A. sitchensis is a small species with the lateral thoracic stripes narrow and so strongly notched and extended that they form a characteristic zigzag shape. The first (most anterior) stripe, in particular, has a distinct zigzag pattern. The two stripes are often broken and may have a spot or streak between them, and the frontal …
The Yuma skipper has a wingspan of less than 1.75 inches in size. Golden, tan-orange in color above, pale tan below. Males with black margin on outer edge of both wings dorsally, a long, narrow stigma on the dorsal forewing, and a bright ventral hindwing. Females look similar but lack the forewing stigma and may …
Wonder caddisflies are winged, moth-like insects with long antennae and with aquatic larvae that construct portable casings and emerge from the water when mature. At less than 0.39 in. (1 cm), the wonder caddisfly is a remarkably small caddisfly. Adults have uniformly colored medium brown forewings about 5 mm long, with the body and appendages …
The general appearance of this species is like a small grasshopper nymph. The body is dark brown dorsally, and lighter in color ventrally. The legs are yellow, darker at joints, and quite long, especially the hind legs, which are more than twice the length of the abdomen. The wings are very small and vestigial (micropterous), …
Adults have a wingspan of 4.5 – 6.3 cm. Forewing length measures 2.3-3 cm in males and 2.5-3 cm in females. Males yellow (rarely orange) dorsally, with black margins and yellow veins. Females usually albinistic or white, sometimes yellowish white or rarely yellow, black borders above are faint or absent. Dorsal forewing discal spot is …
Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee females are 1.8 to 2.3 cm in length. Cuckoo bumble bees,including Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee, do not have a pollen carrying basket (corbicula) on their hind leg, unlike the true bumble bees. Instead, their hind leg tibia is convex and densely covered in hairs. Their hair is short and even. The …
A. subarctica is a medium-sized species, ranging from 63 to 69 mm in length. The lateral thoracic stripes are distinctive: rather narrow and tapering to a constriction or notch in the middle. The male thoracic stripes are bluish at the top transitioning to yellow-green at the bottom. There is a short, thin streak between the …
The striped sun star is a large (up to 58 cm diameter) sea star with 8 to 12 (typically 10) relatively long (up to 23 cm) slender rays. The aboral surface is typically yellow-orange or red, and prominent gray, blue or purple stripes radiate out from the center of the disc to the tip of …
Adults are 1 3/8 – 2 7/8 inches (35 – 47 mm) in length. On the upperside, wings are black and orange, with black marks occurring in a sparse pattern throughout; black margins also enclose pale orange spots. On the underside (visible with wings folded), the forewings are orange with sparse black markings; the chestnut-colored …
Adult caddisflies resemble small moths with hair-covered wings held tent-like over their back when at rest. They have long hair-like antennae but lack the coiled mouthparts that moths and butterflies have. A. scotti males have a forewing length of 7.7-8.1 mm, while females measure 7.7-9.0 mm. They are dark brown in color, with forewings covered …
The pinto abalone is a medium-sized abalone (maximum shell length 150 mm, most individuals are less than 80 mm) with a thin, ear-shaped shell, and an epipodium that is light green-brown with tinges of orange. The shells have a scalloped growing edge, the external surface is typically green-brown (but can also be white and blue), …
The Owyhee upland pyrg is tiny, gill-breathing, operculate, aquatic snail. It can be distinguished by its disjunct inner shell lip, longer and narrower penial filament, more distally positioned ventral gland of its penis, and mitochondrial DNA sequences. It is a small to medium-sized species having an ovate to narrow conic shell with medium to highly …
Pyrgulopsis owyheensis is a tiny, gill-breathing, operculate, aquatic snail endemic to thermal springs. The Owyhee hot springsnail is distinguished by its broad, low-spired, squat shell and large, discshaped, glandular ornament on its penis.
