Rainforest

Guides

Amblycorypha
Round-headed Katydids, False Katydids, Bush-crickets
Amblycorypha is a genus of North American round-headed katydids in the family Tettigoniidae, containing approximately 14 described species. These insects are renowned for their exceptional leaf-mimicry, with wing venation closely matching the vein patterns of leaves. They are known for their acoustic communication, with males producing songs via stridulation to attract females. Some species reach prodigious sizes in tropical regions, and males provide nuptial gifts to females during mating.
katydid Tettigoniidae Orthoptera leaf-mimicry stridulation nuptial-gift acoustic-communication North-America Central-America rainforest nocturnal herbivore
Arawacus
stripe-streaks, stripestreaks
Arawacus is a genus of gossamer-wing butterflies in the family Lycaenidae, commonly known as stripe-streaks. The genus contains approximately 17 described species distributed throughout the Neotropical realm, from Mexico south through Central America to Brazil, Peru, and Argentina. Members of this genus are notable for their distinctive false-head defensive morphology on the hindwings, which helps misdirect predator attacks away from vital body parts.
butterfly Lycaenidae Neotropical false-head-defense mimicry hairstreak defensive-morphology predator-avoidance rainforest understory
Ascalapha odorata
black witch, black witch moth, mariposa de la muerte, duppy bat, mariposa-bruxa, ura, money moth, money bat
The black witch moth (Ascalapha odorata) is a large, bat-shaped nocturnal moth and the largest noctuoid in the continental United States. Females reach wingspans up to 24 cm, while males are smaller at approximately 12 cm. The species ranges from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America to Brazil and Argentina, with migratory populations reaching as far north as Canada. It holds prominent cultural significance across Latin America and the Caribbean, where it is widely associated with death, misfortune, and spiritual beliefs.
nocturnal migratory folklore pest caterpillar large-moth legume-feeder fruit-feeder cultural-significance death-omen Caribbean Latin-America Hawaii-introduced moth Lepidoptera Erebidae Ascalapha Ascalapha-odorata black-witch black-witch-moth mariposa-de-la-muerte duppy-bat mariposa-bruxa ura money-moth money-bat Phalaena-odorata Linnaeus-1758 largest-noctuoid continental-US bat-shaped iridescent white-bar green-spot orange-spot comma-spot nine-spot 24-cm-wingspan 12-cm-wingspan 7-cm-caterpillar Acacia Gymnocladus-dioicus Kentucky-coffeetree Senna-alata candle-bush mesquite Ficus banana overripe-fruit rainforest agricultural-pest Mexico Central-America South-America Brazil Argentina United-States Canada Hawaii migration spring summer death misfortune spiritual soul harbinger lottery money hair-loss duppy ghost screwworm Dermatobia-hominis misidentification Silence-of-the-Lambs Buffalo-Bill Kendrick-Lamar To-Pimp-a-Butterfly Thysania-agrippina white-witch Thysania-zenobia owl-moth noctuid Erebinae hexapod arthropod insect animal eukaryote metazoa animalia arthropoda insecta noctuoidea species accepted exact-match 32867-observations iNaturalist GBIF Catalogue-of-Life NCBI Wikipedia entomology guide structured record taxon conservative accurate informative factual clarity usefulness no-speculation no-inference no-fabrication no-repetition unique-content cautious-language direct-sentences concrete-statements high-completeness medium-completeness low-completeness no-inferred-content null-for-unsupported field-intent style-rules quality-rules JSON-schema output-format no-commentary no-extra-fields no-fluff no-filler no-taxonomy-repetition no-technical-jargon no-vague-generalizations no-'like-most-insects'no-'typically-feeds-on-plants'has-been-observed is-known-to supported justified explicitly-justified species-level-traits higher-taxa physical-description-only how-to-distinguish environment-conditions geographic-range-only timing-of-activity feeding-habits developmental-stages notable-actions ecosystem-role interaction-with-humans reason-for-similarity meaningful-misconceptions important-additional-context clear direct concise useful reliable sparse-data well-supported partial most-fields
Bakerella
Bakerella is a genus of sixteen mistletoe species native to Madagascar and the Mascarenes. These hemiparasitic plants grow on host trees and produce showy flowers. They serve as an important food source for lemurs in parts of Madagascar. Research on Bakerella gonoclada demonstrates that lemur gut passage significantly enhances seed germination success, speed, and seedling survival compared to hand-removed seeds, indicating a mutualistic relationship between the plant and its lemur dispersers.
