Rocky-mountains
Guides
Abagrotis discoidalis
Abagrotis discoidalis is a noctuid moth described by Grote in 1876, with a wingspan of approximately 31 mm. It is restricted to western North America, ranging from southern Alberta south through the Rocky Mountain states to northern Arizona and New Mexico. Adults are active from June to August in Alberta, with a single annual generation.
Agoliinus incommunis
Agoliinus incommunis is a species of small scarab beetle in the subfamily Aphodiinae, originally described by Fall in 1932. The species is documented from mountainous regions of western North America, with records spanning from British Columbia south to New Mexico. As a member of the Aphodiini tribe, it belongs to a group commonly known as small dung beetles, though specific ecological details for this species remain poorly documented. The species name "incommunis" (Latin for "uncommon" or "not shared") may allude to its rarity or restricted distribution.
Anthocharis julia
Julia Orangetip, Southern Rocky Mountain Orangetip
Anthocharis julia is a butterfly species in the family Pieridae, commonly known as the Julia Orangetip or Southern Rocky Mountain Orangetip. It is one of three species in the sara species group, distinguished by more than 2% mitochondrial DNA COI barcode divergence from congeners A. sara and A. thoosa. Molecular and morphological evidence consistently support its species status with no detected introgression or hybridization. The species is endemic to the southern Rocky Mountains on the eastern side of the range.
Anthocharis julia julia
Southern Rocky Mountain orangetip
Anthocharis julia julia is a subspecies of orangetip butterfly in the family Pieridae, found in the southern Rocky Mountain region. Adults are active in early spring and are distinguished by orange wing tips in males and more subdued coloration in females. The subspecies represents the nominate form of A. julia, described by Edwards in 1872.
Apantesis elongata
Columbia Tiger Moth
Apantesis elongata is a tiger moth species in the family Erebidae, first described by Stretch in 1885. It was transferred from the genus Grammia to Apantesis in a taxonomic revision that consolidated several related genera. The species occupies montane meadows in western North America and has been documented feeding on Claytonia lanceolata as a larva.
Apantesis ornata
Ornate Tiger Moth, Achaia Moth
Apantesis ornata is a tiger moth in the family Erebidae, originally described by Packard in 1864 under the name Callarctia ornata. The species was long classified in the genus Grammia before being transferred to Apantesis in a 2016 revision that consolidated several related genera. It occurs across western North America from southern British Columbia to southern California and eastward to the Rocky Mountain states. Adults are active during summer months and are attracted to light. The species exhibits the bright warning coloration typical of tiger moths, though specific details of its biology remain incompletely documented.
Bombus bifarius
Two-form bumblebee
Bombus bifarius is a eusocial bumble bee of the subgenus Pyrobombus, first described by Cresson in 1879. Recent genetic research (2020) has clarified its taxonomy: what was historically considered a single species with two color morphs (red-tailed 'bifarius' and black-tailed 'nearcticus') has been split into two cryptic species. True B. bifarius is now restricted to the red-tailed form found in the southern Rocky Mountains, while the black-tailed and variable forms belong to the sister species Bombus vancouverensis. The species is small-bodied and has been identified as one of only two bumble bee species known to use pheromones in kin recognition.
Chelis beanii
Bean's Tiger Moth
Chelis beanii, known as Bean's Tiger Moth, is a small tiger moth species in the family Erebidae. First described by Berthold Neumoegen in 1891, it occurs in montane regions of western North America. The species was transferred from the genus Neoarctia to Chelis based on phylogenetic revisions of tiger moth genera.
Chloealtis abdominalis
Rocky Mountain Sprinkled Locust
Chloealtis abdominalis is a species of slant-faced grasshopper in the family Acrididae, commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Sprinkled Locust. It belongs to the subfamily Gomphocerinae, a group characterized by their slanted face profile and stridulatory pegs on the hind legs used for sound production. The species has been documented in the western United States, with records from Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming. It is one of two species in the genus Chloealtis known from Colorado, alongside the more widespread C. conspersa.
