Epameibaphis Oestlund

This is a genus for a handful (or two) of species that feed on various sagebrushes (Asteraceae: Artemisia, some species placed in Seriphidium by some specialists) in North America.  It is remarkably similar to Pseudoepameibaphis except for the shape of the siphunculi being straight with an apical knob or swelling, as opposed to apically curved in Pseudoepameibaphis.  Apart from this difference, the two genera have almost identical morphology, down to setal numbers, shapes, patterns, antennal morphology, etc.  I have no decent photos of this genus, but I thought I would add a page due to all the work I’ve put into it in the past several years. Since moving to Colorado in 2021, I have made many new collections of this genus from some new host plants (e.g. Artemisia nova, Artemisia bigelovii, and what I’m calling Artemisia tridentata parishii). It’s interesting that Epameibaphis as a group is more common than Pseudoepameibaphis in Colorado, whereas Pseudoepameibaphis is the more common group in the northwestern states.

In February of 2026 I wrote a short review essay about the group. In it, I wrote of what I think are 8 species total in my collection. I also caution that intensive collecting work in places I have rarely visited would likely turn up even more diversity in this genus.