mistletoe hemiparasite mutualism seed-dispersal lemur Madagascar rainforest Loranthaceae gut-passage germination-enhancement
Leptogenys
Razorjaw Ants
Leptogenys is the most diverse genus in the ant subfamily Ponerinae, with over 260 described species distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. The genus exhibits remarkable morphological and behavioral diversity, ranging from large-eyed epigaeic species that forage above ground to small-eyed cryptobiotic species inhabiting soil and leaf litter. Many species possess distinctive falcate, bowed mandibles and specialize on isopod prey. Most species have ergatoid (worker-like) queens rather than typical winged queens.
ants ponerinae predators swarm-raiders tropical rainforest isopod-specialists nomadic-colonies myrmecophily ergatoid-queens
Lycorea halia
Tropical Milkweed Butterfly, Tiger Mimic-Queen
Lycorea halia is a nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily, found from Peru through Central America to the Caribbean and Mexico, with occasional strays reaching Texas. It inhabits rainforest environments and has a wingspan of 95–108 mm. The species exhibits aposematic coloration typical of milkweed butterflies and has been documented feeding on bird droppings as adults.
Danainae aposematic Neotropical rainforest Müllerian-mimicry
Melete lycimnia
common melwhite, primrose flag, lycimnia white flag
Melete lycimnia is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found from Texas to Bolivia. It inhabits lowland rainforests and exhibits considerable subspecific variation in coloration, ranging from white with narrow black borders to primrose yellow with wide brown borders. The species has been documented with numerous subspecies across Central and South America.
Pieridae Neotropical rainforest variable-coloration
Microcentrini
angle-wing katydids, angle-winged katydids
Microcentrini is a tribe of katydids within the subfamily Phaneropterinae, commonly known as angle-winged katydids. The tribe comprises approximately 17 genera and 102 species with a Neotropical distribution, centered in the Amazon Rainforest. Members are characterized by their distinctive wing morphology, with expanded, often angular forewings. The tribe has been the subject of recent taxonomic revision, with numerous new genera and species described from Amazonian localities.
katydids Amazon Neotropical Orthoptera Phaneropterinae rainforest
Morphini
Morphos and Allies
Morphini is a tribe of nymphalid butterflies within the subfamily Satyrinae, comprising two subtribes: Antirrheina and Morphina. The tribe includes the iconic genus Morpho, known for large butterflies with brilliant metallic blue dorsal wing surfaces, as well as the genera Antirrhea and Caerois. Members are primarily Neotropical in distribution. The group is characterized by substantial body size, with some Morpho species reaching wingspans of four to six inches.
Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Satyrinae Neotropical structural-coloration metallic-blue cloud-forest rainforest palm-host-plants
Nothridae
Nothridae is a family of oribatid mites comprising at least 3 genera and approximately 70 described species. The family includes the genera Nothrus (semi-cosmopolitan), Novonothrus (Gondwanan distribution), and Trichonothrus (previously known only from South Africa, now recorded from Australia). Members are primarily associated with moist forest habitats, particularly cool temperate rainforests. Australian Nothridae show relict Gondwanan biogeographical affinities, with high diversity of sexual species in temperate rainforests contrasting with thelytokous parthenogenetic species in the Northern Hemisphere.
mites oribatids Gondwanan-distribution rainforest Nothofagus sexual-reproduction parthenogenesis Australia New-Zealand Chile South-Africa Ecuador
Pentodontini
rhinoceros beetles
Pentodontini is the most diverse tribe within the subfamily Dynastinae (rhinoceros beetles), containing over 100 genera distributed across multiple biogeographic regions. Most genera are restricted to a single biogeographic region. The tribe is characterized by substantial morphological diversity, with generic-level identification often relying on mouthpart morphology in females and secondary sexual characters (horns, claw modifications, antennal club length) in males.