Cicindela decemnotata montevolans
Cicindela decemnotata montevolans is a subspecies of the Badlands Tiger Beetle described in 2012 based on morphological and molecular evidence. It represents one of four subspecific entities recognized within C. decemnotata, a species that has undergone rapid phylogenetic radiation following glacial recession in the past 10,000 years. The subspecies occupies montane or high-elevation habitats within the broader range of the species, which extends across the Rocky Mountains from the northwestern Great Plains and northern Great Basin north to Yukon.
Cicindela longilabris laurentii
Laurent's Long-lipped Tiger Beetle
Cicindela longilabris laurentii is a subspecies of long-lipped tiger beetle described by Schaupp in 1884. It is associated with high-elevation habitats in the Rocky Mountain region of western North America. The subspecies is considered challenging to locate in the field, with observations concentrated in Wyoming and extending into adjacent areas. It represents one of several geographically isolated populations within the C. longilabris complex.
Cicindela purpurea audubonii
Audubon's tiger beetle
A subspecies of tiger beetle in the genus Cicindela, Cicindela purpurea audubonii is one of the most commonly encountered tiger beetles in grassland habitats throughout the central Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. It exhibits two distinct color morphs within populations: a green morph with a faint purple tinge and metallic purple elytral border, and a rarer all-black morph. The subspecies follows a spring-fall life cycle strategy, emerging in fall as sexually immature adults, overwintering in burrows, and re-emerging in spring to mate and oviposit. It is distinguished from similar green claybank-associated species by its reduced elytral markings and purple marginal coloration.
Colias meadii
Mead's Sulphur, Mead's Sulfur
Colias meadii, known as Mead's Sulphur, is a butterfly species in the family Pieridae native to the Rocky Mountains of North America. It inhabits high-elevation arctic-alpine environments near or at tree line. The species is active during mid-summer, with adults flying from July to August. It exhibits the yellow-orange wing coloration typical of sulphur butterflies, with a wingspan of 35–44 mm.
Colias scudderii
Scudder's Sulphur, willow sulphur
Colias scudderii, commonly known as Scudder's Sulphur or the willow sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It inhabits mountain meadows and willow bogs across a broad elevational range from Alaska through the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico. The species has a wingspan of 38–51 mm and is active during summer months. Larvae feed exclusively on willow species (Salix), with later instars overwintering.
Ctenucha cressonana
Cresson's ctenucha
Ctenucha cressonana, commonly known as Cresson's ctenucha, is a moth in the family Erebidae, subfamily Arctiinae. The species was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1863. It is a member of the genus Ctenucha, a group of tiger moths known for their wasp-mimicking appearance and diurnal activity. The species occurs in the Rocky Mountains of the southwestern United States. Adults have been observed laying eggs on grass blades, though the specific host plant for larval development remains unknown.
Dicosmoecus atripes
northern caddisfly
Dicosmoecus atripes is a limnephilid caddisfly native to North America. The species has been documented in Rocky Mountain streams of Alberta, Canada, where it exhibits a two-year life cycle with distinct seasonal emergence and larval diapause. Larval microhabitat and dietary preferences shift between early and late instars.
Dolichovespula alpicola
Rocky Mountain Aerial Yellowjacket
Dolichovespula alpicola is a social wasp in the family Vespidae, described by Eck in 1984. It is known from high-elevation habitats in western North America, particularly in coniferous forests of the Rocky Mountains. The species belongs to a genus that includes both independent-founding wasps and social parasites, though the specific biology of D. alpicola remains poorly documented compared to its congeners.
Entomobrya zona
Rocky Mountain Springtail
Entomobrya zona, commonly known as the Rocky Mountain springtail, is a small springtail species endemic to the Rocky Mountains and known from three caves in the Grand Canyon. Adults reach approximately 2 mm in length and are characterized by tan coloration with black markings, including a distinctive wide dark band running down the center of the abdomen. The species occurs at elevations from 1,700 to over 3,000 meters in arid environments and coniferous forests. It is frequently found in subterranean habitats, where it is considered a troglophile.
Erebia callias
Colorado Alpine
Erebia callias, commonly known as the Colorado Alpine, is a butterfly species in the family Nymphalidae. It inhabits alpine environments in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming and Colorado, as well as mountain ranges in the eastern Palearctic. The species has a wingspan of 35–38 mm and is part of the brassy ringlet complex, showing close morphological similarity to Siberian brassy ringlets.
