Sky-islands
Guides
Acmaeodera chiricahuae
Acmaeodera chiricahuae is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by Barr in 1972. It is known from the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona and adjacent regions of southwestern North America. Adults are associated with oak woodlands, particularly Quercus arizonica (Arizona white oak), where they have been collected by beating fresh foliage. The species is one of many oak-associated Agrilus and related buprestids that emerge prior to the summer monsoon season in the Sky Islands region.
Acmaeodera parkeri
Acmaeodera parkeri is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, described by Cazier in 1940. The species occurs in Central America and North America, with records from the southwestern United States and Mexico. Adults have been observed visiting flowers of several plant species, including Allionia incarnata (creeping four o'clock), Talinum whitei (White's flameflower), and Evolvulus arizonicus (Arizona blue-eyes).
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arizonae
Agrilaxia arizonae is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle (family Buprestidae) native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species is currently treated as a synonym of Agrilaxia flavimana, though this status remains ambiguous in some taxonomic sources. It is associated with oak habitats in montane regions of Arizona and has been collected by sweeping foliage of Quercus arizonica (Arizona white oak) and other oak species.
Agrilus chiricahuae
Agrilus chiricahuae is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, first described by Fisher in 1928. The species is named after the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, where it occurs. It belongs to the large genus Agrilus, which contains hundreds of species that are often challenging to distinguish from one another. The species has been documented in pine slash habitats in the Chiricahua Mountains.
Aneflomorpha
Aneflomorpha is a genus of longhorn beetles in the family Cerambycidae, subfamily Cerambycinae, and tribe Elaphidiini. The genus was established by Casey in 1912. Species in this genus are primarily nocturnal and have been documented in the southwestern United States and Mexico. They are associated with woody vegetation, particularly oaks and mesquites, and are frequently attracted to ultraviolet and mercury-vapor light stations.
Chrysina
Jewel Scarabs
Chrysina is a genus of large, charismatic scarab beetles commonly known as jewel scarabs. Adults are noted for their brilliant metallic iridescence, with coloration ranging from silver and gold to green, blue, and purple. The genus contains approximately 100 species distributed from the southwestern United States through Mexico and Central America to northern South America. Adults are nocturnal and readily attracted to lights. Larvae develop in decaying wood.
Cyrtopeltocoris huachucae
A species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Knight in 1968. The specific epithet 'huachucae' references the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, indicating a strong association with this sky island mountain range. Like other members of the genus Cyrtopeltocoris, it is presumably associated with vegetation in arid and semi-arid habitats, though specific biological details remain poorly documented in published literature.
Discodon flavomarginatum
Discodon flavomarginatum is a soldier beetle (family Cantharidae) native to southeastern Arizona. First described by Charles Schaeffer in 1908 from the Huachuca Mountains, this species is characterized by its distinctive color pattern and 14 mm body length. It belongs to a genus of soft-bodied beetles whose biology remains poorly documented.
Eacles oslari
Oslar's eacles, Oslar's Imperial Moth
Eacles oslari is a large silk moth in the family Saturniidae, native to the Sky Islands region of southeastern Arizona and adjacent northern Mexico. Adults display variable wing coloration ranging from yellow to purple-brown. The species was described by Walter Rothschild in 1907 and named after Ernest J. Oslar, the first entomology curator of the Colorado Museum of Natural History. Adults are active during the summer monsoon season and are known to be vulnerable to bat predation.
Ellipes monticolus
canyon pygmy mole cricket
Ellipes monticolus is a poorly known pygmy mole cricket endemic to canyon environments in the southwestern United States. First described in 1977 from genitalia drawings alone, the species remained without natural history documentation until 2020, when the first live photographs and field observations were published from the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. The species inhabits the Sky Islands region, a biodiversity hotspot characterized by isolated mountain ranges. As a member of Tridactylidae, it likely exhibits fossorial adaptations for burrowing in moist substrates near water.
Heteropogon chiricahua
A species of robber fly in the family Asilidae, described by Wilcox in 1965. The specific epithet "chiricahua" refers to the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, suggesting a geographic association with this Sky Island region. As with other members of the genus Heteropogon, this species is presumed to be a predatory fly, though specific observations of its behavior and ecology remain undocumented in available sources.
