Conserving Insects, Strengthening communities

Since 2018, a local naturalist named Ignacio has been documenting insects in Chocamán — uploading photos to iNaturalist from his phone, with no funding, out of pure curiosity.

Micratena found his records, invited him to field surveys in Tlachinoltepetl Natural Protected Area, and systematized over 240 research-grade observations. Cross-referencing each species against conservation databases revealed something remarkable: two species — Cocytius antaeus y Syssphinx raspa — are listed as endangered in the United States. Both were documented right here.

They are now part of the Chocamán Insect Field Guide — the first printed insect guide for this cloud forest region.

In Mexico — and especially in small municipalities like Chocamán — insects have been seen for generations as a nuisance, a problem to eliminate. But without insects, there is no food on our tables. Without them, we would live buried in unrecycled waste. Without them, there is no humanity.

Micratena exists because someone has to say it out loud.