Parental-care
Guides
Ammophila azteca
Aztec Thread-waisted Wasp
Ammophila azteca is a thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae, native to Canada, Mexico, and the continental United States. It ranges from near sea level to over 6,000 feet in elevation. The species exhibits distinctive nesting behavior involving pebble-mediated burrow closures and progressive provisioning of caterpillar prey for its larvae.
Anurogryllus arboreus
Common Short-tailed Cricket, Arboreal Short-tailed Cricket
Anurogryllus arboreus is a burrowing cricket native to the southern and southeastern United States. Adults are pale brown with vestigial ovipositors and shed their wings shortly after maturation, becoming permanently flightless. Males call from elevated perches at night to attract females. The species was separated from the widespread Anurogryllus muticus in 1973 based on male calling behavior and morphological differences.
Apiomerus flaviventris
Yellow-bellied Bee Assassin, bee assassin bug
Apiomerus flaviventris is a predatory assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, commonly known as the yellow-bellied bee assassin. This species is notable for its specialized feeding habits targeting bees and its remarkable use of plant-derived chemical defenses. Females collect resin from brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) and apply it to their eggs as a protective barrier against predation, particularly by ants. The species inhabits arid and semiarid regions of southwestern North America.
Bembix americana
American Sand Wasp
Bembix americana is a solitary digger wasp in the family Crabronidae, widely distributed across the Americas from the Caribbean to North and South America. Females construct burrows in loose sand where they provision cells with paralyzed flies as food for their larvae. The species exhibits notable parental care, with females progressively increasing prey deliveries as larvae grow. Seven subspecies are currently recognized, reflecting considerable geographic variation in morphology and nesting behavior.
Cassidinae
tortoise and leaf-mining beetles, tortoise beetles, hispine beetles
Cassidinae is a large subfamily of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) comprising over 125 genera and approximately 3,000 species worldwide, with greatest diversity in the Neotropics. The subfamily encompasses two historically recognized groups: the 'cassidoids' or tortoise beetles, characterized by expanded pronotal and elytral margins that form a protective shield over the body, and the 'hispoids' or leaf-mining beetles, typically more elongated with parallel-sided bodies. Members exhibit remarkable morphological diversity, with some species displaying metallic coloration and the ability to change color through water movements within the translucent cuticle. The subfamily is notable for complex larval defensive adaptations including fecal shield construction and cycloalexic behavior, as well as the independent evolution of subsociality with paternal care in at least two lineages.
Coccotrypes dactyliperda
date stone beetle, button beetle, palm seed borer
Coccotrypes dactyliperda is a small scolytine weevil (1.8–2.3 mm) that spends nearly its entire life cycle inside palm seeds, particularly those of date palms (Phoenix dactylifera). Native to Africa and the Middle East, it has achieved cosmopolitan distribution through international trade in dates and horticultural palm seeds. The species is a significant agricultural pest, causing 20–40% yield losses in unprotected date plantations by attacking green, unripe fruit and causing premature fruit drop. It employs a haplodiploid sex-determination system with extensive inbreeding, enabling rapid population growth within individual seeds that can support 70–80 beetles through multiple overlapping generations.
Cryptocercidae
brown-hooded cockroaches, wood roaches
Cryptocercidae is a family of wingless, subsocial cockroaches comprising the single genus Cryptocercus. These insects are obligate inhabitants of decaying wood in temperate montane forests across eastern Asia and North America. They exhibit extended parental care and share wood-digesting gut symbionts with termites, supporting the hypothesis of termite evolution from within cockroaches. The family is notable for its limited dispersal ability and sensitivity to forest succession patterns.
Cryptocercus
wood roach, brown-hooded cockroach
Cryptocercus is a genus of wingless, wood-feeding cockroaches representing the sole member of family Cryptocercidae. These subsocial insects exhibit extended parental care and family-based social structure. The genus holds exceptional phylogenetic significance as the closest living relative to termites, sharing lignocellulose-digesting gut symbionts and providing key evidence for the evolutionary origin of termite eusociality from cockroach ancestors. Twelve described species inhabit temperate forests of North America and eastern Asia.
