Xeric-adaptation
Guides
Andrenidae
mining bees, miner bees, bulldozer bees
Andrenidae is a large, nearly cosmopolitan family of solitary, ground-nesting bees commonly known as mining bees. The family exhibits exceptional diversity with over 2,000 described species across four subfamilies: Andreninae, Panurginae, Oxaeinae, and Alocandreninae. Most diversity occurs in temperate and arid (warm temperate xeric) regions. The genus Andrena contains approximately 1,700 species, making it one of the most rapidly speciating bee lineages known. Members are typically small to moderate-sized bees with distinctive morphological features including two subantennal sutures on the face—a primitive trait shared with sphecoid wasps—and often possess foveae (depressions) near the upper margin of the eyes. Unlike most bee families, Andrenidae have no known kleptoparasites. Some lineages, particularly within Panurginae, have evolved crepuscular (dusk-active) foraging behavior with enlarged ocelli.
Ellipes
pygmy mole crickets
Ellipes is a genus of pygmy mole crickets (Orthoptera: Tridactylidae) containing small, fossorial insects. Most tridactylids inhabit moist margins of ponds and streams, but some Ellipes species have independently evolved to occupy xeric scrub and sandhill habitats. The genus includes at least six described species distributed across North and South America, with several Florida endemics exhibiting restricted ranges and limited study due to their minute size and cryptic habits.
Pellaea
cliffbrakes
Pellaea is a genus of ferns in the Cheilanthoideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae, commonly known as cliffbrakes. The genus name derives from Greek 'pellos' meaning 'dark,' referring to the bluish-gray stems characteristic of many species. These ferns are primarily adapted to rocky habitats, including cliff faces, rocky slopes, and bluffs. Molecular phylogenetic studies using chloroplast DNA restriction site variation have clarified relationships within the genus, particularly resolving the P. glabella complex and establishing that P. atropurpurea is sister to this complex rather than the previously hypothesized P. breweri.
Tetraopes pilosus
Pilose Milkweed Beetle
Tetraopes pilosus is a longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, described by Chemsak in 1963. It is a milkweed specialist restricted to Quaternary sandhills of the central and southern Great Plains. Adults are characterized by dense white pubescence and bright red-and-black aposematic coloration. The species is closely associated with sand milkweed (Asclepias arenaria), feeding on both foliage as adults and roots as larvae.