Rock-dwelling
Guides
Anambodera lucksani
A small jewel beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by Walters in 1982. The genus Anambodera is restricted to western North America and is closely related to the diverse genus Acmaeodera. Species in this genus are poorly represented in collections due to their cryptic habits.
Anambodera palmarum
Anambodera palmarum is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It occurs in western North America, including the southwestern United States and adjacent regions of Mexico. The genus Anambodera is restricted to western North America and is characterized by cryptic habits, with adults typically found on rock surfaces or bare soil rather than flowers.
Araeoschizus apachensis
Araeoschizus apachensis is a darkling beetle species in the family Tenebrionidae, described by Papp in 1981. The genus Araeoschizus contains species characterized by flattened body forms adapted for living under bark or in rock crevices. This species is known from a small number of observations, primarily from the southwestern United States.
Arphiini
Arphiini is a tribe of band-winged grasshoppers within the subfamily Oedipodinae (family Acrididae). The tribe contains genera notable for remarkable cryptic coloration that matches rock and lichen substrates. Members exhibit striking intraspecific color polymorphism, with individuals ranging from blue-green lichen-mimics to brown and black forms adapted to barren rock surfaces. The tribe is part of a globally distributed group historically treated as the family Oedipodidae.
Diplocentrus spitzeri
Ruby Rock Scorpion
Diplocentrus spitzeri is a scorpion species in the family Diplocentridae, endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental in Sonora, Mexico. The species exhibits distinctive maternal care behaviors, including a specialized birth posture where the female elevates her body on her legs and pedipalps while young emerge from the genital opercula and climb onto her back. First instar young remain on the mother's back until their first molt, during which time the female displays defensive behaviors to protect them. The species inhabits rocky pine-oak forest environments, where it shelters under stones and in rock crevices.
Drassodes
Stone Spiders
Drassodes is a genus of ground spiders in the family Gnaphosidae, commonly known as stone spiders. They are medium-sized spiders typically found in dry habitats beneath rocks or bark. The genus contains approximately 162 species and is widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere.
Machilinus
rock bristletails
Machilinus is a genus of rock bristletails in the family Meinertellidae, comprising approximately 17 described species. These primitive wingless insects are distinguished from related genera by their diurnal activity pattern, in contrast to the nocturnal habits of many other bristletails. They occupy rocky microhabitats and represent one of the more derived lineages within the Archaeognatha.
Machiloides banksi
rock bristletail
Machiloides banksi is a species of rock bristletail described by Filippo Silvestri in 1911. It belongs to the family Meinertellidae, a group of basal insects in the order Archaeognatha. The species is known from the eastern United States. Like other Archaeognatha, it represents one of the most primitive lineages of living insects, retaining ancestral characteristics such as the ability to spring using its caudal filaments.
Megahexura fulva
Tawny Dwarf Tarantula
Megahexura fulva is a small mygalomorph spider native to the western United States. It constructs an exposed sheet web with a funnel-shaped retreat in holes and crevices along ravine banks. The species is the sole member of the genus Megahexura, which was formerly placed in Mecicobothriidae but is now recognized in its own family, Megahexuridae. These spiders are among the smallest mygalomorphs, with body lengths typically under 10 mm.
Meinertellidae
rock bristletails
Meinertellidae is a family of basal insects in the order Archaeognatha, commonly known as rock bristletails. The family comprises more than 170 species across 19 genera, grouped into five distinct genus groups. Members are distinguished from the related family Machilidae by specific morphological traits including the absence of scales at the base of appendages and the presence of small abdominal sternites protruding between coxal plates. While most Archaeognatha are rock-dwelling, some Meinertellidae species in the Amazon have adapted to arboreal and leaf litter habitats.
Pardosa saxatilis
Pardosa saxatilis is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae, found in the United States and Canada. It belongs to the genus Pardosa, commonly known as "thin-legged wolf spiders," which are among the most abundant wolf spiders in North America. The species name "saxatilis" (meaning "of rocks" or "rock-dwelling") suggests an association with rocky habitats. Like other members of its genus, it is a small to medium-sized active hunter.
Serradigitus
Sawfinger Scorpions
Serradigitus is a genus of small scorpions in the family Vaejovidae, commonly known as sawfinger scorpions. The genus contains more than 25 described species distributed across arid regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. These scorpions are lithophilous, inhabiting rocky crevices and stone habitats. The venom of Serradigitus gertschi has been characterized through transcriptomic and proteomic analysis, revealing a complex mixture of ion channel toxins, enzymes, and other bioactive peptides.