Steppe-fauna
Guides
Cymindis
Cymindis is a genus of ground beetles in the family Carabidae, established by Latreille in 1805. The genus comprises over 50 described species distributed across the Palearctic region, with particularly high diversity in Central Asia and the Near East. Many species are associated with arid and semi-arid habitats. The genus is divided into numerous subgenera, reflecting substantial morphological and ecological variation among its constituent species.
Glaucopsyche
blues, silvery blues, green-underside blues, black-eyed blues
Glaucopsyche is a genus of small butterflies commonly called 'blues' in the family Lycaenidae. The genus has a Holarctic distribution, with most species occurring in Palearctic Asia and several species in North America. It includes approximately 30 described species, among them the extinct Xerces blue (G. xerces), last seen in the early 1940s on the San Francisco Peninsula. Several species have notable conservation status, including the federally endangered Palos Verdes blue (G. lygdamus palosverdesensis).