Sedentary
Guides
Atypidae
purseweb spiders, atypical tarantulas
Atypidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders commonly known as purseweb spiders or atypical tarantulas. The family contains only three genera and represents one of the most archaic spider lineages. Members are obligate burrowers that construct distinctive sock-like, silken tubes extending from underground burrows up vertical surfaces. They are ambush predators that rarely leave their retreats, instead detecting and capturing prey from within their webs. The family has a disjunct distribution across Eurasia, northern Africa, and North America, with most species in the genus Atypus.
Ectoedemia argyropeza
Virgin Pigmy
A Holarctic microlepidopteran in the family Nepticulidae, characterized by parthenogenetic reproduction with extremely rare males. Adults are active in late spring. Larvae are leaf miners on aspen species, producing distinctive mines that persist on host leaves. The species exhibits clonal population structure with limited dispersal capacity.
Rhyssomatus lineaticollis
Milkweed Stem Weevil
Rhyssomatus lineaticollis, commonly known as the milkweed stem weevil, is a specialized herbivore associated with milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.). Adults feed on stems and leaf petioles, while larvae develop inside seed pods. The species is notable for its monophagous to oligophagous relationship with milkweeds, including the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and the rare, threatened Asclepias meadii. Research indicates this weevil is relatively sedentary, with limited dispersal distances, functioning as a patchy population in fragmented agricultural landscapes. The species is distributed across eastern and central North America.