Site Navigation Museum Data Other Data Help
- Introduction
- New Mexico Invertebrate Species Richness by Taxonomic Group
- References and notes
- Understanding the table and its numbers
- Citation for this page
Introduction
When people think of "animals" they usually picture something warm and furry, but by far most animals (in New Mexico and worldwide) are invertebrates. For example, in New Mexico there are more species of ants (241) than mammals (178) and more species of mites (about 1,000) than all vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) combined (772). There are more native species of beetles in New Mexico (3,326) than there are native plants (3,174).
Knowing invertebrates is quite a challenge; there are a lot of them, they are typically small by our standards, there are a lot of species and there are a lot of undescribed species. There are a lot fewer people who study invertebrates compared to the "charasmatic megafauna" and whole groups of invertebrates in New Mexico are relatively unstudied. For example, we know a fair bit about New Mexico "butterflies" (241 species), but not about moths (probably 5-10x more species).
The species richness of invertebrate groups varies a lot and not all groups of invertebrates are species rich. For example, there are lots of beetles and lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), but only 8 species of earwigs and only 14 species of mantises and cockroaches in New Mexico. There are lots of mites, but only 34 species of fleas.
New Mexico holds a lot of surprises to be discovered concerning invertebrate biodiversity. Most people wouldn't guess that we have a freshwater jellyfish living in some of our lakes (a non-native from China). There are ants in southern New Mexico that harvest leaves to feed to underground fungus gardens. And one of our beetles has a grub that is over 6 inches long. These are just some of the exciting creatures we have here.
The table below represents a first attempt to determine "what we know we know" concerning the invertebrate species richness in New Mexico. The table below represents just over 6,000 species that we know by name or expect to occur in New Mexico. At this time, however, most of New Mexico's invertebrate biodiversity is not accounted for on this list, so no estimate of New Mexico's total invertebrate biodiversity is given. A reasonable effort has been made to obtain species lists and expert estimates for as many groups as possible, but it is likely that there is more information out there that has not been incorporated yet. For more information or to help in this project contact the author.
| Invertebrate Taxonomic Group | Extant Native Species | Extant Exotic Species | Endemic Native Species | Extirpated or Extinct Native Species | Total Species |
| Phylum Porifera (Sponges) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Phylum Cnidaria (Hydras and Jellyfish)1 | ?? | 1 | ?? | ?? | >=1 |
| Phylum Platyhelminthes (Flatworms) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Class Turbellaria (Turbellarians, Planarians) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Class Trematoda (Flukes) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Trematoda - Vertebrate Parasites2 | 7 | 0 | ?? | 0 | 7 |
| Class Monogenea (Flukes) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Class Cestoda (Tapeworms) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Cestoda - Vertebrate Parasites2 | 20 | 0 | ?? | 0 | 20 |
| Phylum Nemertea (Ribbonworms) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Phylum Acanthocephala (Thorny-headed Worms) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Acanthocephala - Vertebrate Parasites2 | 3 | 0 | ?? | 0 | 3 |
| Phylum Rotifera (Rotifers) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Phylum Nematoda (Roundworms) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Nematoda - Vertebrate Parasites2 | 55 | 0 | ?? | 0 | 55 |
| Phylum Mollusca (Clams and snails) | 131 | 12 | 49 | 1 | 193 |
| Class Gastropoda (Snails and Slugs) | 114 | 10 | 48 | 1 | 173 |
| Gastropoda - Aquatic Snails3 | 31 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 42 |
| Gastropoda - Terrestrial Snails4 | 82 | 6 | 37 | 1 | 126 |
| Gastropoda - Terrestrial Slugs4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Class Bivalva (Clams and Mussels)3 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0? | 20 |
| Phylum Annelida (Segmented worms) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) | >>5,682 (5,770) (~6,182-7,182) | >=29(33) | >=12 | 0? | >>5,723 (5,815) (~6,223 - 7,223) |
| Class Arachnida (Arachnids) | >>600 (~1,100 - 1,600) | >=2 | 0? | 0? | >>602 (~1,100 - 1,602) |