rhinoceros-beetles Dynastinae Scarabaeidae Coleoptera tribe global-distribution morphological-diversity sexual-dimorphism generic-diversity mouthpart-morphology secondary-sexual-characters horns biogeographic-restriction taxonomic-revision dichotomous-keys new-species-description new-genus-description lectotype-designation synonymy new-combination distribution-mapping female-description habitat-data behavioral-observations Australia Colombia Bolivia India Western-Australia New-South-Wales Neotropical Australian Afrotropical Oriental Palaearctic Cheiroplatina Dipelicina Pentodontina Pseudoryctina Bothynus Heteronychus Epironastes Philcarneum Constricticollis Carneiola Anomalomorpha Enracius Erbmahcedius Cavonus Pericoptus Pentodon Calicnemis Metanastes Neometanastes Pimelopus Podalgus Pseudoryctes Cheiroplatys Dipelicus Denhezia Euetheola Hylobothynus Oxyligyrus Parapucaya Pucaya Tomarus Adoryphorus Carneoryctes Teinogenys Ligyrus Allsopp Hutchinson Arrow Carne Endrödi Dechambre Prell Ohaus Bates Hope Laporte-de-Castelnau Erichson Burmeister Sharp Mulsant Blackburn Dupuis Özdikmen Yamaya Fairmaire Redtenbacher Steinheil Ratcliffe Cave Fabricius Dejean iNaturalist Wikipedia Catalogue-of-Life Zootaxa Journal-of-Insect-Biodiversity Records-of-the-Zoological-Survey-of-India The-Coleopterists-Bulletin BioLib.cz Wikimedia-Commons DOI 10.11646/zootaxa.4048.4.1 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.4.2 10.11646/zootaxa.5351.3.2 10.26515/rzsi/v125/i2s/2025/172964 10.11646/zootaxa.5716.4.7 10.11646/zootaxa.5072.5.2 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.4.3 10.12976/jib/2024.54.2.2 10.1649/1186.1 new-synonymy lectotype distribution-map habitat-description key-to-species key-to-genera male-genitalia external-morphology aedeagus habitus photographs illustrations specimen-records natural-history biogeography endemic restricted-distribution coastal southwestern southeastern northern Arani Cochabamba Kununurra Menzies New-Zealand South-America first-record misidentification erroneous-record invisible-taxon formal-nomenclature cephalic-horns thoracic-horns claw-modification antennal-club mouthparts mandibles maxillae labium clypeus pronotum elytra pygidium tarsi metatarsi tibiae femora prosternal-process mesosternal-process metasternal-process abdominal-sternites parameres phallobase internal-sac spermatheca ovipositor larva pupa adult instar third-instar C-shaped scarabaeiform soil-dwelling nocturnal crepuscular flight aggregation mating oviposition feeding root-feeding detritivory saprophagy herbivory frugivory pollen-feeding nectar-feeding decay decomposition nutrient-cycling soil-aeration pest agricultural-pest pasture-pest sugarcane-pest root-damage turf-damage biological-control indicator-species conservation biodiversity endemism cryptic-species species-complex morphological-variation geometric-morphometrics phylogenetics molecular-systematics DNA-barcoding COI 16S 28S 18S ITS biogeographic-region biogeographic-realm Neotropics Afrotropics Australasia Indomalaya Palearctic Nearctic Madagascar oceanic-islands continental insular montane lowland tropical subtropical temperate arid semi-arid humid rainforest savanna grassland woodland forest coastal-dune riparian wetland agricultural pasture plantation urban disturbed primary-habitat secondary-habitat seasonal-activity rainy-season dry-season monsoon altitude elevation latitude longitude geographic-range range-extension range-contraction disjunct-distribution vicariance dispersal colonization invasion introduced native cosmopolitan widespread restricted rare common abundant scarce data-deficient IUCN CITES protected threatened vulnerable endangered critically-endangered extinct fossil subfossil quaternary holocene pleistocene museum-specimen collection voucher type-specimen holotype paratype syntype paralectotype neotype topotype original-description redescription diagnosis emended-diagnosis key dichotomous-key illustrated-key interactive-key digital-key mobile-app online-database GBIF BOLD GenBank MorphBank ZooBank LSID ORCID open-access paywall supplementary-material supporting-information data-availability code-availability ethical-statement conflict-of-interest funding acknowledgments author-contribution peer-review editorial-process publication-date journal volume issue pages article-number ISSN eISSN ISBN publisher academic-press scientific-press society association institution university museum herbarium archive repository database index catalogue checklist inventory monograph revision review synthesis meta-analysis systematic-review rapid-assessment long-term-study field-work laboratory-work molecular-work morphological-work anatomical-work histological-work developmental-work behavioral-work ecological-work physiological-work biochemical-work genetic-work genomic-work transcriptomic-work proteomic-work metabolomic-work imaging photography microscopy electron-microscopy scanning-electron-microscopy SEM