Ethmia albicostella
Pale-edged Ethmia Moth
Ethmia albicostella is a small moth species in the family Depressariidae, distributed across the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre Occidental. The species is notable for its distinctive wing pattern featuring a straight longitudinal line dividing dark and pale areas. Adults are active during mid-summer, and larvae feed specifically on Lithospermum species in the Boraginaceae family.
Euphydryas anicia anicia
Anicia checkerspot, Variable checkerspot
Euphydryas anicia anicia is a subspecies of checkerspot butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Populations studied at Cumberland Pass, Colorado (elevation 3700 m) numbered 50,000–100,000 individuals, the largest recorded in 19 years of Euphydryas population studies. Adults sequester iridoid glycosides from host plants including Castilleja and Besseya species. Movement distances between recapture events averaged less than 100 meters, though greater than most Euphydryas populations and comparable to more vagile E. chalcedona and E. editha populations.
Eupithecia bowmani
Pug moth
Eupithecia bowmani is a small moth in the family Geometridae, first described by Cassino & Swett in 1923. The species occurs in the Rocky Mountains region of western Canada and the north-central United States. Adults are active in spring and early summer and have been documented visiting apple flowers, where they may contribute to nocturnal pollination. Like other members of the genus Eupithecia, this species exhibits the characteristic narrow-winged resting posture of 'pug' moths.
Eupithecia nimbosa
Pug moth
Eupithecia nimbosa is a small geometrid moth described by George Duryea Hulst in 1896. It occurs throughout the Rocky Mountains from Arizona to the Canada–US border. Like other members of its genus, it has narrow wings and a distinctive resting posture. The species has been documented visiting apple flowers at night, contributing to nocturnal pollination of fruit crops.
Eupithecia tenuata
Pug moth
Eupithecia tenuata is a small pug moth in the family Geometridae, first described from western North America in 1880. The species occurs from southern British Columbia through the Rocky Mountains to Arizona and New Mexico. Adults are active in mid-summer and have been documented visiting apple flowers at night, contributing to nocturnal pollination of fruit crops.
Euxoa
miller moths, cutworm moths
Euxoa is a genus of noctuid moths established by Jacob Hübner in 1821, comprising approximately 305 species distributed primarily across dry and semi-dry regions of the northern hemisphere. The genus is notably absent from South-East Asia and Australia. Larvae are cutworms that feed on surface vegetation and occasionally climb plants. The genus includes the army cutworm moth (Euxoa auxiliaris), a significant agricultural pest whose adult aggregations serve as a critical food source for grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Euxoa basalis
Euxoa basalis is a noctuid moth species distributed across western North America, from the Canadian prairie provinces south through the Rocky Mountain region to the southwestern United States. The species is considered abundant in the Rocky Mountain region. Adults have a wingspan of approximately 35 mm. The immature stages have been described in biosystematic studies of the genus Euxoa.
Gillmeria albertae
Alberta Pale Plume Moth
Gillmeria albertae is a plume moth (family Pterophoridae) endemic to the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Adults are small white moths with distinctive brownish-grey markings on the forewings and light brownish-grey hindwings. The species was first described in 1921 and is among the more geographically restricted members of its genus.
Greya variata
Greya variata is a moth in the family Prodoxidae, a group known for intimate relationships with their host plants. The species inhabits herb-rich meadows and forest edges in the central Rocky Mountains at the United States-Canada border. It was described by Braun in 1921, originally placed in the genus Lampronia. Like other members of its genus, it is likely involved in obligate pollination mutualisms, though specific details for this species remain limited.
Hyalophora gloveri
Glover's silkmoth
Hyalophora gloveri is a large silkmoth in the family Saturniidae, first described by Strecker in 1872. The species occurs across western North America from the Rocky Mountains through the northern Great Plains and Canadian prairie provinces. Its taxonomic status remains debated; several authorities treat it as a subspecies of Hyalophora columbia. The species exhibits two recognized subspecies: H. g. gloveri and H. g. nokomis. Adults have a wingspan of approximately 100 mm.