| Opiliones (Harvestmen) | 12 | 0? | 0? | 0? | 12 |
| Scorpiones (Scorpions)5 | 15 | 0? | 0? | 0? | 15 |
| Pseudoscorpiones (Pseudoscorpions) | 43 | 0? | 0? | 0? | 43 |
| Solifugae (Windscorpions) | 12 | 0? | 0? | 0? | 12 |
| Acari (Ticks & Mites) | ~500 - 1,500 | ?? | ?? | ?? | ~500-1,500 |
| Aranae (Spiders)6 | 517 | 2 | 0? | ?? | 519 |
| Uropygi (Vinagaroons) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Class Diplopoda (Millipedes) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Class Chilopoda (Centipedes) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Class Elliplura (Proturans & Springtails) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Class Diplura (Diplurans) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Class Insecta (Insects) | >>5,064 (5,147) | >=19(23) | >=6 | 0? | >>5,089 (5,176) |
| Archaeognatha (Bristletails)7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
| Zygentoma (Silverfish) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)8 | 81 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 82 |
| Odonata (Dragonflies & Damselflies)9 | 137 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 137 |
| Plecoptera (Stoneflies)10 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 |
| Embioptera (Webspinners) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Phasmatodea (Walking Sticks) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Orthoptera (Crickets, Katydids, & Grasshoppers)11 | 273 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 280 |
| Dermaptera (Earwigs) | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Dictyoptera (Praying Mantises & Cockroaches) | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Isoptera (Termites) | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Zoraptera (Zorapterans) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Psocoptera (Booklice, Barklice) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Mallophaga (Biting Lice) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Mallophaga -Mammalian Ectoparasites12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Anoplura (Sucking Lice)12 | 24 | 0? | 0? | 0? | 24 |
| Hemiptera (True Bugs) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Homoptera (Cicadas, Leafhoppers, Planthoppers, Scales) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Thysanoptera (Thrips) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Neuroptera (Lacewings) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Neuroptera - Myrmeleontidae (Antlions)13 | 33 | 0 | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Coleoptera (Beetles)14 | 3,326 | 0? | 0? | 0? | 3,326 |
| Hymenoptera (Sawflies, Ants, Wasps, & Bees) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Hymenoptera - Formicidae (Ants)15 | 233 (280) | 8 (12) | 0? | 0? | 241 (292) |
| Trichoptera (Caddisflies) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Lepidoptera - Oecophoridae, Thyatiridae, Drepanidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae, Notodontidae, Arctidae, Dioptidae, and Noctuidae (Some Moths)16 | 465 | 0? | 0? | 0? | 465 |
| Lepidoptera - Hesperiidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Riodinidae, Libytheidae, Nymphalidae (Butterflies)17 | 294 (330) | 1 | 0? | 0? | 295 (330) |
| Lepidoptera - (All Other Families)18 | ?? | ? | 0? | 0? | 0? |
| Mecoptera (Scorpionflies) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Diptera (Flies) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Strepsiptera (Twisted-winged Parasites) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Siphonaptera (Fleas)12 | 88 | 0? | 0? | 0? | 88 |
| Class Crustacea (Crustaceans) | >>18 (23) | >=8 | >=6 | 0? | >>32 (37) |
| Anostraca (Brine Shrimps and Fairy Shrimps)19 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0? | 7 |
| Notostracans (Tadpole Shrimps)20 | 2 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0? | 2 (5) |
| Cladocera (Water Fleas) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Conchostraca (Clam Shrimps)21 | 5 | ?? | ?? | ?? | 5 |
| Copepoda (Copepods)22 | ?? | 1 | ?? | ?? | >1 |
| Ostracoda (Seed Shrimps) | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Decapoda (Crayfish)23 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Amphipoda (Amphipods)24 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Isopoda (Pillbugs and Sowbugs)25 | 0? | 3 | 1 | ?? | 4 |
References and notes:
1Peard, T.. 2002. Freshwater Jellyfish! Accessed 2004-11-24. Available Online . Lists sightings of Craspedacusta sowerbii, a freshwater jellyfish originally from China in Elephant Butte Reservoir and Santa Rosa Lake.
