Best Neotropical
The white witch (Thysania agrippina) is a giant Neotropical moth belonging to the erebid family. It’s notable for its exceptionally large wingspan, often exceeding 28 centimeters – a record among moths. This species is primarily found in Central and South America. Entomologists, lepidopterists, and...
Megalopta genalis is a species of nocturnal sweat bee found in the tropical forests of Central and South America. The species is extensively studied by evolutionary biologists in Panama because its social structure is flexible, or facultatively social; females can either nest alone or form small col...
Eulaema meriana is a species of bee found in neotropical regions. It’s notable for its specialized behavior: gathering scents from orchids and other flowers. This collection serves as a crucial signal to attract mates. The bee plays an important role in orchid pollination and is primarily studied by...
The Spectacled Owl, *Pulsatrix perspicillata*, is a sizable nocturnal bird of prey found in Neotropical rainforests. Its distinctive facial markings – prominent white feathers around the eyes – provide immediate identification. This owl is notable for its role as an apex predator within its ecosyste...
Exaerete smaragdina is a neotropical bee species belonging to the family Exaeretidae. It’s notable for its unique cuckoo-like reproductive strategy where females develop within orchid flowers, relying on host bees to provide pollen and care for their young. This bee is particularly interesting to en...
Tropidacris collaris is a giant grasshopper species found in neotropical regions like Brazil and Paraguay. This acridid, notable for its large size – reaching wingspans approaching 23 centimeters – belongs to the Romaleinae subfamily. Its diet includes various plants, making it an important part of...
The Cerrado is a vast tropical savanna biome primarily located in central Brazil. It encompasses approximately two million square kilometers and represents Earth’s highest biodiversity hotspot of savanna ecosystems. This region boasts exceptional plant and animal diversity including many endemic spe...
The Southern Andean Steppe occupies a unique zone in Chile and Argentina’s High Andes. This montane ecoregion features extensive grasslands adapted to harsh conditions of cold, aridity, and strong winds. It supports specialized plant and animal life including guanacos, pumas, and various neotropical...
The Striped Owl, scientifically known as *Pseudoscops cephalotes*, is a medium-sized nocturnal owl inhabiting grasslands of southern Mexico through northern Argentina. Its distinctive appearance features prominent white eyebrows and ear tufts around its facial disk, aiding in prey detection. This sp...
The Red-faced Dragonlet is Erythrodiplax fusca, a widespread American skimmer distinguished by the entirely red face of the mature male.
The Tawny Pennant is Brachymesia herbida, an American tropical and subtropical dragonfly distinguished by its tawny body and amber-tinted wings.
Xylocopa frontalis is a large species of carpenter bee native to the Neotropical regions of Central and South America. The bee is particularly recognized for its vital role in agriculture as the primary pollinator of yellow passion fruit, using buzz pollination to effectively release pollen from the...
Melipona marginata, commonly known as manduri, is a small species of stingless bee native to the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil. Like other members of the tribe Meliponini, it is a eusocial bee that constructs permanent colonies and produces a distinct type of liquid honey. This species plays a si...
The Black-and-white Owl (Strix nigrolineata) is a medium-sized raptor native to the Neotropical forests of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The species is visually identified by its starkly contrasting black head and upper parts, paired with white underparts marked by fine dark b...
The Stygian Owl is a medium-sized, nocturnal raptor belonging to the true owl family, Strigidae. Its geographic range extends from Mexico through Central America and into parts of South America, including Argentina and the Caribbean. The species is characterized by its deeply colored dark brown plum...
Frieseomelitta varia is a species of eusocial stingless bee native to the Neotropical region and recorded in Brazil. Colonies establish nests in cavities, including spaces in trees, and construct separate brood cells rather than arranging them into the compact combs familiar from honey bees. As a me...
The Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) is a small owl in the family Strigidae, widely distributed from the southern United States through Central and South America. It inhabits open woodlands, savannas, scrublands, and suburban environments, making it one of the most adaptable and broadl...
The Dwarf Glider is Miathyria simplex, a small tropical American dragonfly notable for its sustained aerial flight around ponds and marshes.
Nannotrigona perilampoides is a small species of stingless bee native to the Neotropical regions of Central America and Mexico. Unlike the common honeybee, this species is uniquely adapted to foraging in enclosed environments, making it highly effective at pollinating crops that require buzz pollina...
Centris nitida, described in 1874, is a solitary bee species distributed across the Neotropics, recognized as an essential pollinator for native trees and crops.
The Least Pygmy-Owl is a tiny avian predator native to the tropical forests of Brazil, recognized by taxonomists as part of the distinct Glaucidium genus.
The Guianan savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion on the Guiana Shield in northern South America. It extends across parts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and Brazil and includes the Gran Sabana, a broad upland landscape associated with sandstone table m...
Located in the Sierras de Córdoba of central Argentina, the Cordoba montane savanna is a notable ecoregion distinguished by its rocky outcrops and endemic plant species.
Partamona helleri is a stingless bee endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, easily identified by the unique, waxy entrance tubes it builds for its ground nests.
The Tropical Screech-Owl is a widespread and adaptable owl species found across Central and South America, commonly inhabiting savannas, plantations, and forest edges.
The Mottled Owl (Strix virgata) is a medium-sized nocturnal bird of prey found from Mexico to South America, widely recognized by its brown, heavily mottled plumage and bare facial skin.
Trigona spinipes, known as irapuá, is an aggressive Brazilian stingless bee notorious for damaging crops and plants by biting leaves to gather material for nesting.
A grasshopper found across the Caribbean and coastal areas of Central and South America, occasionally forming locust-like aggregations in suitable tropical and subtropical habitats.
Schistocerca interrita is a non-swarming grasshopper in the genus Schistocerca found in Central and South America, a solitary relative of the economically devastating desert locust.
Schistocerca flavofasciata is a grasshopper species in the genus Schistocerca, which includes the desert locust, distributed across parts of Central and South America.