Dermaptera
Earwigs
Earwigs comprise the insect order Dermaptera, with approximately 2,000 species in 12 families. They are distinguished by forceps-like cerci at the abdomen tip and hindwings folded beneath short forewings, giving rise to the order name meaning 'skin wings.' Most species are nocturnal, hiding in dark moist places during daylight. While some groups are tiny parasites lacking typical pincers, the majority are free-living and found on all continents except Antarctica.
Dicellophilus
Dicellophilus is a genus of soil centipedes in the family Mecistocephalidae, established by O.F. Cook in 1896 with D. limatus as the type species. The genus comprises five species distributed across three highly disjunct regions: central Europe, Japan (Honshu), and the western United States. No other group of centipedes or Northern Hemisphere terrestrial animals exhibits such a peculiar geographic pattern. Species range from 5–7 cm in length with 41–45 pairs of legs, the number being invariant within each species.
Ectobius
wood cockroaches, field cockroaches
Ectobius is a genus of small, cool-adapted cockroaches in the family Ectobiidae. Adults measure 6–12 mm in length with brown to yellowish coloration and pale margins. The genus has a complex biogeographic history: fossil evidence from the 49-million-year-old Green River Formation in Colorado indicates Ectobius originated in North America, despite its long absence from the continent until recent reintroductions. Species are primarily distributed across Europe, Africa, the eastern Palearctic, and the Near East. Several species have been introduced to northeastern North America within the last 65 years, where Ectobius lapponicus has become synanthropic.
Entylia carinata
keeled treehopper
Entylia carinata is a small treehopper in the family Membracidae, notable for its pronounced saddle-shaped pronotal keel. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, with females larger and more prominently keeled than males. It engages in mutualistic relationships with several ant species and demonstrates parental care behavior. Adults overwinter in leaf litter and emerge in spring to reproduce on host plants.
Euborellia annulipes
Ring-legged Earwig, Ringlegged Earwig
Euborellia annulipes, commonly known as the ring-legged earwig, is a widespread earwig species in the family Anisolabididae. It has been introduced to many regions worldwide and is recognized as a significant natural biological control agent in agricultural systems, particularly in banana groves and cornfields. The species exhibits notable parental care behavior by females, who remain sedentary to guard eggs and nymphs. Males are more mobile and frequently engage in egg cannibalism, though they can distinguish their own offspring from unrelated eggs and reduce cannibalism accordingly. The species has been studied extensively for its predatory activity against pests including Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) and its response to agricultural management practices.
Eugnamptus punctatus
leaf rolling weevil
Eugnamptus punctatus is a species of leaf-rolling weevil in the family Attelabidae, described by Pierce in 1913. The species is native to North America and belongs to a group of weevils known for their distinctive behavior of cutting and rolling leaves to create protective shelters for their eggs and larvae. Two subspecies are recognized: E. p. punctatus and E. p. niger. Like other attelabids, this species exhibits complex parental care behaviors involving leaf manipulation.
Forficulidae
common earwigs
Forficulidae is a large family of earwigs containing over 70 genera and more than 500 described species. Members possess the characteristic forceps-like cerci at the abdomen tip that define the order Dermaptera. The family includes notable species such as the European earwig (Forficula auricularia), which has been introduced globally and studied extensively for its agricultural impacts. Forficulidae was formerly treated as a suborder (Forficulina) but is now classified within the suborder Neodermaptera.
Gargaphia tiliae
Basswood Lace Bug, Linden Lace Bug
Gargaphia tiliae is a univoltine lace bug in the family Tingidae, commonly known as the basswood lace bug or linden lace bug. It is a host-specific specialist feeding on Tilia species, with a well-documented life cycle involving overwintering as adults in leaf litter. The species exhibits parental care of eggs and nymphs—a notable behavioral trait among lace bugs—and aggregates on the undersides of host leaves during the active season.
