Prairie-endemic
Guides
Anacampsis wikeri
Anacampsis wikeri is a small moth in the family Gelechiidae, described from Illinois in 2013. The species is restricted to prairie habitats and is univoltine, with larvae feeding exclusively on leadplant (Amorpha canescens). Adults are active from early June through autumn and overwinter, resuming activity the following spring. The species is externally nearly identical to the related A. psoraliella, requiring genital examination or larval host plant knowledge for reliable identification.
Anotia fitchi
ball-nosed planthopper
Anotia fitchi is a rare, flightless or weakly-flying planthopper species endemic to North American tallgrass prairies. Adults measure less than 5 mm in length but can leap up to 35 inches—approximately 250 times their body length—making them among the most prodigious jumpers relative to size in the insect world. The species was historically known from scattered records across 16 U.S. states and Ontario, Canada, but 90% of all collected specimens come from a single 12-year study in Iowa prairies. Its distinctive inflated, spherical beak may function in intraspecific communication.
Eleodes suturalis
Red-backed Darkling Beetle
Eleodes suturalis, commonly known as the red-backed darkling beetle, is a large, flightless darkling beetle endemic to the Great Plains of North America. It is distinguished by a prominent reddish-brown stripe running along the suture of its distinctly flattened elytra. The species exhibits the characteristic defensive headstand behavior of the genus Eleodes, raising its abdomen and secreting a foul-smelling liquid when threatened. It is among the most conspicuously abundant darkling beetles in its range and has been proposed as a visual mimic of the Great Plains giant tiger beetle (Amblycheila cylindriformis).
Geomysaprinus cheyennensis
Cheyenne Clown Beetle
Geomysaprinus cheyennensis is a species of clown beetle (family Histeridae) described by Casey in 1916. The species is known from the northern Great Plains region of North America, with records from prairie provinces of Canada and adjacent U.S. states. As a member of the genus Geomysaprinus, it is likely associated with burrowing mammals, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Oeneis uhleri reinthali
Oeneis uhleri reinthali is a subspecies of the Uhler's Arctic butterfly, a member of the Satyrinae subfamily within Nymphalidae. This subspecies occurs in the western interior of North America, specifically in the prairie provinces of Canada. Like other Oeneis species, it is associated with high-elevation or northern habitats and has a life cycle adapted to cooler climates.