2Mayberry, L.F. Canaris, J.R. Bristol, and S.L. Gardner. 2000. Bibiolography of parasites and vertebrate hosts in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (1893 - 1984). Accessed 2004-11-22. Available Online .
3Compiled from several resources including The Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISONM) invertebrate species accounts. Version 1/2004. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/states/nmex_main/invertebrate.htm. Accessed 2004-12-01 and NatureServe. 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: December 01, 2004 ).
4Compiled from Metcalf, A.L. and R.A. Smartt. 1997. Land snails of New Mexico. Bulletin of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 10: 1-145 and NatureServe. 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: December 01, 2004 ).
5Fet, V., W.D. Sissom, G. Lowe, and M.E. Braunwalder. 2000. Catalog of the Scorpions of the World (1758-1998). The New York Entolomogical Society.
6Richman, D.B., Dean, D.A., Brantley, S., and Cutler, B. 2004. A Checklist of the spiders (Araneae) of the arid Southwest (Arizona, New mexico, and Trans-Pecos Texas.http://taipan.nmsu.edu/people/richman/checklist-southwest.htm. Accessed 2004-12-03.
7Fagerlund, R.A. 1999. The Bristletails (Archaeognatha) of New Mexico. Unpublished Manuscript. Available from the author.
8McCafferty, W.P., C.R. Lugo-Ortiz, and G.Z. Jacobi. 1997. Mayfly Fauna of New Mexico. The Great Basin Naturalist 57(4):283-314. One species, Lachlania dencyannae, is considered endemic to New Mexico.
9Larsen, R.R. 2003. The damselflies (Zygoptera) of New Mexico: A simplied Odonata list showing distribution by county. http://www.rt66.com/~kjherman/odonata/NMdmslfly.html. and Larsen, R.R. 2003. The dragonflies (Anisoptera) of New Mexico: A simplied Odonata list showing distribution by county. http://www.rt66.com/~kjherman/odonata/NMdrgnfly.html. Accessed 2004-11-19.
10Kondratieff, Boris C. and Richard W. Baumann (coordinators). 2000. Stoneflies of the United States. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/sfly/sflyusa.htm (Version 12DEC2003). Accessed 2004-11-20.
11Lightfoot, D.C. 2004. A Provisional Checklist of the Crickets, Katydids, and Grasshoppers (Orthoptera) of New Mexico. Unpublished Manuscript. Available from the author. You might also like to see Richman, D.B., D.C. Lightfoot, C.A. Sutherland, and D.J. Ferguson. 1993. A Manual of the Grasshoppers of New Mexico (Orthoptera: Acrididae and Romaleidae). New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension. Las Cruces, NM.
12Ford, P.L., R.A. Fagerlund, D.W. Duszynski, and P.J. Polechla. 2004. Fleas and Lice of New Mexico. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-123. Fort Collins, CO. U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 57 p. Species expected from New Mexico, but without a vouchered specimen at MSB were not included in this list, so the number of species is expected to be conservative. Most Mallophage are parasites of birds, not mammals, so the number of species here is not representative of the expected species richness of the class.
13Fagerlund, R.A. 1999. The Antlions of New Mexico (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae). Unpublished Manuscript. Available from the author.
14Fagerlund, R.A. 2000. Preliminary checklist of the beetles (Coleoptera) of New Mexico. New Mexico Naturalist's Notes 2(1)1-66. As this is a preliminary checklist, the number of New Mexico beetle species presented here is likewise preliminary.
15Mackay, H. and E. Mackay. 2002. The Ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY. The numbers in parentheses includes species expected to occur in the state, but for which there was no known collection at the time of the book preparation.
16Ferguson, Douglas C., Chuck E. Harp, Paul A. Opler, Richard S. Peigler, Michael Pogue, Jerry A. Powell, and Michael J. Smith. 1999. Moths of North America. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/mothsusa.htm (Version 12DEC2003). Accessed 2004-11-18.