Geotrupes stercorarius
dor beetle, dumbledore, Common Dor Beetle
Geotrupes stercorarius is an earth-boring dung beetle in the family Geotrupidae, commonly known as the dor beetle or dumbledore. It is widespread throughout Europe and has been introduced to parts of North America. Adults are coprophagous, feeding primarily on the dung of herbivorous animals with a documented preference for horse dung. The species exhibits distinctive parental care behavior, with both sexes cooperating to construct deep burrows beneath dung and provision brood chambers for larval development.
Goniozus legneri
Goniozus legneri is a gregarious larval ectoparasitoid wasp in the family Bethylidae, native to Argentina. It parasitizes concealed-feeding lepidopteran larvae and has been evaluated as a biological control agent for multiple agricultural pests including the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana), carob moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae), codling moth (Cydia pomonella), tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta), and cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum). The species exhibits parental care behavior, with females guarding their brood for approximately four days. While it has shown promise in augmentative biological control programs, its effectiveness varies considerably depending on host species and rearing conditions.
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa
European mole cricket
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa, the European mole cricket, is a subterranean insect native to the Western Palaearctic and introduced to the eastern United States. It is characterized by fossorial forelegs adapted for digging, velvety body covering, and a subterranean lifestyle. The species is now understood to represent a cryptic species complex distinguishable by song patterns. In the United Kingdom, it is legally protected and considered endangered due to dramatic range contraction.
Hoplophorionini
Hoplophorionini is a tribe of treehoppers (Membracidae) comprising 105 species in 10 genera, distributed from Canada to Chile with highest diversity in the Neotropics. Members are characterized by elaborate pronotal modifications and, uniquely among Membracidae, are apparently subsocial and lack mutualistic associations with honeydew-collecting ants. Parental investment includes specialized defensive kicking behavior and construction of extra-ovipositional punctures in host tissue through which nymphs feed.
Lethocerus medius
giant water bug
Lethocerus medius is a giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae, distinguished by its substantial size and unique parental care behavior. Males reach 49–58 mm, while females are larger at 62–63 mm. Unlike related species in the subfamily Belostomatinae that brood eggs on their backs, males of this species exhibit postzygotic parental care by guarding eggs deposited on objects above the water surface, moistening them, shading them, and protecting them from predators. This species occurs across a broad range from the southern United States through Mexico to Central America and throughout the Caribbean.
Nicrophorini
Nicrophorini is a tribe of carrion-associated beetles within the subfamily Silphinae. The group includes familiar burying beetles, especially members of Nicrophorus, but the tribe also contains other genera. Its best-known members locate small-animal carrion and use it as a resource for reproduction. In Nicrophorus, adults may bury and prepare the carcass and provide care to their larvae.
Nicrophorus
burying beetles, sexton beetles
Nicrophorus is a genus of carrion beetles commonly known as burying beetles or sexton beetles. These beetles are notable for their distinctive behavior of burying small vertebrate carcasses to serve as food for their developing larvae. Both male and female parents provide care for the brood, an unusual trait among insects. The genus contains approximately 70 species distributed across the Americas, northern Africa, Europe, and Asia. Several species are subject to conservation concern, including Nicrophorus americanus, which is listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Nicrophorus
Nicrophorus is a genus of burying beetles in the silphine carrion beetles; GBIF currently lists 74 accepted child species. These beetles use small vertebrate carcasses as food for developing young, and both parents commonly take part in care. The details vary among species: studies of N. orbicollis and N. vespillo document carcass burial, guarding, and feeding of offspring.