The upperside of the wings is orange with broad brown margins, and lighter markings in the median parts of the wings can be present to almost absent. Males have a thin, black stigma running lengthwise down most of the forewing. On the underside (visible when the butterfly is resting with wings fully folded), the hindwings …
One short hindwing tail on males, long tail on female hindwing; may be missing. Upperside brown-gray. Underside is olive-gray with ashy overlay. Postmedian line white; sometimes faint or absent. Spot near tail is gray-blue. Wingspan 1 – 1.25 inches (2.5 – 3.2 cm)
Morrison bumble bee queens and workers are similar in coloration. The queen is 22 – 26 mm in length, the worker is 12 – 22 mm in length. Their hair is very short and even. The hair of the face is usually black, but the vertex (top of the head) is yellow. The hair on …
Morning sun stars are large sea stars with a wide central disc and 8 to 13 long tapering rays (arms) that reach a maximum span of about 40 cm. The upper (aboral) surface is smooth, and its external color is usually pale brown, tan, grey, reddish, or orange, sometimes mottled with pale patches. They generally …
F. modoci is a small, gill-breathing, freshwater snail. F. modoci can be distinguished by its strongly thickened scar margin and by a derived condition in which the length of the lateral tooth shaft is greater than the height of the tooth face. F. modoci is also one of only three species that have more than …
Adults have a wingspan of 25-35mm. Males and females are brown, often with hints of orange or red-orange, and females may have more brown coloration near the wing margins and tails. Double tails (“hairstreaks”) are present on the hindwings, with inner tails being longer. Note that tails may not always be present for identification, as …
The wingspan is 22–26 mm. The males are a shiny, light gray-blue color above, with a black border on the apical margins breaking into a row of black dots on the hind wing. Females are russet-brown above with blue and sometimes orange highlights and often have white spots across the wings. Both sexes have prominent dorsal forewing and …
A small (less than 3 cm wingspan) tan butterfly. In most, the ventral median light band is distinct and the remainder of the hindwing is uniform in color. Subspecies siris is somewhat darker than the other subspecies but is more easily identified by geography, occurring west of the Cascades crest.
Tawny to orange-brown dorsally, with black markings. Both males and females have black chains along the dorsal wing margins, although the chaining is light in males and heavy in females. The ventral hindwing disc color varies from shades of light brown to brandy-colored with the silver orbs large and ovoid. The silver spots are relatively …
Species is large with subglobular to trochoid shell having strong subsutural angulation or keel on body whorl; penis of medium size, sickle-shaped. In addition to body whorl shape, the frequently incomplete parietal lip, pigmented salivary glands, and position of seminal receptacle entirely lateral to albumen gland are unique to F. fuscus. This species is further …
P. s. littoralis adults are slightly larger than other blue butterflies (Polyommatinae subfamily), and have reduced black spots below with unique white haloes. Individuals from southern coastal colonies may be darker blue and more heavily spotted than those found further north. They have two rows of markings on the underside of the hindwings.
Farula constricta is a small, moth-like insect, uniform dark brown in color, with a forewing length of 5 mm (0.2 in.) in both sexes. Adults are typical for the genus, have the curved and heavily setate internal branches of segment X, and the swollen mesal lobe of the inferior appendages. Farula constricta is distinguished by …
Adult Fender’s blue butterflies are small, having a wingspan of approximately 25 mm. The upper wings of males are brilliant blue in color with black borders and basal areas, whereas the upper wings of females are completely brown. The undersides of the wings of both sexes are cream-tan with small, black spots surrounded by a …
Taylor’s checkerspot is most notable for the orange, black, and white checkered pattering on its wings. They usually have a wingspan of less than 2.25 inches (5.6 cm). They have stubbier wings and distinctively thicker black lines separating the spots on their wings than other E. editha subspecies.
