Sandhills
Guides
Antaeotricha floridella
Antaeotricha floridella is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, described in 2015 from peninsular Florida. The species is endemic to Florida's sandhills and scrub habitats, where it was initially confused with the similar but more widespread Antaeotricha albulella. Its immaculately white forewings without any spotting distinguish it from close relatives.
Colletes ultravalidus
Sandhills Cellophane Bee
Colletes ultravalidus is a solitary bee species in the family Colletidae, described in 2016. As a member of the genus Colletes, it shares the characteristic behavior of lining underground brood cells with a cellophane-like secretion from the Dufour's gland. The species is known from the Sandhills region of North Carolina.
Mycotrupes retusus
Sandhills Earth-boring Scarab Beetle
Mycotrupes retusus is a species of earth-boring scarab beetle in the family Geotrupidae. It is endemic to the sandhills region of the southeastern United States, specifically North Carolina and South Carolina. The species is poorly known, with only eight documented observations on iNaturalist and minimal published biological information. As a member of the Geotrupidae, it likely exhibits fossorial behavior typical of the family.
Tetraopes pilosus
Pilose Milkweed Beetle
Tetraopes pilosus is a longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by Chemsak in 1963. It is a milkweed specialist restricted to Quaternary sandhills of the central and southern Great Plains. Adults are characterized by dense white pubescence and bright red-and-black aposematic coloration. The species is closely associated with sand milkweed (Asclepias arenaria), feeding on both foliage as adults and roots as larvae.
Trimerotropis infantilis
Zayante Band-winged Grasshopper
Trimerotropis infantilis is a rare, narrowly endemic grasshopper restricted to a small portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. It was described by Rentz and Weissman in 1984. The species occupies specialized sandy habitats and is of conservation concern due to its extremely limited geographic range.