Macrosaccus neomexicanus
Macrosaccus neomexicanus is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Gracillariidae, described by Davis in 2011. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States, where it is known from Arizona and New Mexico. Its larvae are specialized feeders on New Mexico locust (Robinia neomexicana), creating distinctive tentiform leaf mines. The specific epithet references its host plant rather than its geographic distribution.
Monarthrum huachucae
A small weevil species in the family Curculionidae, described by Wood in 1959. The specific epithet 'huachucae' refers to the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, suggesting a geographic association with this Sky Island region. Like other members of the genus Monarthrum, this species is likely associated with woody vegetation, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Moneilema appressum
Moneilema appressum is a flightless longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) endemic to the Madrean sky islands of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. First described by LeConte in 1852, this species exhibits significant geographic genetic structure across its mountain range distribution. Phylogeographic studies indicate population divergence patterns consistent with Pleistocene climate fluctuations, with estimated divergence times coinciding with interglacial warming events rather than the most recent glacial maximum. Like other members of the genus, adults are associated with cacti.
Nothopleurus madericus
Nothopleurus madericus is a large prionine longhorn beetle described by Skiles in 1978. It belongs to a genus characterized by robust, wood-boring beetles. The species name references Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona, a known locality for this rare beetle. Field observations indicate adults may be crepuscular or nocturnal, with at least one individual observed in an emergence hole on oak during evening hours.
Pachybrachis petronius
A species of flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, described by Fall in 1915. The species has been documented in the southwestern United States, specifically in Arizona, where it has been collected at light stations in mesquite/acacia scrub habitat. Like other members of the genus Pachybrachis, it is likely associated with woody vegetation.
Pachybrachis subvittatus
Pachybrachis subvittatus is a species of case-bearing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is a small beetle belonging to a genus of flea beetles and case-bearers distributed across North America. The species was described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1880. Like other members of its genus, it likely carries its eggs in cases constructed from fecal material, a characteristic trait of the Cryptocephalinae subfamily.
Photinus knulli
Fall Southwest Firefly
Photinus knulli is a North American firefly species notable for its collective flash synchrony in sparse, low-density swarms. Males produce flash triplets lasting approximately one second, with phrases separated by 3–5 seconds. Synchrony occurs in periodic bursts with rapid accretion and quick decay, a pattern similar to but faster than the eastern Photinus carolinus. The species inhabits riparian areas in the American Southwest, particularly Arizona's Sky Island regions, and is considered Vulnerable by IUCN due to population decline from habitat degradation.
Placoschema dimorpha
Placoschema dimorpha is a small longhorned beetle (family Cerambycidae) and the sole member of its genus. Described from Mexico in 2010, it represents a significant range extension as the first U.S. record was documented from southeastern Arizona in 2013. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism in coloration: males have black elytra with red lateral margins on the basal half, while females have entirely reddish elytra or at most a darker apical fascia. At approximately 10 mm in length, its diminutive size and somber coloration contrast sharply with the typically large, colorful members of the tribe Trachyderini.
Polycesta arizonica
Sky Island Polycesta
Polycesta arizonica is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, commonly known as the Sky Island Polycesta. It belongs to the subgenus Polycesta (Arizonica) and is found in the Sky Islands region of southeastern Arizona. The species is associated with oak-juniper woodland habitats at moderate elevations.
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.
Tarache huachuca
Tarache huachuca is a species of bird-dropping moth in the family Noctuidae, first described by Smith in 1903. The species belongs to the subfamily Acontiinae, a group known for their characteristic wing patterns that resemble bird droppings, providing camouflage against predators. It is assigned MONA/Hodges number 9113 in North American moth classification systems. The specific epithet refers to the Huachuca Mountains in southeastern Arizona.
Tetraopes skillmani
Skillman's Milkweed Longhorn
Tetraopes skillmani is a longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) described in 2004 from Arizona. It belongs to the milkweed beetle genus Tetraopes, whose members are obligate specialists on Asclepiadaceae host plants. The type locality is near Duquesne in southeastern Arizona, where collectors found its host plant Sarcostemma sp. but did not encounter the beetles during the initial survey.