Wisconsin

Guides

Besciva
Besciva is a genus of sheetweb weavers in the family Linyphiidae. The genus is known from at least one undescribed species ('n-sp') encountered in the northern reaches of Door County, Wisconsin, USA. Sheetweb weavers in this genus construct flat, convex, or concave webs depending on the species, with spiders hanging upside down to capture prey. Mature males cease web-spinning to seek mates.
Linyphiidae sheetweb-weaver Door-County Wisconsin nocturnal building-fauna undescribed-species
Carmenta corni
aster borer moth
Carmenta corni, the aster borer moth, is a clearwing moth in the family Sesiidae. First described by Henry Edwards in 1881, it occurs in North America including Wisconsin. Adults are active from July to August. The species is known to have larvae that feed on roots of specific host plants.
clearwing-moth sesiidae root-borer aster-borer north-america wisconsin vermont veronica aster eurybia 1881 edwards
Catocala serena
Serene Underwing
Catocala serena, the serene underwing, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It is found in eastern North America from southern Ontario and New England south to Tennessee, and west to Illinois and eastern Wisconsin. Adults are active from July to September with one generation per year. The larvae feed on shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) and black walnut (Juglans nigra).
underwing-moth nocturnal deciduous-forest hardwood-specialist single-brooded July-emergence Erebidae Catocala North-America eastern-United-States Ontario Tennessee Illinois Wisconsin Carya Juglans hickory walnut
Chimoptesis n-sp
Chimoptesis n-sp is an undescribed sheetweb weaver spider in the family Linyphiidae, recorded from Door County, Wisconsin. The specimen was observed on June 24, 2019, during a nocturnal survey of building exteriors. Linyphiidae spiders construct flat, convex, or concave sheet webs and hang inverted beneath them to capture prey.
Araneae Linyphiidae sheetweb-weaver undescribed-species Wisconsin nocturnal new-species
Condica
Condica is a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae. The designation "n-sp" indicates an undescribed or unidentified species within this genus. Species in Condica are generally medium-sized noctuid moths with cryptic coloration. The genus is part of the diverse owlet moth fauna of North America.
noctuidae owlet-moths undescribed-species north-america wisconsin nocturnal
Diastema n-sp
Diastema n-sp is a sheetweb weaver spider in the family Linyphiidae, recorded from the exterior of a woodshed in northern Door County, Wisconsin during a nocturnal survey. The specimen was an unidentified male observed on June 24, 2019, in a cool, wet forested area on the shore of Lake Michigan. No further details about this particular species' biology are available from this record.
spider sheetweb-weaver Linyphiidae nocturnal Wisconsin Door-County male unidentified-species Arachtober night-survey Lake-Michigan forest woodshed June-2019 Bug-Eric citizen-science biodiversity-survey cool wet-weather intermittent-rain exterior-building-survey
Dictyonia
Dictyonia n-sp is an undescribed species of sheetweb weaver spider (family Linyphiidae) documented from Door County, Wisconsin, USA. It was recorded during a nocturnal survey of building exteriors in a forested lakeshore habitat. As a member of Linyphiidae, it constructs a flat, sheet-like web and hunts by hanging inverted on the web surface.
Linyphiidae sheetweb-weaver undescribed-species Wisconsin Door-County nocturnal building-associated new-species
Dioryctria resinosella
red pine shoot moth
Dioryctria resinosella is a conifer-feeding moth in the family Pyralidae, described in 1982. The larvae are specialized shoot borers of red pine (Pinus resinosa), attacking new shoots and cones. This species exhibits localized infestation patterns within plantations and has a univoltine life cycle with discrete seasonal activity. It is known from Ontario and the northern United States, with detailed bionomics studied in Wisconsin sand plain plantations.
Pyralidae coneworm-moth red-pine Pinus-resinosa shoot-borer forest-pest Wisconsin Ontario parasitoid Hyssopus-rhyacioniae plantation-pest univoltine sand-plains
Dipogon sayi
spider wasp
Dipogon sayi is a solitary spider wasp in the family Pompilidae that nests in pre-existing cavities (trap-nests). It is known from the northeastern United States, with the easternmost records from Maine. The species provisions its nests with paralyzed spiders, particularly crab spiders (Thomisidae), as food for its larvae.
spider-wasp solitary-wasp trap-nesting Thomisidae forest-habitat Maine Wisconsin northeastern-USA
Forcipata unica
Forcipata unica is a species of leafhopper in the family Cicadellidae, described by Hamilton in 1998. It belongs to the subfamily Typhlocybinae, a group commonly known as typhlocybine leafhoppers. The species is known from Wisconsin, USA. Like other members of its genus, it is a small, plant-feeding insect.
leafhopper Cicadellidae Typhlocybinae Nearctic Wisconsin 1998-description
Ipnista n-sp
Ipnista n-sp is an unidentified species of sheetweb weaver spider in the family Linyphiidae, documented from a single male specimen observed in Door County, Wisconsin. The spider was found during a nocturnal survey of building exteriors in a forested lakeshore habitat. As an unidentified male, it represents an undescribed or unrecognized species within this diverse family of small web-building spiders.