17S.J. Cary and R. Holland. 1992. New Mexico butterflies: checklist, distribution and conservation. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 31(1-2):57-82. The main number includes natives, accidentals and strays. The number in parentheses includes species expected to occur in the state. You might also like to see Toliver, M.E., R. Holland, and S.J. Cary. 1994. Distribution of Butterflies in New Mexico (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea), 2nd edition. Available from the authors.
18The number of species in the remaining Lepidoptera families is likely to dwarf the number of known speciesof moths and butterflies listed, thus precluding a meaningful total for the number of Lepidoptera in New Mexico.
19NMNHP Species Information. From the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program Biological and Conservation Data System, internet version updated May 13, 2004. http://nmnhp.unm.edu/query_bcd/query.html. Accessed 2004-11-23.
20Sassaman, C., M.A. Simovich, and M. Fugate. 1997. Reproductive isolation and genetic differentiation in North American species of Triops (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Notostraca). Hydrobiologia 359: 125-147. Three other tadpole shrimp (Lepdurus bilobatus, L. couesii, and L. lemmoni) are possibly in New Mexico, but not confirmed, according to The Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISONM) species account for Triops longicaudatus. Version 1/2004. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/states/nmex_main/species/070050.htm. Accessed 2004-11-23.
21The Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISONM) species account for Triops longicaudatus. Version 1/2004. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/states/nmex_main/species/070050.htm. Accessed 2004-11-23 and NatureServe. 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: November 23, 2004 ). Four other clam shrimp (Caenestheriella belfragei, Cyzicus mexicanus, C. morsei, and Eocyzicus digueti) are possibly in New Mexico, but not confirmed, according to BISONM.
22Lee, C. E. 1999. Rapid and repeated invasions of fresh water by the copepod Eurytemora affinis. Evolution 53(5):1423-1434.
23The Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISONM) crayfish species accounts. Version 1/2004. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/states/nmex_main/invertebrate.htm#C. Accessed 2004-11-23.
24The Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISONM) species account for Gammarus desperatus. Version 1/2004. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/states/nmex_main/species/070100.htm. Accessed 2004-11-23 and The Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISONM) species account for Hyalella azteca. Version 1/2004. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/states/nmex_main/species/070160.htm. Accessed 2004-11-23 and Wang, D. and J.R. Holsinger. 2001. Systematics of the subterranean amphipod genus Stygobromus (Crangonyctidae) in western North America, with emphasis on species of the hubbsi group. Amphipacifica, 3(2): 39-147. In addition, a Gammerus sp. is listed from New Mexico according to NatureServe. 2004. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: November 23, 2004 ).
25The Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISONM) species account forThermosphaeroma thermophilum. Version 1/2004. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/states/nmex_main/species/070200.htm. Accessed 2004-11-23. In addition, there are three species of non-native, terrestrial isopods (the pillbug and two sowbugs) found in New Mexico (Sandra Brantley, pers. com.).
Understanding the table and its numbers
All numbers in this table are based on published sources that include species identification (not summary) information, except numbers in parentheses preceded by a tilde (~) which represent expert estimates of the expected number of species in a group. Numbers in parentheses not preceded by a tilde represent counts including accidental, occasional, or likely species from published sources.
For expert estimates to be included in this list, the expert must feel confident that the estimate is accurate within 50%. For example, if the expert feels a group probably has about 100 species, to be included on this list, the expert must feel confident the true number would fall between 50 and 150 species. Known, but not described species are not included on this list.
This list was prepared by Chris Frazier at the University of New Mexico. For more information or to help in this project contact the author.
Citation:
Frazier, C.K. 2005. New Mexico Biodiversity and Species Richness. New Mexico Biodiversity Collections Consortium, New Mexico, USA. Available at http://NMBiodiversity.org. (Accessed: [Access Date]).
Page was last reviewed or modified: 2005-05-27.