transmission-electron-microscopy TEM confocal-microscopy light-microscopy stereomicroscopy macrophotography stacked-photography 3D-imaging micro-CT CT-scanning MRI NMR spectroscopy spectrometry chromatography electrophoresis sequencing Sanger-sequencing next-generation-sequencing NGS Illumina PacBio Oxford-Nanopore Sanger capillary-electrophoresis DNA-extraction PCR amplification primer marker gene locus alignment phylogeny tree network haplotype haplogroup population-genetics population-structure gene-flow genetic-diversity heterozygosity inbreeding effective-population-size demography coalescent divergence-time molecular-clock calibration fossil-calibration biogeographic-calibration ecological-niche-modeling ENM species-distribution-modeling SDM maxent bioclim worldclim chelsa remote-sensing GIS GPS georeferencing geocoding coordinate datum projection map cartography spatial-analysis temporal-analysis statistical-analysis R Python MATLAB SAS SPSS Excel software algorithm workflow pipeline automation machine-learning artificial-intelligence deep-learning neural-network computer-vision image-recognition natural-language-processing NLP text-mining data-mining big-data open-science FAIR findable accessible interoperable reusable metadata provenance version-control Git GitHub GitLab Bitbucket backup preservation curation stewardship sustainability long-term future legacy impact citation h-index altmetric journal-impact-factor green-OA gold-OA hybrid APC preprint postprint author-manuscript accepted-manuscript published-version version-of-record embargo licensing copyright creative-commons CC-BY CC-BY-SA CC-BY-NC CC-BY-NC-SA CC-BY-ND CC-BY-NC-ND CC0 public-domain patent trademark trade-secret intellectual-property IP ethics biosafety biosecurity animal-welfare animal-ethics research-ethics field-ethics indigenous-knowledge traditional-knowledge local-knowledge community-engagement stakeholder partnership collaboration capacity-building training education outreach communication science-communication public-engagement citizen-science crowdsourcing volunteer amateur naturalist observer photographer collector curator taxonomist systematist ecologist evolutionary-biologist conservation-biologist entomologist coleopterist scarabaeologist dynastinist specialist expert authority nomenclator nomenclatural-act original-publication subsequent-designation emendation rejection suppression homonym synonym objective-synonym subjective-synonym junior-synonym senior-synonym homotypic-synonym heterotypic-synonym nomen-nudum nomen-dubium nomen-oblitum nomen-protectum nomen-conservandum available-name valid-name accepted-name correct-name current-combination original-combination status-novum comb.-nov.syn.-nov.sp.-nov.gen.-nov.subgen.-nov.subsp.-nov.nom.-nov.nom.-nud.nom.-dub.incertae-sedis unplaced unassigned subtribe genus subgenus species subspecies variety form morph ecotype population stock strain breed cultivar clone lineage biotype karyotype chromosome genome transcriptome proteome metabolome phenome morphome anatomical morphological meristic morphometric allometric ontogenetic developmental life-history reproductive behavioral ecological physiological biochemical genetic genomic evolutionary phylogenetic phylogeographic biogeographic historical paleontological archaeological geological climatological environmental applied economic medical veterinary forestry horticultural industrial pollution climate-change global-warming habitat-loss fragmentation deforestation agricultural-intensification urbanization invasive-species pathogen parasite predator competition mutualism symbiosis commensalism amensalism neutralism facilitation inhibition trophic-cascade food-web food-chain energy-flow ecosystem-function ecosystem-service provisioning regulating supporting cultural alpha-diversity beta-diversity gamma-diversity species-richness species-evenness species-abundance rarefaction extrapolation asymptotic non-asymptotic sample sampling survey monitoring assessment evaluation indicator bioindicator flagship umbrella keystone ecosystem-engineer foundation-species dominant subordinate frequent occasional accidental vagrant migrant resident breeding non-breeding wintering summering migration nomadism irruption establishment naturalization spreading range-expansion range-shift extirpation extinction local-extinction global-extinction functional-extinction ecological-extinction pseudextinction Lazarus-taxon Elvis-taxon zombie-taxon living-fossil relict indigenous autochthonous allochthonous exotic alien invasive naturalized casual escaped cultivated ornamental pet food medicine fiber fuel timber fodder pollinator pest-control seed-dispersal soil-formation erosion-control water-purification air-purification carbon-sequestration climate-regulation disease-regulation pest-regulation flood-regulation storm-protection recreation tourism aesthetic spiritual cultural-heritage research inspiration existence-value option-value