Lasionycta coloradensis
Lasionycta coloradensis is a noctuid moth described by Richards in 1943. The species is endemic to the Rocky Mountains of western North America, with confirmed records from the Montana-Wyoming border south to New Mexico. It was among the 43 species treated in the comprehensive 2009 revision of the genus Lasionycta.
Lasionycta conjugata
Lasionycta conjugata is a noctuid moth species described by Smith in 1899. It is restricted to high-elevation habitats in the Rocky Mountains, occurring from central Utah and Colorado northward to the Montana-Wyoming border. The species is nocturnal and active during mid-summer.
Lasionycta subfuscula
A noctuid moth of western North America, ranging from southwestern British Columbia and Alberta through the Rocky Mountains to southern Oregon, Colorado, and Utah. Adults fly from mid-June to early September in transition zone and subalpine forests. Two subspecies are recognized: L. s. subfuscula in the southern Rocky Mountains and L. s. livida in the Pacific Northwest.
Lophocampa ingens
Lophocampa ingens is a tiger moth in the family Erebidae, described by Henry Edwards in 1881. It is endemic to the southern Rocky Mountains of the United States and Mexico. Adults are active in late spring, while larvae feed on several pine species. The species is distinguished by its patterned forewings with multiple rows of white spots on a dark brown background.
Mecinus janthinus
Toadflax stem weevil
Mecinus janthinus is a stem-boring weevil used as a classical biological control agent for invasive toadflax species (Linaria spp.) in North America. Originally introduced from Europe in the 1990s, it has established populations on Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica) and yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) in the United States and Canada. The species exhibits high host specificity, with postrelease studies in Colorado finding no evidence of nontarget herbivory on native plants even under no-choice starvation conditions. Genetic studies have revealed that M. janthinus as historically defined comprises two cryptic species: M. janthinus sensu stricto associated with yellow toadflax, and M. janthiniformis associated with Dalmatian toadflax.
Melanoplus oregonensis
Oregon Short-wing Grasshopper
Melanoplus oregonensis is a species of spur-throated grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is known from a limited number of observations and records, with confirmed presence in Oregon and Wyoming. The species exhibits the short-winged morphology characteristic of its common name. Two subspecies are recognized: M. o. oregonensis and M. o. triangularis.
Myrmica tahoensis
A facultatively polygynous ant species in the genus Myrmica, native to the Rocky Mountain region of North America. Population-level sex ratios show pronounced temporal variation across years, with female-biased sexual production in odd-numbered years and male-biased production in even-numbered years. Individual colonies tend to maintain consistent sex ratio patterns across consecutive years. The species has been studied primarily at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado.
Norvellina perelegantis
Norvellina perelegantis is a species of leafhopper in the family Cicadellidae, first described by Ball in 1901. This small true bug belongs to the diverse subfamily Deltocephalinae and tribe Platymetopiini. Leafhoppers in this genus are part of the enormous diversity of micro-insects that dominate many terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in North America where this species has been recorded.
Oeneis alberta
Alberta Arctic
Oeneis alberta is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, commonly known as the Alberta Arctic. It inhabits prairie and montane grassland habitats across the Canadian prairie provinces and isolated Rocky Mountain populations in the southwestern United States. The species exhibits a single annual generation with adults active in late spring. Larvae feed on bunch grasses and overwinter in the larval stage.
Oeneis uhleri uhleri
Uhler's Arctic
Oeneis uhleri uhleri is a subspecies of Arctic butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It occurs in the western United States and Canada, inhabiting high-elevation mountain environments. Like other members of the genus Oeneis, it is associated with alpine and subalpine habitats. The species has been documented from the Rocky Mountain region northward into the Canadian prairie provinces.
Oreoleptidae
Oreoleptid Flies
Oreoleptidae is a monotypic family of flies established in 2005 based on the single species Oreoleptis torrenticola. The family was discovered in the Rocky Mountains where larvae inhabit torrential streams and groundwater wells. Adults were reared from larvae after decades of larval collections that could not be matched to any known adult stage. The family shows morphological affinities to both Pelecorhynchidae and Athericidae/Tabanidae, with distinctive male genitalia linking it to the latter group.
