Soil-insect
Guides
Amnestus pallidus
pallid burrowing bug
Amnestus pallidus is a burrowing bug species in the family Cydnidae, characterized by its subterranean lifestyle and association with soil habitats. The species occurs across Central America and North America, with documented records from the United States including Vermont. As a member of the burrowing bug family, it possesses morphological adaptations for digging and is typically found in contact with soil or ground-level vegetation. The species was described by Zimmer in 1910 and remains relatively poorly known in terms of detailed natural history.
Chaetocnema confinis
sweetpotato flea beetle
Chaetocnema confinis is a small flea beetle (Chrysomelidae: Alticinae) with a cosmopolitan distribution spanning Africa, the Caribbean, Central and North America, South America, Oceania, and Southern Asia. It is a significant agricultural pest of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas), with adults feeding on foliage and larvae developing in soil to feed on tuberous roots. Larval feeding causes distinctive linear epidermal damage to storage roots, creating economic losses in commercial production. The species has been studied intensively in Japan, where seasonal damage patterns have been documented.
Diabrotica virgifera zeae
Mexican corn rootworm
Diabrotica virgifera zeae, the Mexican corn rootworm, is a subspecies of the western corn rootworm complex and a significant agricultural pest of corn (Zea mays) in Mexico and parts of the southern United States. Larvae feed on corn roots, causing damage that can lead to reduced yield, stunting, and plant lodging. Unlike the western corn rootworm subspecies (D. v. virgifera), the Mexican corn rootworm has been documented to damage corn following sorghum rotation in parts of South Central Texas, though this remains rare. Adults feed on corn silks, pollen, and leaves. The species has one generation per year, with eggs laid in soil during summer and fall, hatching the following spring when corn roots become available.
Hypnoidus bicolor
Bicolour Click Beetle
Hypnoidus bicolor is a click beetle species (Elateridae) found throughout the Canadian Prairies and other parts of the Holarctic region. The species exists as a potential cryptic species complex, with two genetically distinct clades (>4.66% COX1 sequence divergence) identified in prairie populations. Larvae are soil-dwelling wireworms that can damage soybean and other crops, though they are smaller and less destructive than related pest species such as Limonius californicus and Hypnoidus abbreviatus. Population genetic studies indicate uneven gene flow among populations with low regional genetic structuring, and evidence of range expansion coinciding with intensive agricultural practices.
Limonius infuscatus
Western field wireworm
Limonius infuscatus, commonly known as the Western field wireworm, is a nocturnal click beetle native to the northwestern United States. The larval stage, referred to as a wireworm, is a soil-dwelling pest known to damage agricultural crops. The species belongs to the family Elateridae, characterized by the ability of adults to produce an audible click when righting themselves from a supine position.
Melanotus lanei
Melanotus lanei is a species of click beetle in the family Elateridae, first described by Quate in 1967. It belongs to the genus Melanotus, a group of wireworms and click beetles that includes several agricultural pest species. The species is part of a taxonomic group whose larvae (wireworms) are significant soil-dwelling pests of various crops. Specific ecological and biological details for M. lanei itself remain poorly documented in available literature.
Melanotus leonardi
Melanotus leonardi is a species of click beetle in the family Elateridae, first described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1853. The genus Melanotus contains multiple species of wireworms, the soil-dwelling larval forms that are agricultural pests. Larvae of related Melanotus species, including M. communis, are known as corn wireworms and damage crop roots and tubers. Adults possess the characteristic click mechanism of Elateridae, using a prosternal process and mesosternal socket to produce an audible snapping sound.
Melanotus spadix
Melanotus spadix is a species of click beetle in the family Elateridae, first described by Erichson in 1841. It belongs to a genus containing several agricultural pest species whose larvae (wireworms) damage crop roots and tubers. The species has been recorded from Ontario, Canada, though specific details about its biology and ecology remain limited in available literature.
Melanotus verberans
click beetle
Melanotus verberans is a click beetle (family Elateridae) native to eastern North America. Adults are moderate-sized (9–12 mm), red-brown, and elongate. The larval stage consists of soil-dwelling wireworms that are significant agricultural pests, feeding on roots and tubers of various crops. Females produce a sex pheromone blend of 13-tetradecenyl acetate and 13-tetradecenyl hexanoate to attract males. Adult flight activity peaks from April through May.
Phyllophaga forbesi
Phyllophaga forbesi is a species of scarab beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, described by Glasgow in 1916. It belongs to the genus Phyllophaga, commonly known as May or June beetles, which contains numerous species of soil-dwelling scarabs. The species is found in North America, with records from the south-central and southeastern United States.
Phyllophaga hirtiventris
Phyllophaga hirtiventris is a species of scarab beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It belongs to the genus Phyllophaga, commonly known as May beetles or June beetles, which contains over 400 species in North America. Like other members of this large genus, it is a soil-dwelling beetle with larvae that feed on plant roots. The specific epithet "hirtiventris" refers to hairy ventral characteristics. Species-level details for P. hirtiventris remain poorly documented in published literature.