Linyphiidae sheetweb-weaver undescribed-species Wisconsin nocturnal male-spider
Isoperla lata
Dark Stripetail
Isoperla lata, commonly known as the dark stripetail, is a green-winged stonefly in the family Perlodidae. It is native to North America with documented populations in Labrador, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Minnesota. The species inhabits cold-water trout streams where it functions as a predator on other aquatic insects. Research from Wisconsin indicates a slow univoltine life cycle with synchronous spring emergence and temperature-dependent egg development.
stonefly Plecoptera Perlodidae aquatic-insect trout-stream univoltine predator North-America Wisconsin synchronous-emergence
Nephrotoma altissima
Nephrotoma altissima is a species of large crane fly in the family Tipulidae. It occurs across northern and western North America, ranging from Alaska and northern Canada south to Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico. As a member of the genus Nephrotoma, it belongs to a group commonly known as tiger crane flies, which are distinguished by patterned wings and bodies.
crane-fly tiger-crane-fly Tipulidae Diptera Nearctic North-America Alaska Canada USA Oregon Arizona New-Mexico Wisconsin Ontario Northwest-Territories Vermont
Paraplatyptilia sabourini
Sabourin Plume Moth
Paraplatyptilia sabourini is a species of plume moth in the family Pterophoridae. It is known from North America, with the type specimen collected in Burnett County, Wisconsin. As a member of this genus, it possesses the characteristic divided wings that define plume moths. Little detailed biological information has been published for this species.
plume-moth Pterophoridae North-America Wisconsin
Scaphoideus productus
Scaphoideus productus is a leafhopper species in the family Cicadellidae, first described by Osborn in 1900. It belongs to the subfamily Deltocephalinae and tribe Scaphoideini. The species has been documented from several U.S. states in the Midwest and Northeast, with iNaturalist records indicating relatively few observations (17). As a member of the genus Scaphoideus, it shares taxonomic affinities with the well-studied American grapevine leafhopper (S. titanus), though specific biological details for S. productus remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.
leafhopper Cicadellidae Scaphoideus Deltocephalinae Scaphoideini Hemiptera Auchenorrhyncha Cicadomorpha North-America Iowa New-Hampshire South-Carolina Wisconsin Osborn-1900 poorly-known rarely-collected taxonomic-synonymy-complex
Vespula infernalis
cuckoo yellowjacket, American cuckoo yellowjacket
Vespula infernalis is an obligate social parasite (inquiline) that invades and usurps colonies of other yellowjacket species, primarily Vespula acadica in North America. Unlike most parasitic wasps, it exhibits intensely aggressive behavior during colony takeover, using specialized morphological adaptations including a large, heavily curved stinger to subdue host workers. The species lacks a worker caste and cannot build nests or rear its own young, instead forcing host workers to feed and care for its brood through dominance behaviors including mauling and forced trophallaxis.
social-parasite inquiline cuckoo-wasp yellowjacket aggressive-parasitism Vespula Hymenoptera Nearctic boreal-forest Vespula-acadica forced-trophallaxis mauling-behavior curved-stinger no-worker-caste obligate-parasitism Dufour's-gland oogenesis-suppression fourth-mandibular-tooth Kimsey-&-Carpenter-2012 Vespula-austriaca-sister-species short-flight-season June-to-September Canada United-States Alaska New-Jersey Michigan Wisconsin North-Dakota New-Mexico Arizona California stable-population subterranean-nests host-queen-usurpation host-worker-manipulation reproductive-monopoly venom-paralyzes-hosts minimal-foraging no-nest-construction no-thermoregulation-behavior egg-laying-on-comb-exterior autumn-queen-production longer-hibernation-than-hosts preusurpation-phase queen-reared-worker-stage-invasion post-emergence-colony-stage-invasion patrol-behavior cell-inspection dominance-assertion evolutionary-strategy-kill-older-workers-first worker-oviposition-suppression gastral-dragging 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Xysticus
ground crab spiders
Xysticus is a genus of ground-dwelling crab spiders (family Thomisidae) known for ambush hunting on the ground rather than in flowers. These spiders possess elongated first and second pairs of legs with spines that help secure prey. They are among the most frequently observed ballooning spiders, using silk threads to disperse via wind currents. The genus is also a documented prey source for spider wasps in the genus Dipogon.
Thomisidae crab-spiders ballooning ground-dwelling ambush-predator dispersal spring-activity Colorado Wisconsin
Xysticus funestus
mournful ground crab spider, sad ground crab spider, deadly ground crab spider
Xysticus funestus is a ground crab spider in the family Thomisidae, native to North America. It is one of many ambush-hunting crab spiders that rely on elongated front legs to capture prey. The species has been documented in field observations as an adult in early spring and has been recorded as prey for the spider wasp Dipogon calipterus. Despite its alarming common name "deadly ground crab spider," it poses no medical threat to humans.
Thomisidae ground-crab-spider ambush-predator North-America ballooning spider-wasp-prey non-medical-bite-risk spring-activity overwintering-adult gravid-female-March-observation Colorado Wisconsin Dipogon-calipterus-prey-record concrete-path-habitat mailbox-post-observation forest-edge leaf-litter-overwintering misleading-common-name Keyserling-1880