Nicrophorus americanus
American burying beetle, giant carrion beetle
Nicrophorus americanus is a federally threatened burying beetle endemic to North America and the largest member of its genus. Adults are nocturnal, strong fliers capable of traveling up to one kilometer per night while searching for carrion. The species exhibits elaborate biparental care, with both sexes cooperating to locate, bury, and prepare vertebrate carcasses for their offspring. Once abundant across 35 U.S. states and parts of Canada, it now occupies less than 10% of its historic range due to habitat loss, carrion scarcity, and other factors.
Nicrophorus defodiens
Boreal Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus defodiens is a burying beetle species first described by Mannerheim in 1846. It is one of at least two burying beetle species known to breed in the forest canopy. The species exhibits communal breeding behavior, where multiple male-female associations share parental care duties on larger vertebrate carcasses. It produces approximately twice as many eggs as the related N. orbicollis, with clutch sizes averaging around 24 eggs.
Nicrophorus guttula
Yellow-bellied Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus guttula is a burying beetle in the family Staphylinidae, described by Russian entomologist Victor Motschulsky in 1845. The species is commonly known as the Yellow-bellied Burying Beetle and is found across western North America from Alaska to Mexico. It exhibits elaborate parental care behaviors, including burying small carcasses and cooperatively feeding larvae. Research at the Bodega Marine Reserve has examined how carcass moisture and competition affect its reproductive success.
Nicrophorus hybridus
hybrid burying beetle
Nicrophorus hybridus is a burying beetle species in the family Silphidae, described by Melville Hatch and John W. Angell in 1925. The species occurs across western and central North America, from Canada through the western United States. Like other members of the genus Nicrophorus, it specializes on small vertebrate carcasses for reproduction and exhibits parental care behaviors. The specific epithet 'hybridus' refers to its intermediate morphological characteristics between related species.
Nicrophorus investigator
Banded Sexton Beetle, Banded Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus investigator is a burying beetle first described by Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1824. It is an obligate carrion breeder that buries small vertebrate carcasses for rearing offspring, exhibiting biparental care. Population dynamics are tightly linked to small mammal abundance, with preferred carcass sizes of 16–48 grams. The species has also been documented breeding on Pacific salmon carcasses in coastal British Columbia, where it may exhibit communal breeding on this rich, reliable resource. It serves as a host for phoretic mites that discriminate among individual male beetles.
Nicrophorus marginatus
margined sexton beetle, margined burying beetle, red and black burying beetle
Nicrophorus marginatus is a burying beetle in the family Silphidae, described by Fabricius in 1801. Adults are medium-sized beetles, 12–28 mm in length, with distinctive shiny black bodies and red-orange elytral bands. The species exhibits extreme physiological sensitivity to desiccation, losing 1–5% body mass per hour in low humidity conditions, yet maintains diurnal activity patterns and extends into arid habitats through behavioral thermoregulation. Like other Nicrophorus species, it engages in complex biparental care, burying small vertebrate carcasses and provisioning larvae with regurgitated, pre-digested food.
Nicrophorus pustulatus
Pustulated Carrion Beetle, Blistered Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus pustulatus is a North American burying beetle distinguished by its unique ecology among congeners. Unlike typical carrion beetles that bury small vertebrate carcasses underground, this species is a canopy specialist that has undergone a remarkable host shift to exploit snake eggs as a primary breeding resource. It is the only described Nicrophorus species demonstrated to function as a true parasitoid of vertebrates, attacking live reptile eggs. Adults are medium-sized (14.0–22.2 mm), predominantly black with distinctive orange elytral spots, and lack the long dorsal setae characteristic of related species. The species exhibits flexible social mating systems and facultative parental care.
Nicrophorus tomentosus
Gold-necked carrion beetle, Tomentose burying beetle
Nicrophorus tomentosus is a burying beetle (family Silphidae) distinguished by a dense patch of golden-yellow setae on the pronotum. Unlike most congeners, it does not completely bury carcasses; instead, it excavates shallow pits beneath small vertebrate remains and covers them with leaf litter. Adults exhibit biparental care, feeding larvae regurgitated carrion. The species is active from May through October, peaking in July and August, and overwinters as prepupae—a trait unique among sympatric Nicrophorus species. Behavioral dominance in competitive interactions is determined primarily by body size rather than species identity.
