Undercollected
Guides
Acrophotopsis
Acrophotopsis is a genus of velvet ants (family Mutillidae) established by Schuster in 1958. Velvet ants are solitary wasps characterized by dense, velvety hair and aposematic coloration. Females are wingless and often mistaken for ants, while males possess wings. The genus is poorly documented with minimal observational records.
Ametastegia articulata
Ametastegia articulata is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae, first described by Klug in 1818. It belongs to the subfamily Allantinae and is recorded from eastern Canada. Like other sawflies in this genus, it is likely associated with herbaceous vegetation, though specific host plant relationships remain poorly documented. The species is represented by very few observations, indicating either genuine rarity or undercollection.
Bucculatrix anaticula
Bucculatrix anaticula is a microlepidopteran moth in the family Bucculatricidae, first described by Annette Frances Braun in 1963. The species is known from only a handful of records in eastern North America, specifically from Ontario, Canada and Kentucky, USA. Like other members of the genus, it is commonly referred to as a "ribbed cocoon-maker moth" due to the distinctive ribbed structure of its larval cocoon. The genus Bucculatrix contains approximately 300 described species, most of which are poorly known and difficult to identify without examination of genitalia.
Chaetarthria nigrella
Chaetarthria nigrella is a minute water scavenger beetle in the family Hydrophilidae. It is one of the smallest members of its family, typically measuring only 1-2 millimeters in length. The species belongs to the subfamily Chaetarthriinae, a group of tiny beetles often associated with moist or aquatic microhabitats. Very few observations exist for this species, with only three records documented on iNaturalist, suggesting it is either genuinely rare, undercollected, or difficult to detect due to its minute size.
Emmesa blackmani
Blackman's False Darkling Beetle
Emmesa blackmani is a species of false darkling beetle in the family Melandryidae, described by Hatch in 1927. It is known from a small number of observations in eastern Canada, primarily Québec. The species belongs to a genus of beetles associated with decaying wood and fungal habitats in forest ecosystems.
Heimbra
A small genus of chalcidoid wasps in the family Eurytomidae, subfamily Heimbrinae. Species of Heimbra are poorly represented in entomological collections and have been documented from Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. At least three species are recognized: H. bicolor, H. dioneae, and H. pulchra. The genus is characterized by morphological features typical of Heimbrinae, though detailed biological information remains limited.
Lerodea
Lerodea is a genus of grass skippers in the family Hesperiidae, comprising seven described species distributed primarily in the Americas. The genus was established by Scudder in 1872, with Lerodea eufala designated as the type species. Species in this genus are generally associated with grassland and open habitats, where their larvae feed on various grass species. The most widely distributed member, Lerodea eufala (the Eufala Skipper), ranges from the southern United States through much of South America.
Melanomyza manuleata
Melanomyza manuleata is a species of lauxaniid fly described by Loew in 1861. It belongs to a family of small to medium-sized flies commonly known as lauxaniid flies or sapromyzid flies. The species has been documented through limited observations, with only 3 records reported on iNaturalist. As with most members of Lauxaniidae, it is likely associated with decaying organic matter and vegetation, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Mycteridae
Palm and Flower Beetles
Mycteridae is a small family of tenebrionoid beetles comprising approximately 30 genera and 160 species distributed worldwide. The family includes three subfamilies—Mycterinae, Hemipeplinae, and Eurypinae (= Lacconotinae)—which exhibit extreme morphological diversity that complicates family-level diagnosis of adults. Species occur across temperate and tropical regions of both hemispheres, with about 20 species in Australia and representatives of three genera (*Mycterus*, *Hemipeplus*, *Lacconotus*) in North America. The family has been recently referred to as "palm and flower beetles" by some authors.
Mydas davidsoni
Mydas davidsoni is a species of mydas fly in the family Mydidae, described in 1989. The genus Mydas contains some of the largest flies in North America. Like other mydas flies, adults are presumably mimics of spider wasps (family Pompilidae), with black bodies and red or orange markings. The species is known from very few observations.
Pandeleteius rotundicollis
Pandeleteius rotundicollis is a species of broad-nosed weevil described by Fall in 1907. It belongs to the family Curculionidae, one of the largest families of beetles. The species is known from scattered localities in southwestern North America, with records from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Like other members of its genus, it likely inhabits arid and semi-arid environments, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Plethochaeta varicolor
Plethochaeta varicolor is a species of dung fly in the family Scathophagidae, first described by Coquillett in 1901. The genus Plethochaeta is a small group within the Scathophagidae, a family commonly known as dung flies or yellow dung flies due to their association with dung and other decaying organic matter. Very few observations of this species exist in public databases, suggesting it is either genuinely rare, undercollected, or restricted to specific habitats. The specific epithet "varicolor" likely refers to variable coloration, though original description details are not widely accessible.
Pseudepierus gentilis
clown beetle
Pseudepierus gentilis is a species of clown beetle in the family Histeridae, first described by Horn in 1883. It belongs to the subfamily Tribalinae and is known from scattered records across the central and southern United States. Like other histerid beetles, it is likely associated with decaying organic matter and wood-boring insect habitats, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Stethusa
Stethusa is a genus of small rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae, subfamily Aleocharinae. The genus was established by Casey in 1910 and is currently classified within the tribe Athetini. Members of this genus are part of the diverse aleocharine fauna of North America. Very few observations of this genus exist in biodiversity databases, suggesting either genuine rarity or undercollection.
Systenus
Systenus is a genus of long-legged flies (Dolichopodidae: Medeterinae) characterized by larvae that develop in dendrotelme habitats—water-filled hollow tree cavities lined with organic soil. The genus is globally uncommon in collections, likely due to its arboreal adult associations and specialized larval habitat requirements. Despite this rarity, some localities show remarkable species richness; for example, eight species were collected from a single site in Costa Rica. The genus occurs in both tropical and temperate regions, with records from Central America, South America, Europe, and North America.
Trisacantha
Trisacantha is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Scelionidae, first described by Ashmead in 1887. Members of this genus are minute wasps that develop as parasitoids of insect eggs. The genus is placed within the superfamily Platygastroidea, a group characterized by reduced wing venation and specialized host-finding behaviors. Only one observation of this genus is currently documented on iNaturalist, indicating either rarity or undercollection.