The New Mexico Rare Arthropods Resource (NM RARe) was created to provide in depth information on rare, threatened, and endemic arthropods in New Mexico. The information compiled in these pages is for anyone interested in learning more about unique and poorly known arthropod species. We also aim for this resource to be used by land managers, conservation organizations, businesses, and local, regional, state, and federal agencies to better protect and conserve arthropods and the habitats they depend on. 

The species accounts herein provide information on the geographic range, population, habitats and ecology, threats, and the conservation needs of rare, threatened, and endemic species.  We also hope to highlight taxa that lack basic biological information and need further research. The list of species compiled in this resource is by no means comprehensive. With around ten thousand arthropod species in the state, many of which are poorly known, it will take our team a long time to finish compiling the full list. 

Originating in Cambrian oceans 530 million years ago, arthropods have diversified into an incredibly large group of organisms. Across the globe about one million species have been described, most of which are insects, but the actual number of species may be closer to five or ten million. They account for about 84% of all described animal species and therefore, they are integral components of all marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems.

Arthropods are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda, each possessing a jointed exoskeleton made of chitin, a fibrous substance that is often mineralized with calcium carbonate. Arthropods have bodies that are differentiated into segments with paired jointed appendages. It is this characteristic that gives them their name, as arthropod in Greek means “jointed feet”. Arthropod growth takes place via molting, a process where the exoskeleton is shed and replaced by a larger one underneath. They exhibit a large diversity of life histories, such as herbivores, predators, parasites and parasitoids, to name a few. As such, they deliver many crucial ecosystem services, including pollination, waste decomposition and nutrient cycling, pest control, and they are an invaluable source of food for other wildlife.

There are four extant subphyla of arthropods commonly recognized: insects and springtails (Hexapoda), millipedes and centipedes (Myriapoda), arachnids (Chelicerata) and crustaceans (Crustacea). The subphyla Trilobitomorpha, containing trilobites, were the dominant arthropods of marine ecosystems in the early Paleozoic, but trilobites became extinct at the end of the Paleozoic Era, 250 to 300 million years ago.”

The species included in this resource are rare, threatened, or endemic, though in many cases species fall into multiple categories. Rare species are not often encountered in the field and have few records in entomological collections, so they are assumed to be rare in nature. They are typically poorly known and difficult to find. Threatened species are those that are known or thought to be at a relatively high risk of extinction. Threatened species have undergone conservation status assessments, either through the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species or the NatureServe conservation status assessment process. Threatened species include those that are listed as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), or Vulnerable (VU) on the Red List and/or have a NatureServe global rank of Critically Imperiled (G1), Imperiled (G2), or Vulnerable (G3). Species with a subnational rank of Critically Imperiled (S1), Imperiled (S2), or Vulnerable (S3) also qualify, though to date very few arthropods have state level ranks in New Mexico. Endemic species are those that are only found here in the State of New Mexico.

This resource provides information on hundreds of arthropod species known to be rare, threatened, or endemic to New Mexico. The full list can be found under the “Search the List” tab on the main menu. From the list, navigate to species accounts to see the conservation status of species, as well as information on the taxonomic classification, geographic distribution, population, habitat, life-history, ecology, and threats. Each account also includes a list of scientific references for options to learn more and further explore the species.