Opilioacarida
Opilioacarida is a small order of mites containing a single family, Opilioacaridae, with approximately 13 genera and 53 valid taxa. These mites are among the largest of their kind (1.5–2.5 mm) and are considered primitive due to retained ancestral traits including six pairs of eyes and abdominal segmentation. Molecular phylogenetics places them within Parasitiformes, though historically they were treated as distinct from both Acariformes and Parasitiformes. The group has a worldwide distribution with notable diversity in the Americas.
Pardosa mackenziana
Mackenzie's Thin-legged Wolf Spider
Pardosa mackenziana is a species of thin-legged wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found across the United States and Canada, with confirmed records from Alberta and British Columbia. Like other members of the genus Pardosa, it is a small to medium-sized ground-dwelling spider. A 2000 life history study in central Alberta documented its reproductive behavior, including females sunning their egg sacs to aid incubation.
Pardosa milvina
shore spider
Pardosa milvina, commonly known as the shore spider, is a small wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. This species is notable for its well-studied behavioral ecology, particularly its antipredator responses to chemical cues from larger predators. Females provide extensive parental care, carrying egg sacs attached to their spinnerets for 12–30 days and subsequently carrying spiderlings for 3–24 days. The species has been extensively researched for its predator-prey interactions, silk-mediated communication, and parental investment strategies.
Phanaeus vindex
Rainbow Scarab, Rainbow Dung Beetle
Phanaeus vindex is a medium-sized tunneling dung beetle native to eastern and central North America. Adults are sexually dimorphic and exhibit striking metallic coloration, with males bearing a prominent curved horn. The species creates complex underground tunnel systems beneath dung deposits, constructing both brood balls for reproduction and food caches for adult feeding. It is the most widespread Phanaeus species in the United States and demonstrates behavioral plasticity in response to temperature, adjusting burial depth of food caches under warmer conditions. The species provides important ecosystem services through dung removal, nutrient cycling, and secondary seed dispersal.
Phausis inaccensa
Shadow Ghost
Phausis inaccensa, commonly called the shadow ghost, is a small firefly species notable for extreme sexual dimorphism. Females are larviform, wingless, and bioluminescent, while males possess wings but lack lanterns. The species inhabits forested areas of the central and eastern United States. Females exhibit extended parental care, guarding egg clutches until death.
Pisauridae
Nursery Web Spiders, Fishing Spiders
Pisauridae is a moderately diverse family of hunting spiders comprising approximately 333 described species worldwide. Members exhibit exceptional behavioral diversity, ranging from web-based hunters and water surface hunters to ambush hunters in vegetation. The family is best known for the distinctive 'nursery web' behavior: females carry egg sacs with their jaws and pedipalps (not spinnerets), then construct protective silk tents for emerging spiderlings, which they guard until dispersal. The European species Pisaura mirabilis is the namesake 'nursery web spider,' though the family includes fishing spiders (Dolomedes), semi-aquatic specialists, and strictly terrestrial forms.
Platystethus
spiny-legged rove beetles
Platystethus is a genus of spiny-legged rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae, subfamily Oxytelinae. The genus contains approximately six described species distributed across multiple continents. At least one species, P. arenarius, has been documented exhibiting sub-social behavior. Members of this genus are characterized by modified hind legs with spiny projections.
Porcellio laevis
swift woodlouse, smooth slater
Porcellio laevis is a large terrestrial isopod distinguished by its smooth dorsal surface and rapid escape response when disturbed. Native to North Africa, it has achieved cosmopolitan distribution through human-mediated transport and now occurs across Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Pacific islands. The species exhibits direct development with eggs and juveniles brooded in a fluid-filled marsupium, representing extensive parental care among terrestrial arthropods. It is widely kept in captivity due to ease of maintenance and the availability of selectively bred color morphs.
