Willow-associated
Guides
Anthaxia viridicornis
Anthaxia viridicornis is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, placed in the subgenus Haplanthaxia. It is native to North America and has been reared from dead willow (Salix caroliniana). The species exhibits variation that has been discussed in taxonomic literature, particularly in relation to its distinction from the similar A. viridifrons.
Aphrophora salicina
Willow Spittlebug
Aphrophora salicina, commonly known as the Willow Spittlebug, is a species of froghopper in the family Aphrophoridae. The species was first described by Goeze in 1778. It belongs to a genus commonly referred to as conifer spittlebugs, though this particular species is associated with willow. The taxonomy of the family has been debated, with some authorities placing the genus in Cercopidae and others in Aphrophoridae. The species has been recorded across parts of Europe and Asia, with distribution records from regions including Abruzzo, Altay, Amur, Ankara, and Aqtöbe.
Archarius salicivorus
Archarius salicivorus is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae, first described by Paykull in 1792. The specific epithet 'salicivorus' indicates an association with willow (Salix). It is native to Europe and has been recorded in Belgium.
Carpatolechia notatella
sallow-leaf groundling
A small gelechiid moth with a wingspan of 12–16 mm, distributed across most of Europe (excluding the Iberian and most of the Balkan Peninsula) and Turkey. Adults fly in late spring, while larvae are active in late summer and feed on willow leaves. The species is closely associated with Salix species as larval hosts.
Chaitophorus viminalis
Chaitophorus viminalis is a species of aphid in the family Aphididae, first described by Monell in 1879. It belongs to the subfamily Chaitophorinae, a group of aphids primarily associated with woody hosts in the family Salicaceae (willows and poplars). The species is documented in North American aphid fauna records and is characterized by its specialized association with willow hosts.
Clastoptera salicis
Clastoptera salicis is a spittlebug species in the family Clastopteridae, described by Doering in 1926. The species is documented from Kansas and Missouri in North America. As a member of the genus Clastoptera, it produces protective froth during its nymphal stage. The specific epithet 'salicis' suggests an association with willow (Salix), though this host relationship requires confirmation.
Dorytomus sp-two-pnw
Dorytomus sp-two-pnw is an undescribed or provisionally named species of weevil in the tribe Dorytomini, known from the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Members of this genus are generally associated with willow (Salix) and poplar (Populus) hosts. This species has been documented in collections but lacks formal taxonomic description. Its biology and precise distribution remain incompletely known due to its provisional taxonomic status.
Eustictus salicicola
Eustictus salicicola is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Knight in 1923. The species epithet 'salicicola' suggests an association with willow (Salix) hosts. It is a small predatory or phytophagous true bug found in North America, with documented records from Minnesota, South Dakota, and Mississippi. Very few observations exist in public databases.
Euura
Euura is a genus of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae, subfamily Nematinae, with exceptional species diversity concentrated in northern Holarctic regions rather than tropical zones. The genus contains both free-feeding larvae that consume plant foliage externally and gall-inducing species whose larvae develop entirely within plant galls. Gall-forming females inject a stimulant during oviposition that initiates gall growth before eggs hatch, a distinctive mechanism among gall insects. Taxonomic revision in 2014 consolidated several former genera (Eupontania, Phyllocolpa, Pontania, Tubpontania) into Euura based on phylogenetic evidence. The genus exhibits substantial genetic complexity, with frequent mito-nuclear discordance and multiple functional COI variants within individuals complicating species identification.
Euura hispidae
Euura hispidae is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. It is one of many species within the large and taxonomically complex genus Euura, which comprises gall-forming sawflies associated with willows (Salix). The species was described by Benson in 1953 and is part of a group of Euura species that induce galls on their host plants.
Euura oligospila
Immaculate Willow Nematine
Euura oligospila is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae, native to the West Palaearctic region. It belongs to the oligospila species group, one of several species groups within the genus Euura. The species has been introduced to North America, with established populations recorded in Canada. It is commonly known as the Immaculate Willow Nematine, reflecting its association with willow host plants.
Gyascutus fulgidus
Gyascutus fulgidus is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, originally described by Barr in 1969. The species is native to western North America, particularly the Great Basin region. Based on genus-level characteristics, adults are known to possess a pale yellow-white waxy bloom on the elytra, which is believed to serve a thermoregulatory function in these desert-dwelling insects. The species has been collected on willow (Salix) in western Nevada.
Isochnus sequensi
Isochnus sequensi is a flea-weevil (Curculionidae: Rhamphini) that creates leaf mines on Salix fragilis (crack willow). The species has been documented as a host for multiple eulophid parasitoid wasps in northwestern Russia. It belongs to a genus of small weevils associated with willow and poplar species.
Kybos sublactea
Kybos sublactea is a small leafhopper in the family Cicadellidae, subfamily Typhlocybinae. It belongs to a genus of leafhoppers characterized by reduced wing venation and pale coloration. The species is part of the diverse Erythroneurini tribe, which contains many economically significant agricultural pests. Specific biological details for K. sublactea remain poorly documented in scientific literature.