Blue mud shrimp are large (up to 11 cm), burrowing shrimp that have an extended broad abdomen and well-developed tail fan, a hairy rostrum with three teeth, and chelipeds that are nearly equal in size. Blue mud shrimp inhabit permanent burrows excavated in mudflats low in the intertidal zone, and the burrows typically have multiple …
California mussels are large (10 to 15 cm) blue-shelled bivalves that occur in expansive aggregations or clusters in the upper intertidal zone of rocky areas located along the open coast (although some mussels inhabit subtidal areas down to a depth of 24 m). Individual mussels are typically attached to rocks and each other with resilient …
Dungeness crab are large, sandy-red colored crustaceans that have a lifespan of 8 to 13 years and typically grow up to 180 to 200 mm at their widest point. Adults have four pairs of walking legs, two pincers (claws), and a wide carapace, all of which seasonally become filled with musculature which is a prized source …
The flat abalone is a medium-sized abalone (maximum shell length 175 mm, most individuals are 25 to 125 mm) with a flattened oval shell, a red lip, and an epipodium that is mottled yellow and dark-brown. Flat abalone shells are typically dark, brick red with occasional streaks of greenish-blue and white, and they have four …
Littleneck clams have a chalky brownish-white shell that is marked by numerous strong radial and concentric ridges, and the umbo (hinge) is located anterior to the midline of the shell. The two equal-sized valves are oval or heart-shaped, and the shell seldom exceeds 6 cm in length (maximum shell length 7 cm). Littleneck clams commonly occur …
Ochre sea stars are common inhabitants of rocky shelfs, surge channels, cliffs, platforms, tidepools, and other wave-exposed areas along Oregon’s rocky shores. Adults typically have five stout rays that range from 10 to 25 cm in length and individuals can be purple, orange, yellow, reddish, or brown in color. The oral surface of the sea …
The Olympia oyster is a small (6 to 8 cm) oyster with rounded or elongated shells (valves) that can be white to light purple and sometimes marked by yellow or brown streaks. The shells of Olympia oysters lack a periostracum, which is the thin, outermost organic layer that prevents erosion of the underlying shell. Olympia …
Pacific razor clams are large (8 to 17 cm), fast digging clams that inhabit some of the stable, sandy surf-swept beaches along the Oregon coast. This species has an elongated, narrow shell with a periostracum that varies from light brown in the young small clams, to yellowish and olive-brown in medium-size clams, and darker brown …
Red abalone are large marine snails (maximum shell length 31 cm, the largest abalone in the world) with a heavy domed-shaped oval shell, a black epipodium, and a yellow-white underside of the broad foot. The external surface of red abalone shells is typically dull brick-red and may be covered by barnacles, sponges, or other epifouling …
Red sea urchins are large (10 to 18 cm diameter), red to dark-burgundy sea urchins with a radially-symmetrical globular outer skeleton (test) that supports numerous long (5 to 8 cm) sharp spines. They typically inhabit rocky areas in the subtidal zone (5 to 90 m) but also occur in intertidal areas and deeper waters to …
Rock scallops are marine bivalves that have their right valve affixed to a hard surface (usually a rock or boulder), where it becomes deformed to fit the contours of the rock. The left valve is roughly circular but irregular in outline, thick and heavy, with deep radial ribs. The shells of rock scallops are generally brown …
Neothremma andersoni adults are 5 to 6 mm in length, with the body and appendages medium brown in color. Male N. andersoni differ in having enlarged scale-hairs along the major veins (basally on the forewings and centrally on the hindwings). Identification often requires close examination of adult male genitalia or mature male pupae.
Sunflower stars are among the largest sea stars in the world, with a typical ray length of about 40 cm and a maximum arm span (diameter) of about 80 to 100 cm. Adults are radially symmetrical and usually have 16 to 24 rays (arms) and a soft loose body that can vary in color from …
Vespericola depressus is a terrestrial land snail with a thin, depressed shell that is dull light brown or tan in color with rows of short, fine hairs on its spire. This species measures between 14 and 15 mm wide and between 8.7 and 9 mm high, with 5½ to 6 whorls.