Ptomascopus
Ptomascopus is a genus of burying beetles in the nicrophorine lineage. The natural-history evidence summarized here centers on P. morio, which breeds on small carcasses and can exploit the broods of Nicrophorus beetles. Studies of P. morio found adults remaining with a carcass and brood, but its parental care differs from the more elaborate care known in Nicrophorus.
Rhynocoris
Flower Assassin Bugs
Rhynocoris is a genus of assassin bugs in the family Reduviidae, subfamily Harpactorinae. Species occur across Asia, mainland Europe, Africa, and North America. The genus exhibits subsocial behavior with parental care of egg masses, a trait that has evolved independently only six times in Heteroptera. Multiple species have been investigated as biological control agents for agricultural pests, particularly in cotton and other crop systems.
Scolopocryptops sexspinosus
Eastern Red Centipede
Scolopocryptops sexspinosus, the eastern red centipede, is a large, venomous scolopendromorph centipede native to eastern North America. Adults reach approximately 69 mm in length and are typically orange to reddish-orange in coloration, though southeastern populations may appear browner. The species is active year-round and is notable for its rapid movement and ability to inflict painful bites. It is the only scolopendromorph centipede definitively documented in Canada.
Silphidae
carrion beetles, burying beetles, large carrion beetles, sexton beetles
Silphidae is a family of beetles commonly known as carrion beetles or burying beetles, comprising approximately 183 species in two tribes: Silphini and Nicrophorini. Members feed primarily on decaying organic matter, particularly animal carcasses, with some species exhibiting specialized behaviors such as burying small carcasses and providing parental care. The family has forensic importance due to predictable colonization patterns on human remains. Silphidae are most diverse in temperate regions, with flight capability varying among species and correlated with food source type.
Sorensenellinae
Sorensenellinae is a subfamily of harvestmen in Triaenonychidae. Ray Forster established the name in 1954 for a group whose historical concept included genera from New Zealand and South Africa. Later molecular studies question whether the South African taxa belong in this subfamily, so its boundaries remain a taxonomic issue. Egg guarding is reported in the New Zealand genera, with evidence suggesting paternal care may be involved.
Sphaeroma
pillbug, roly poly, marine pillbug
Sphaeroma is a genus of aquatic isopod crustaceans in the family Sphaeromatidae. These small crustaceans are commonly known as marine pillbugs or roly polies, though they are distinct from terrestrial isopods. The genus contains multiple species distributed across marine and estuarine environments globally. Some species, such as S. terebrans, are specialized wood-borers in mangrove habitats, while others inhabit rocky intertidal zones or construct burrows in soft sediments. The genus has been subject to recent taxonomic revision, with new species described from the northeastern Pacific and elsewhere.
Umbonia
Thorn Treehoppers
Umbonia is a genus of treehoppers in the family Membracidae, characterized by pronounced pronotal modifications that form thorn-like or horn-like projections. The genus occurs primarily in the Neotropics, with species distributed from the southern United States through Central America to South America. Members of this genus exhibit subsocial behavior, with females providing extended parental care to nymphal offspring. Several species, particularly Umbonia crassicornis, have been studied intensively for their complex maternal care systems involving vibrational communication between mothers and offspring. The genus includes approximately 16 described species, with Umbonia crassicornis being the most commonly encountered and economically significant species.
Uropygi
whip scorpions, vinegaroons, uropygids
Uropygi is an order of arachnids commonly known as whip scorpions or vinegaroons, characterized by a whip-like flagellum on the posterior end and large scorpion-like pedipalps. They lack venom glands but possess defensive glands capable of spraying acetic and caprylic acid, producing a vinegar-like odor. These nocturnal predators use only six legs for walking, with the first two pairs modified as sensory appendages. The order comprises approximately 100 species across 18 extant genera, all placed in the single family Thelyphonidae.