Oreoleptis torrenticola
Oreoleptis torrenticola is the sole species in the monotypic genus Oreoleptis and family Oreoleptidae, a family of flies established in 2005 based on this single species. The species was described from specimens collected in the Rocky Mountains, where its larvae inhabit torrential streams and have also been found in groundwater wells. This enigmatic dipteran represents a distinct lineage whose larval morphology shows similarities to Athericidae and Tabanidae but possesses distinctive abdominal prolegs.
Orophe
Orophe is a genus of robust millipedes in the family Xystodesmidae, endemic to the Rocky Mountains of northern Idaho and western Montana. The genus contains two species: Orophe unicus and Orophe cabinetus. Both species are large-bodied with similar coloration featuring yellow paranota and central yellow patches on the tergites, differing only in gonopod morphology.
Orophe unicus
Orophe unicus is a robust millipede in the family Xystodesmidae endemic to the Rocky Mountains of northern Idaho. Originally described as Chipus unicus in 1953, it was transferred to Orophe in 1964 and has undergone taxonomic revision due to its close similarity to Orophe cabinetus. The species is distinguished from its sister species primarily by subtle differences in gonopod structure and by geographic separation, though recent observations suggest their ranges may be closer than previously recognized.
Parnassius smintheus
Rocky Mountain parnassian, Rocky Mountain apollo
Parnassius smintheus is a high-altitude butterfly endemic to the Rocky Mountains of North America. It inhabits alpine and subalpine meadows where it depends on Sedum lanceolatum as its primary larval host plant. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism in behavior: males are highly mobile and patrol meadows for females, while females are relatively sedentary and search for oviposition sites primarily by crawling. Population dynamics are strongly influenced by early-winter weather conditions, particularly November temperature extremes and snowfall, which affect overwintering egg survival. Climate change poses significant threats through rising treeline and altered snowpack patterns.
Polites draco
Draco Skipper, Rocky Mountain Skipper, Dragon Skipper
Polites draco, commonly known as the Draco Skipper or Rocky Mountain Skipper, is a small butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is distributed across the Rocky Mountain region from Arizona north to the Yukon Territory. The species has one generation per year, with adults active from June to early August. Its larvae feed on grasses, while adults visit flowers for nectar.
Prionus emarginatus
Prionus emarginatus is a species of long-horned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, found in North America. It belongs to the subgenus Homaesthesis, one of eight species in this poorly known group primarily distributed in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. Adults are large, blackish beetles with broad pronota. Males are attracted to prionic acid lures, suggesting females emit this compound as a sex pheromone. The species is nocturnal, with males active at night and attracted to ultraviolet and mercury-vapor lights.
Pseudohemihyalea ambigua
red-banded aemilia
Pseudohemihyalea ambigua, commonly known as the red-banded aemilia, is a moth species in the family Erebidae (subfamily Arctiinae). It occurs from southern Wyoming southward through the Rocky Mountain and southwestern United States to Durango, Mexico. Adults are active from June to August, with forewing lengths of approximately 22 mm in males and 24 mm in females. The larvae feed on Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine).
Sclerobunus robustus
Sclerobunus robustus is a montane-restricted harvestman species occurring in the southwestern United States. A 2014 taxonomic revision elevated two former subspecies (S. glorietus and S. idahoensis) to full species status. Population genomic research has identified multiple Pliocene-era refugia in the Southern Rocky Mountains and Intermontane Plateau, with genetically distinct clades showing patterns of isolation by distance in continuous mountain habitats and isolation by environment in isolated sky island populations.
Scoparia normalis
Scoparia normalis is a small crambid moth described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1904. It is known from a disjunct distribution across the western United States (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah) with an isolated eastern record from North Carolina. Adults are active during summer months, with flight records from July through September. The species has a wingspan of approximately 26 mm and exhibits distinctive gray forewings with complex black patterning.
Scopula siccata
Scopula siccata is a species of geometrid moth first described by James Halliday McDunnough in 1939. It occurs in mountainous regions of western North America, inhabiting dry slopes at moderate to high elevations. The species has a relatively restricted distribution spanning from northern Colorado northward through Wyoming, western Montana, and Idaho to southern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta. Adults have a wingspan of 23–24 mm. Like other members of the genus Scopula, the larvae are likely inchworm-type caterpillars, though specific host plant associations remain undocumented.