Yucca-associated
Guides
Ankothrips yuccae
Ankothrips yuccae is a species of thrips in the family Melanthripidae, first described by Moulton in 1926. It is associated with Yucca whipplei as its host plant, on which it breeds without causing major damage. The species is found in California and is one of relatively few documented species in the genus Ankothrips.
Blastobasis yuccaecolella
Blastobasis yuccaecolella is a small moth in the family Blastobasidae, described by Dietz in 1910. The species has a highly specialized association with Yucca baccata, with larvae developing inside decaying seed pods of this host plant. It is known from the eastern United States, with Pennsylvania being the primary documented location.
Caplothorax melanopterus
Yucca Beetle
Caplothorax melanopterus, commonly known as the Yucca Beetle, is a species of sap beetle in the family Nitidulidae. It is associated with yucca plants, which provide both food and habitat. The species has been documented across arid regions of western North America. Its common name reflects this close ecological relationship with yucca.
Deoclona
Deoclona is a genus of small moths in the family Autostichidae, subfamily Deocloninae. The genus was established by Busck in 1903 and contains four described species distributed in North America. These moths are part of the diverse gelechioid superfamily, though specific biological details remain poorly documented for most species.
Enoclerus spinolae
Handsome Yucca Beetle
A checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, Enoclerus spinolae is broadly distributed across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The species was originally described by LeConte in 1853, later synonymized, and subsequently resurrected as a valid species. It is one of several Enoclerus species associated with yucca plants, where adults have been observed feeding on flowers.
Glaucotes yuccivorus
Glaucotes yuccivorus is a species of longhorn beetle in the subfamily Lamiinae, and the sole member of the monotypic genus Glaucotes. Described by Fall in 1907, this beetle is found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species epithet 'yuccivorus' indicates an association with yucca plants, likely as a host. It belongs to the tribe Acanthocinini within the diverse family Cerambycidae.
Hadoa inaudita
Dappled Sun-Singer
Hadoa inaudita, commonly known as the Dappled Sun-Singer, is a cicada species in the family Cicadidae. It is native to the southwestern and south-central United States, with documented occurrences in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The species was first described by Davis in 1917 and has been observed in arid and semi-arid habitats including sand dunes, juniper woodlands, and desert grasslands. Adults are active during the summer months and are associated with yucca and other desert vegetation.
Hadoa townsendii
Soaptree Sun-Singer
Hadoa townsendii is a cicada species commonly known as the Soaptree Sun-Singer. The species was originally described by Uhler in 1905 and is currently classified in the genus Hadoa, which was separated from the broader Okanagana genus based on morphological and molecular evidence. This medium-sized cicada is associated with arid and semi-arid habitats in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Halticotoma
yucca plant bugs
Halticotoma is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae containing approximately six described species. The genus is best known for Halticotoma valida, commonly called the yucca plant bug, which has a specialized and exclusive association with Yucca host plants across western North America. Members of this genus are small, plant-feeding true bugs with piercing-sucking mouthparts.
Halticotoma valida
Yucca Plant Bug
Halticotoma valida, commonly known as the yucca plant bug, is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae. It is found in North America, with records from multiple U.S. states including Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Ohio. The species is associated with yucca plants (Yucca spp.) as its host plants. Authorship was originally attributed to Townsend, 1892, though some sources cite Van Duzee, 1916.
Megathymus yuccae
Yucca Giant-skipper
Megathymus yuccae is a large, robust-bodied butterfly in the family Hesperiidae, subfamily Megathyminae. It is an early-season species found across the southern United States in habitats supporting yucca plants, which serve as exclusive larval hosts. Adults are non-feeding, though males engage in mud-puddling behavior. The species is considered rare throughout its range.
Plagiostira gillettei gillettei
A subspecies of katydid in the family Tettigoniidae, recorded from arid and semi-arid regions of the western United States. The type subspecies of Plagiostira gillettei. One observation from a 2018 collecting trip in New Mexico/Texas documented a large individual with brachypterous (short-winged) adults.
Prodoxus phylloryctus
banana yucca leafminer
Prodoxus phylloryctus is a small moth in the family Prodoxidae, described by Wagner & Powell in 1988. It is endemic to south-western Colorado, United States, where it inhabits open oak-pine forests. The species is a specialist herbivore whose larvae mine the leaves of Yucca baccata, commonly known as banana yucca. The wingspan ranges from 9–13 mm.
Temnoscheila yuccae
Temnoscheila yuccae is a species of bark-gnawing beetle in the family Trogossitidae. The genus Temnoscheila contains species associated with dead or dying wood, particularly conifers. Members of this genus share the characteristic convex, bullet-like body shape and bead-like antennae typical of the family. T. yuccae is distinguished from congeners by its association with yucca plants rather than conifers.