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New Mexico State University

Spotlight Specimens in the Museum

alt text   Moths

alt text   Beetles

alt text   Orthopteroids

alt text   Hymenoptera

alt text   True Bugs

alt text   Dragonflies

alt text   True Flies

Moths

Following is a sampling of the New Mexican moths (Lepidoptera) that are in the Arthropod Museum. Most were collected by Dr. Greg Forbes, who is an Adjunct at the Department of Entomology, Plant Pathlogy and Weed Science and has donated his time and effort to improve our moth collection at the Museum.

Click on the image for a larger view:

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Biston betularia

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Caripeta suffusata

   Noctuidae: Black Witch Moth, Ascalapha odorata

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Copanarta aurea

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Euscirrhopterus gloveri

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Galenara consimilis

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Merisca gracea

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Metanema inatomaria

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Nemoria unitaria

click to enlarge    Saturniidae: Automeris cerops

click to enlarge    Saturniidae: Automeris zephyria

click to enlarge    Sphingidae: Eumorpha achemon

click to enlarge    Saturniidae: Hemileuca juno

click to enlarge    Saturniidae: Hemileuca oliviae

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Holomelina costata

click to enlarge    Saturniidae: Hyalophora gloveri

click to enlarge    Sphingidae: Manduca rustica

click to enlarge    Sphingidae: Pachysphinx occidentalis

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Pero behrensaria

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Phaeoura perfidaria

click to enlarge    Spingidae: Proserpinus jaunita

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Snowia montanaria

click to enlarge    Geometridae: Spargania aurata

click to enlarge    Sphingidae: Sphinx dollii

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Drasteira divergens

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Drasteira howlandi

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Mamestra configurata

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Gerra sevorsa

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Matigramma rubrosuffusa

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Melipotis indomita

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Miracavira brillians

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Pseudaletia unipuncta

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Rhizagrotis albalis

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Richia lobato

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Schinia bicuspida

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Schinia regina

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Schinia rosetincta

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Striacosta albicosta

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Aemelia ambigua

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Arachnis picta

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Bertholdia trigon

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Dysschema howardi

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Estigmene acrea

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Euchaetes gigantia

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Gnamptonychia ventralis

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Grammia f-pallida

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Hypercompe permaculata

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Pygarctia spraguei

click to enlarge    Noctuidae: Acontia bella

click to enlarge    Arctiidae: Holomelina ostenta

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Beetles

The Arthropod Museum beetle collection is quite varied. The collection is especially rich in species of the families Meloidae (primarily because of the generosity of the late Floyd Werner of the University of Arizona), Carabidae (especially Cicindelinae or tiger beetles), Scarabaeidae, Cerambycidae, Chrysomelidae and Curculionidae

click to enlarge    Carabidae: Cicindela marutha

click to enlarge    Meloidae: Lytta mirifica- the possibly extinct Anthony Blister Beetle

click to enlarge    Carabidae: Cicindela nevadica olmosa- The Alamosa Tiger Beetle

click to enlarge    Meloidae: Lytta cyanipennis

click to enlarge    Carabidae: Cicindela obsoleta

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Onthophagus gazella

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Paracotalpa sp.

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Phanaeus mexicanus

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Phanaeus quadridens

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Phanaeus vindex

click to enlarge    Carabidae: Amblycheila cylindriformis

click to enlarge    Carabidae: Amblycheila picolomini

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Chrysina beyeri

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Chrysina gloriosa

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Chrysina lecontei

click to enlarge    Carabidae: Cicindela debilis

click to enlarge    Carabidae: Cicindela formosa rutilovirescens

click to enlarge    Cerambycidae: Synaphaeta guexi

click to enlarge    Carabidae: Tetracha carolina

click to enlarge    Scarabaeidae: Dynastes granti male

click to enlarge    Rhipiphoridae: Rhipiphorus scaber, a beetle collected by T. D. A. Cockerell in the 1890s

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Orthopteroids

click to enlarge    Acrididae: Shotwellia isleta - female and male of one of the rarest grasshoppers in North America

click to enlarge    Tettigoniidae: Capnobotes fuliginosus

click to enlarge    Mantidae: Stagmomantis limbata (females)

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Hymenoptera

We have many ants, bees and wasps in New Mexico, but it is also true that many families are not well documented. Here is a sampling of our as yet limited collection

click to enlarge    Pompilidae: Anoplius nigrinus

click to enlarge    Pompilidae: Cryptocheilus severini

click to enlarge    Pompilidae: Pepsis formosa pattoni

click to enlarge    Pompilidae: Pepsis thisbe - the tarantula hawk and our state insect!

click to enlarge    Pompilidae: Perisopompilus phoenix

click to enlarge    Formicidae: Neivamyrmex nigrescens - a native army ant

click to enlarge    Formicidae: Odontomachus clarus - a primitive ponerine ant from the Organ Mountains

click to enlarge    Mutillidae: Dasymutilla gloriosa

click to enlarge    Mutillidae: Dasymutilla klugii

click to enlarge    Sphecidae: Sphecius grandis

click to enlarge    Siricidae: Tremex columba - a horntail

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True Bugs

True bugs (order Hemiptera) include all those insects that entomologists recognize as bugs in the scientific sense. This is Dr. Scott Bundy's special interest.

click to enlarge    Reduviidae: Apiomerus spissipes

click to enlarge    Lygaeidae: Oncopeltus fasciatus

click to enlarge    Notonectidae: Notonecta kirbyi

click to enlarge    Reduviidae: Rasahus biguttatus

click to enlarge    Reduviidae: Triatoma gerstaeckeri

click to enlarge    Reduviidae: Triatoma lenticularius

click to enlarge    Belostomatidae: Abedus species male with eggs on back

click to enlarge    Belostomatidae: Lethocerus sp.

click to enlarge    Pentatomidae: Cosmopepla decorata

click to enlarge    Pentatomidae: Chlorochroa ligata

click to enlarge     Galastocoridae: Galastocoris sp.

click to enlarge    Nepidae: Ranatra

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Dragonflies

New Mexico has an astonishing number of dragonflies and damselflies (over 100 species) for a state with relatively little open water. They include everything from huge aeshnid dragonflies to some tiny coenagrionid damselflies. Unfortunately the colors fade after death and these are best photographed alive. The specimens shown here are in envelopes, as are used commonly by specialists in these remarkable insects.

click to enlarge    Aeshnidae: Oplonaeshna armata

click to enlarge    Libellulidae: Libellula puchella (male)

click to enlarge    Libellulidae: Libellula saturata (male)

click to enlarge    Libellulidae: Perithemis tenera (male)

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True Flies

Flies (Order Diptera) are the bane of man's existence. Mosquitoes and tabanids bite us, muscids pester us and blow flies get into our meat if it is left open. Still syrphid, robber and dolichopodid flies often eat pest insects and many flies are involved in pollination. Included here are a few of the more interesting dipterans in the Arthropod Museum collection.

click to enlarge    Asilidae: Megaphorus pulchrus

click to enlarge    Asilidae: Ospriocerus longulus

click to enlarge    Asilidae: Proctacanthus nearno

click to enlarge    Mydidae: Rhaphiomidas painteri

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