolorosa
Acmaeodera dolorosa is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It is found in North America. Two subspecies are recognized: A. dolorosa dolorosa Fall, 1899 and A. dolorosa liberta Fall, 1922. The species is one of approximately two dozen jewel beetles associated with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany) in western North America.
Acmaeodera mariposa dohrni
Acmaeodera mariposa dohrni is a subspecies of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae. It is one of approximately two dozen buprestid species associated with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany) in western North America. The species is part of the Acmaeodera mariposa complex, which includes the nominate subspecies A. m. mariposa. This subspecies has been confirmed breeding in dead branches of Cercocarpus ledifolius and is among five buprestid species exclusively associated with this host genus.
Acmaeodera nelsoni
Acmaeodera nelsoni is a species of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by Barr in 1972. It belongs to the nominate subgenus Acmaeodera (s. str.). The species has been documented as associated with Cercocarpus ledifolius (curl-leaf mountain mahogany), a host relationship confirmed through rearing records. It is one of approximately two dozen North American Buprestidae species linked to Cercocarpus hosts, with several species in this genus being Cercocarpus specialists.
Acmaeodera nexa
Acmaeodera nexa is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, first described by Henry Clinton Fall in 1922. It is one of approximately 150 species in the genus Acmaeodera in North America, a taxonomically challenging group often referred to as jewel beetles due to their metallic coloration. The species is associated with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany) in western North America, where adults have been observed and larvae likely develop in dead branches.
Acmaeodera plagiaticauda
Acmaeodera plagiaticauda is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by George Henry Horn in 1878. It is one of approximately two dozen North American Buprestidae species associated with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany), a genus of shrubs and small trees in the rose family. Nine species in this association have been confirmed as breeding within dead branches of Cercocarpus, with five species, including A. plagiaticauda, having been recorded exclusively from this host genus. The species is distributed in western North America, particularly in mountainous regions where its host plant occurs.
Chrysobothris piuta
Chrysobothris piuta is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It is found in North America. The species has been documented as breeding within dead branches of Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany), with which it has a confirmed host association. It is one of approximately two dozen jewel beetle species associated with Cercocarpus in North America.
Chrysobothris purpureovittata cercocarpi
Chrysobothris purpureovittata cercocarpi is a subspecies of jewel beetle described from a population at Cloudcroft, New Mexico, associated exclusively with mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus). It is distinguished from the nominate subspecies by having an entirely red pronotum and uniformly dark elytra. The species belongs to a genus where most members exhibit host specificity, though the nominate subspecies is notably polyphagous. This western population represents a rare case of host specialization within an otherwise generalist species.
Dicerca hornii hornii
Dicerca hornii hornii is a subspecies of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, native to western North America. The species is one of approximately two dozen buprestid beetles associated with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany) in North America, with nine species confirmed as breeding within dead branches of this host plant genus. Like other members of the genus Dicerca, adults exhibit cryptic coloration that renders them nearly invisible against the bark of their host trees. The subspecies is part of a group of woodboring beetles that colonize dead or dying woody vegetation.
Pexopsylla cercocarpi
Pexopsylla cercocarpi is a species of jumping plant louse (family Psyllidae) described by Jensen in 1957. The specific epithet "cercocarpi" indicates an association with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany), a genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae. Like other psyllids, this species is likely a phloem-feeding specialist on its host plant. The genus Pexopsylla is part of the diverse psyllid fauna of western North America.
Phlepsanus vanduzeei
Phlepsanus vanduzeei is a species of jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae. It was originally described as Acmaeodera vanduzeei by Van Dyke and later transferred to the genus Phlepsanus. The species is associated with Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany) host plants in western North America. Like other members of the genus, it is a wood-boring beetle whose larvae develop within dead branches of its host plant.
Satyrium tetra
mountain mahogany hairstreak
Satyrium tetra, the mountain mahogany hairstreak, is a North American butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. As a member of the hairstreak group, it exhibits the characteristic small size and hindwing tail-like projections typical of this lineage. The species is associated with mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus) as its larval host plant, distinguishing it ecologically from related Satyrium species that feed on oaks. Adults have been documented through over 1,000 iNaturalist observations, indicating it is not considered rare.