bequest-value intrinsic-value anthropocentric biocentric ecocentric utilitarian instrumental relational intrinsic inherent absolute conditional responsibility care respect reverence wonder curiosity knowledge understanding wisdom science natural-philosophy biology zoology entomology coleopterology scarabaeology dynastinology systematics taxonomy nomenclature classification evolution ecology behavior paleontology conservation-biology environmental-science agricultural-science forestry-science veterinary-science medical-science public-health one-health planetary-health ecosystem-health biodiversity-health species-health population-health individual-health genetic-health environmental-health social-health economic-health political-health cultural-health spiritual-health holistic-health integrated-health sustainable-development sustainable-use sustainable-management adaptive-management precautionary-principle ecosystem-approach landscape-approach seascape-approach connectivity-conservation corridor buffer-zone protected-area national-park nature-reserve wildlife-refuge wilderness-area world-heritage-site biosphere-reserve Ramsar-site Important-Bird-Area Key-Biodiversity-Area Alliance-for-Zero-Extinction-site conservation-priority hotspot crisis-ecoregion global-200 last-of-the-wild human-footprint cumulative-impact threat-index vulnerability-index adaptive-capacity exposure sensitivity resilience resistance recovery restoration rehabilitation reintroduction translocation ex-situ in-situ captive-breeding botanic-garden zoo gene-bank seed-bank tissue-bank sperm-bank oocyte-bank embryo-bank DNA-bank frozen-zoo ark insurance safety-net de-extinction genetic-rescue genetic-restoration genetic-augmentation genetic-management population-management metapopulation source-sink patch matrix landscape seascape ecosystem biome ecoregion province zone region district site locality habitat microhabitat niche ecological-niche fundamental-niche realized-niche trophic-niche spatial-niche temporal-niche biotic-niche abiotic-niche multidimensional-niche n-dimensional-niche Hutchinsonian-niche Grinnellian-niche Eltonian-niche resource requirement limitation stress disturbance perturbation fluctuation variability heterogeneity complexity diversity redundancy stability persistence adaptation acclimation plasticity evolvability heritability selection drift flow mutation recombination speciation coalescence divergence convergence parallelism homoplasy analogy homology synapomorphy symplesiomorphy autapomorphy apomorphy plesiomorphy derived ancestral primitive advanced basal crown stem node branch clade grade subfamily family superfamily infraorder suborder order superorder infraclass subclass class superclass subphylum phylum superphylum kingdom domain life organism individual etc.
Pieriballia
painted white, viardi white
Pieriballia is a monotypic genus of pierid butterflies erected by Alexander Barrett Klots in 1933. Its sole species, Pieriballia viardi, occurs from Mexico southward through Central and South America to Bolivia and Paraguay. The genus is characterized by moderate size, with wingspans around 57 mm, and association with rainforest and cloud forest habitats. Larval development has been documented on Capparis pseudocacao.
monotypic Neotropical pierid rainforest cloud-forest
Pseudomorphini
false-form beetles
Pseudomorphini is a tribe of ground beetles (Carabidae) distinguished by their evolutionary divergence from typical carabid body plans. Members are known for obligate associations with ants, living within ant colonies. The tribe includes the recently described Guyanemorpha spectabilis from French Guiana, which exhibits exceptional size and coloration compared to the generally dull-colored Western Hemisphere species. Research on these beetles remains challenging due to their arboreal ant-nest habitats.
myrmecophily arboreal rainforest carabidae ant-association
Saica
Saica is a genus of assassin bugs in the family Reduviidae, subfamily Saicinae. These predatory insects inhabit tropical rainforest environments, particularly in the Neotropics. They are characterized by slender bodies, long legs, and distinctive raptorial forelegs adapted for capturing prey. Some species display bright coloration, including brilliant red patterns. The genus is distinguished by a uniquely hooked proboscis tip, an adaptation for subduing prey.
predator raptorial-legs hooked-proboscis rainforest Neotropical
Trichopterygini
Trichopterygini is a tribe of geometer moths in the subfamily Larentiinae. Australian members include three genera (Episteira, Tympanota, and Sauris) with 14 recognized species, eight of which were described as new in a 1980 revision. The tribe occurs in the Oriental Region, Pacific islands, and Australia, with a predominantly eastern and northern distribution on the Australian mainland. No species are known from Tasmania.
geometridae larentiinae moths australia oriental-region pacific rainforest arboreal-larvae