Marmara salictella
Marmara salictella is a micro-moth in the family Gracillariidae, first described by Clemens in 1863. The species is known from eastern and western North America, with records from Québec and Ontario in Canada, and multiple U.S. states including Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, Virginia, California, and the Atlantic coastal states. Larvae are associated with willow species (Salix), including Salix lasiolepis and Salix lutea.
Melangyna umbellatarum
Bare-winged Halfband
Melangyna umbellatarum is a Holarctic hoverfly species with a transcontinental distribution spanning Eurasia and North America. Adults are medium-sized with distinctive orange leg markings and pale thoracic hairs that distinguish them from similar congeners. The species is strongly associated with willow-dominated riparian habitats and has a documented flight period from May through September.
Nematus erythrogaster
Nematus cf. erythrogaster is a tentative identification for a sawfly in the genus Nematus, distinguished by its reddish-orange abdominal coloration. The 'cf.' designation indicates morphological similarity to N. erythrogaster without confirmed species-level identification. Sawflies in this genus are herbivorous and often associated with willow (Salix) or poplar (Populus) host plants. The genus Nematus is widespread in the Holarctic region, with numerous species exhibiting similar color patterns that complicate field identification.
Oberea oculaticollis
Oberea oculaticollis is a species of longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by Thomas Say in 1824. It is distributed across central North America from Manitoba to Texas. The species is characterized by its dark integument covered with dense, grayish pubescence. An adult was observed on black willow (Salix nigra) in Oklahoma, which may represent the first documented host plant association for this species.
Okanagana salicicola
Okanagana salicicola is a small North American cicada species described by Bliven in 1964. As a member of the genus Okanagana, it belongs to a group of annual cicadas found primarily in western North America. The specific epithet 'salicicola' suggests an association with willow (Salix) habitats. Like other Okanagana species, it is likely a habitat specialist with specific host plant relationships, though detailed ecological studies remain limited.
Orectoderus
Orectoderus is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, established by Uhler in 1876. The genus contains approximately 10 described species distributed in North America. Species are associated with woody plants, particularly willows and related Salicaceae.
Pachybrachis peccans
Pachybrachis peccans is a case-bearing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. Adults feed on living willow leaves and are active from late May through July. Larvae are ground-dwelling and unable to climb plants, feeding instead on dead willow leaves in leaf litter. The species overwinters as a mature larva in a sealed case, with pupation occurring the following spring.
Paria quadriguttata
Willow Paria, willow parium
Paria quadriguttata is a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as the willow parium. The species occurs in Central and North America. As a member of the genus Paria, it is associated with willow hosts (Salix spp.), though specific ecological details remain poorly documented in available sources.
Plagiognathus syrticolae
Plagiognathus syrticolae is a small plant bug (Miridae) described by H.H. Knight in 1941. It is strongly associated with dune willow (Salix syrticola) and appears restricted to sandy dune habitats in the northeastern and midwestern United States. The species has been suggested to be monophagous on its host willow.
Sciota carneella
Willow Gall Inquiline Moth
Sciota carneella is a small moth in the family Pyralidae, commonly known as the Willow Gall Inquiline Moth. The species has been documented in Manitoba, Canada, with 44 observations recorded on iNaturalist. As an inquiline, it is associated with willow galls, though specific details of this relationship remain poorly documented. The genus Sciota includes several species associated with leaf-rolling caterpillars.
Smerinthus saliceti
Salicet sphinx, Salicet Sphinx Moth
Smerinthus saliceti, commonly known as the Salicet sphinx, is a moth in the family Sphingidae first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875. This medium-sized sphinx moth has a wingspan of 67–89 mm and is found in riparian habitats from Mexico City northward through western Texas, Arizona, and into extreme southern California. Adults are active from April to September, with evidence suggesting two generations per year. The species is associated with willow and other riparian vegetation.
Synanthedon bolteri
Northern Willow Clearwing Moth
Synanthedon bolteri, commonly known as the Northern Willow Clearwing Moth, is a species of clearwing moth in the family Sesiidae. It occurs in the Nearctic region, with records from the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Like other members of the genus Synanthedon, it is likely a wood-boring species associated with willow or related host plants, though specific biological details remain poorly documented.
Syngrapha parilis
Dwarf Willow Looper
Syngrapha parilis is a looper moth in the family Noctuidae, commonly known as the Dwarf Willow Looper. The species occurs in both North America and Europe, with confirmed records from Norway and Sweden. It belongs to the subfamily Plusiinae, a group characterized by reduced foreleg structure and looping larval locomotion. The species was first described by Hübner in 1809 under the basionym Noctua parilis.
Tachyerges
Tachyerges is a genus of weevils in the family Curculionidae, established by Schoenherr in 1825. The genus comprises at least two recognized species: Tachyerges salicis and Tachyerges stigma. Species in this genus are associated with willow (Salix) host plants. The genus has documented populations across Europe and North America.
Tachyerges salicis
Tachyerges salicis is a European weevil in the family Curculionidae. The species is associated with willow (Salix) hosts, as indicated by its specific epithet. It is a moderately well-documented species with over 350 observations on iNaturalist.