Rabbitbrush
Guides
Aciurina bigeloviae
Cotton-gall Tephritid
Aciurina bigeloviae is a gall-inducing tephritid fly native to western North America that forms distinctive white, woolly 'cotton' galls on Ericameria nauseosa (rabbitbrush), specifically the variety graveolens. The species was originally described as Trypeta bigeloviae by Cockerell in 1890. It exhibits Type I wing pattern morphology and produces spherical cotton galls that serve as microhabitats for complex arthropod communities. The species is sister to A. trixa, with which it occurs sympatrically in New Mexico, though the two species produce markedly different gall types.
Archytas aterrimus
Archytas aterrimus is a species of tachinid fly in the family Tachinidae. The species was originally described as Jurinia aterrima by Robineau-Desvoidy in 1830 before being transferred to the genus Archytas. Tachinid flies in this genus are generally parasitoids of other insects. The species has been documented in field observations on flowers of Ericameria nauseosa (rubber rabbitbrush) in the southwestern United States, where it has been noted as a large, black, bristly fly occurring alongside other tachinid species.
Crossidius ater
Grizzled Long-horned Beetle
Crossidius ater is a longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, distinguished from congeners by its uniformly black coloration without the yellow, red, or orange markings typical of other Crossidius species. It was described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1861 and occurs across the Great Basin and surrounding mountainous regions of western North America. Unlike its more host-specific relatives, it utilizes multiple rabbitbrush species and shows minimal geographic variation across its range.
Crossidius coralinus fulgidus
rabbitbrush longhorned beetle
Crossidius coralinus fulgidus is a strikingly colored subspecies of longhorned beetle (Cerambycidae) endemic to the western United States. Adults are active in fall rather than spring or summer, a seasonal pattern unusual for the family. They are intimately associated with rabbitbrush and related composite shrubs, where adults feed, mate, and shelter among the yellow flowers. Males possess exceptionally long antennae relative to females. This subspecies exhibits the bright red and black coloration characteristic of the C. coralinus complex.
Crossidius coralinus temprans
Crossidius coralinus temprans is a subspecies of longhorned beetle in the tribe Trachyderini, described by Linsley & Chemsak in 1961. It is distinguished from other C. coralinus subspecies by its deep red coloration with faint bluish overtones, relatively fine but dense elytral punctation, and smaller average size. Females exhibit broadly expanded black elytral patterns extending along the suture to at least the basal third of the elytra and black humeri connected by a basal band, while males typically show reduced black markings. The subspecies occurs in sagebrush grasslands of western Nevada and Lassen County, California, where adults are found on flower heads of gray rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa).
Crossidius hirtipes flavescens
Crossidius hirtipes flavescens is a subspecies of longhorned beetle in the tribe Trachyderini, originally described as C. rhodopus flavescens by Chemsak & Linsley in 1959 and later transferred to C. hirtipes by Linsley & Chemsak in 1961. It is one of 16 recognized subspecies of C. hirtipes, a species characterized as 'probably the most diverse species within the genus.' The subspecies is known from a restricted area around Kennedy Meadow in Tulare County, California, and has been documented on yellow rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus).
Crossidius hirtipes rhodopus
Crossidius hirtipes rhodopus is a subspecies of longhorned beetle in the tribe Trachyderini, originally described as a full species by Linsley in 1955 but later treated as a subspecies of the highly polytopic C. hirtipes. It is endemic to the Mono Basin of east-central California and is among the most distinctive of all C. hirtipes subspecies due to its dark reddish-brown coloration. Adults are active in late summer and early fall, feeding on flower heads of yellow rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus).
Juriniopsis adusta
Juriniopsis adusta is a species of tachinid bristle fly found across North America. It is a common and widespread member of the family Tachinidae, frequently observed visiting flowers of Ericameria nauseosa (rubber rabbitbrush) in the western United States. The species is one of the most frequently encountered tachinids in this habitat, often appearing in large numbers during late summer and early fall. Its broad distribution spans from southern Canada through the United States and into Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
Lordotus pulchrissimus
desert bee fly
Lordotus pulchrissimus is a bee fly in the family Bombyliidae, commonly known as the desert bee fly. Males and females exhibit strong sexual dimorphism in size, fur density, and coloration—females are smaller (2–14 mm), more densely furred, and display brighter orange-yellow tones that fade rapidly with age, while males are larger (8–16 mm), less hairy, and possess black markings on the femora. The species is notable for the daily aerial swarming behavior of males, which form aggregations over stabilized dunes for reasons that remain unclear; this behavior is energetically costly and occurs independently of female presence or resource density. Adults feed primarily on nectar from desert brush, particularly rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), and serve as pollinators. Larvae are parasitoids, though specific host insects remain unidentified.
Pyrota bilineata
Pyrota bilineata is a blister beetle (family Meloidae) distributed across western North America. The species exhibits extreme sexual size dimorphism, with males frequently less than half the size of females. Adults are diurnal and commonly observed feeding and mating on flowers of yellow rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) and related Asteraceae. Like other meloids, it produces cantharidin, a defensive compound that renders it unpalatable to predators.
Schinia unimacula
Rabbitbush Flower Moth
A small flower moth in the family Noctuidae with a wingspan of approximately 25 mm. Adults are active from July to October across the western United States. The species is closely associated with rabbitbrush (Ericameria) as its larval host plant.
Schinia walsinghami
Schinia walsinghami is a small noctuid moth species with a wingspan of approximately 24 mm. Adults are active in late summer. The species belongs to the flower moth genus Schinia, whose members are typically associated with specific host plants and often rest on or near their host flowers during daylight hours. Larvae feed on species of Chrysothamnus and Ericameria (rabbitbrushes), both in the Asteraceae family.
Trirhabda nitidicollis
Rabbitbrush Beetle, Rabbitbrush Leaf Beetle
Trirhabda nitidicollis is a species of skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is found in western North America, where adults feed on rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa). The species is commonly encountered in pinyon-juniper woodland habitats during summer months.