The Dalles mountainsnail has a shell that is white basally with light mottling of various pinkish or brownish streaks. It appears light caramel-brown dorsally with white streaks along the ridges of the prominent growth wrinkles, and a white leading edge about 2 mm wide at the aperture, althought the species may be variable in color. …
Juga newberryi is a medium-sized gilled freshwater snail. Its shell usually contains three yellow bands separated by three very dark colored or tan bands. The shell can also appear without any bands and instead be a yellowish-tan to dark tan color. Juga snails have tall shells that are conic in shape and relatively thick and …
Pomatiopsis binneyi has a moderately high and conical shell, with 4-5 deeply and evenly convex whorls; a complete aperture; shell moderately thick with whitish opaque layer immediately inside and lining aperture. The shell has been described as consisting of four to five very convex whorls; apex somewhat obtuse; aperture ovate or nearly suborbicular, both lips …
The shell of F. nuttalli is broadly conical, having a wide oval base and a smooth eccentric (off-center) apex. Adult size varies considerably in different-sized streams, but is generally around 10 to 11 mm. The shell color is described as opaque chestnut-brown, cinnamon-red, and rich brown. The shell shape is roundly ovate (elliptical in outline), …
Vespericola sierranus is a pulmonate (air-breathing) land snail. This species is a small, thin-shelled, brown snail with a moderately elevated, rounded spire that is slightly angled at the periphery. With 5.25 to 5.75 whorls, the shell measures 8.4 to 9 mm wide by 5.2 to 5.8 mm high. V. sierranus rarely has a parietal tooth, …
Males have a body length of 4.3 mm; interocular distance of 0.59 mm; forewing length of 5.3 mm; macropterous wings; tergum nine divided by medial membranous area except narrow bridge on anterior margin; two well-developed tergal knobs present along inner margin of the divided tergum nine; epiproct with both upper and lower processes well developed, …
A member of the Carabidae (ground beetle) family, this species is 6.0 – 7.5 mm (0.24 – 0.29 in.) in length with narrow body. This species is metallic in color, typically coppery-bronze, but may reflect green or blue; antennae densely pubescent; elytra striate, punctured, and pubescent
Philotiella leona is tiny (< 2 cm) with large bodies relative to the wings. The dorsal wings of the males are dark, dusky blue in the center, with black wing edges. The female dorsal wings are blackish brown. The ventral wings of both sexes are white with very large black discal and median spots on …
Species is small, with a forewing length of ~ 12.5 mm. The dorsal surface (upperside) of the wings is dull grayish brown with an area of tan to orange-tan overscaling in the basal and postbasal areas of the forewing, and may have orangish tan overscaling (males) or pale gray with dark brown overscaling (female) near …
Adult monarch butterflies are large and conspicuous, with bright orange wings surrounded by a black border and covered with black veins. The black border has a double row of white spots, present on the upper side of the wings. Adult monarchs are sexually dimorphic, with males having narrower wing venation and scent patches. The bright …
The Mardon skipper is a small (20-24mm;
Bombus occidentalis is most easily distinguished based on hair coloration. A total of twelve female and twelve male color forms have been described but the color forms of B. occidentalis that are most likely to be encountered in Oregon and Washington have bright white coloration on the posterior end of the abdomen. The queen is …
Oregon silverspot butterfly belong to a subfamily of medium and large sized butterflies with distinctive black line and dot patterning on bright orange dorsally, and a heavily-patterned ventrum. Males have a forewing length of 24 to 29 mm. The color on the dorsal wings is medium to reddish orange with heavy dark basal suffusion. The …
Bombus franklini is readily distinguished from other bumble bees in its range by the extended yellow on the anterior dorsal side of the thorax which extends well behind the wing bases and forms an inverted U-shape around the central patch of black, lack of yellow on the abdomen, yellow on the vertex (top of the …
H. hertleini is a medium sized snail with a thin and delicate shell. The shell is globose or depressed with a conic or low spire. The shell color is pale golden-brown with a narrow darker band, generally brown or reddish, located well above the periphery. The shell has 5 to 5.5 whorls increasing in size …
P. californica has a shell that is moderately high, conical, and perforate, with 6-7 deeply and evenly convex whorls; it is 4 mm in length, the aperture is thin, definitely adnate; the umbilicus is open; the shell is rather thin with a chestnut brown color.
The shell of P. archimedis is broad- to narrow-conic and medium-large size for the genus (2.48-7.16 mm tall) with 4.0-5.75 whorls. The protoconch has 1.25-1.3 whorls, about 430 mm in diameter, and is smooth to weakly wrinkled at apex. The teleconch whorls are slightly to moderately convex and usually evenly rounded, but sometimes wider above. …
The Great Basin Ramshorn (Helisoma newberryi) has what has been described as a stout shell, diameter approximately 13 mm; with whorls that do not increase rapidly in width, but body whorls that are larger, with simple aperture offset downwards at steep angles. H. newberryi is described as medium to large, ultradextral, body whorl angulated; spire …
Lanx alta are freshwater, limpet-shaped snails. They have variable (or environmentally plastic) conical shells, roughly 10-20 mm in length. They can be red, yellow, or brown in color with a complete circumferential muscle scar.