Washington-state
Guides
Grylloblatta chirurgica
Mount Saint Helens Grylloblattid, Mount Saint Helens grylloblatid
Grylloblatta chirurgica is a species of ice crawler endemic to southwestern Washington state, specifically associated with high-elevation habitats and ice caves near Mount St. Helens in Skamania County. Described by Gurney in 1961, it is one of the rarest and most geographically restricted members of the relict order Notoptera (Grylloblattodea). The species persists in cold, stable microhabitats including glacial ice fields and subterranean ice formations. Its extremely limited distribution and specialized habitat requirements make it vulnerable to environmental change.
Medusapyga chehalis
Medusapyga chehalis is a ground beetle species described in 2023, making it one of the most recently described members of the Carabidae family. It belongs to the genus Medusapyga, which was established in 2019 and is characterized by distinctive morphological features. The species epithet "chehalis" refers to the Chehalis River region of western Washington State, indicating its type locality. As a newly described species, published information on its biology and ecology remains limited.
Norvellina columbiana
Norvellina columbiana is a species of leafhopper in the family Cicadellidae, described by Ball in 1916 from specimens in Washington state. It belongs to the tribe Platymetopiini within the subfamily Deltocephalinae. The genus Norvellina comprises small leafhoppers that feed on plant sap using piercing-sucking mouthparts. Very little species-specific information has been documented for N. columbiana.
Tachytrechus auratus
Tachytrechus auratus is a species of long-legged fly in the family Dolichopodidae. It is restricted to specialized wetland habitats in east-central Washington State, where it occurs on mud flats and freshet seeps. Adults are active from late spring through early autumn with a maximum lifespan of approximately one week. The species has a relatively brief pupal development period of 4 to 7 days.