Nectar Feeders

465 species with this diet

Lepidoptera

Abbott's Sphinx Moth

Sphecodina abbottii

A unique hawk moth with scalloped brown wings and a yellow and brown banded body resembling a large hornet. Its flight i...

Lepidoptera

Achemon Sphinx Moth

Eumorpha achemon

A robust hawk moth with pink and tan-brown forewings and bright pink hindwings. It is closely related to the Pandorus sp...

Lepidoptera

Acraea Butterfly

Acraea acerata

A medium-sized butterfly with translucent orange wings and dark veins, giving it a delicate, window-like appearance. It ...

Lepidoptera

Adonis Blue

Lysandra bellargus

Males are an intense sky-blue with a chequered fringe; females are brown. Restricted to chalk and limestone grasslands....

Hymenoptera

African Bulldog Ant

Myrmecia regularis

A large aggressive ant with excellent vision and powerful mandibles. It can leap and deliver a painful sting when threat...

Lepidoptera

African Commodore Butterfly

Precis pelarga

A medium-sized butterfly with warm orange-brown wings and subtle eyespots near the wing margins. It is common in open bu...

Hymenoptera

African Fig Wasp

Ceratosolen capensis

A tiny wasp with an obligate mutualistic relationship with African fig trees. Females enter figs through a narrow openin...

Lepidoptera

African Giant Swallowtail

Papilio antimachus

The largest butterfly in Africa with a wingspan of up to 250 mm. It flies at great heights in the canopy and is rarely s...

Lepidoptera

African Grass Blue

Zizeeria knysna

Tiny blue butterfly with spotted gray-brown undersides. One of the smallest butterflies in Africa....

Hymenoptera

African Honey Bee

Apis mellifera scutellata

The African subspecies of the western honey bee, known for its defensive behavior and high productivity. It is slightly ...

Lepidoptera

African Migrant Butterfly

Catopsilia florella

A large white to greenish-yellow pierid butterfly that undertakes massive migrations across Africa. Males are white whil...

Hymenoptera

African Mud Dauber

Sceliphron spirifex

A slender black and yellow wasp with an extremely narrow petiole waist. It constructs mud nests on walls and ceilings, p...

Coleoptera

African Net-winged Beetle

Lycus trabeatus

A brightly orange-red beetle with distinctive net-like wing venation and broad expanded elytra. It is toxic and serves a...

Hymenoptera

African Sand Wasp

Bembix capensis

A fast-flying sand wasp with black and yellow banding that nests in sandy ground. Females provision nests with captured ...

Lepidoptera

African Sapphire

Iolaus iulus

Brilliant sapphire-blue upper wings with a dark margin and twin tails on hindwings. Found in African woodlands and fores...

Hymenoptera

African Scoliid Wasp

Megascolia vittata

A very large black and yellow-banded scoliid wasp from sub-Saharan Africa. It parasitizes goliath beetle and other large...

Hymenoptera

African Stingless Bee

Meliponula bocandei

A small dark stingless bee that nests in tree hollows and produces a prized thin honey. Colonies can number several thou...

Hymenoptera

African Velvet Ant

Dasylabris maura

A large black and white velvet ant found across North Africa and the Mediterranean. Females are densely covered in silve...

Lepidoptera

Alpine Blue

Albulina orbitulus

A small, silvery-blue butterfly found only in high alpine grasslands. Males have pale blue uppersides while females are ...

Hymenoptera

Alpine Bumblebee

Bombus alpinus

A large bumblebee with distinctive orange-red tail and dark body covered in dense fur. It is found at high elevations in...

Lepidoptera

Alpine Grizzled Skipper

Pyrgus andromedae

A small, dark skipper butterfly with white checkered markings. It flies low over alpine turf in quick, darting flights....

Diptera

Alpine Hover Fly

Sericomyia silentis

A large hover fly with bold yellow-and-black banding mimicking a wasp. It visits alpine flowers for nectar in mountain m...

Diptera

Alpine Soldierfly

Oxycera morrisii

A small, brightly patterned soldierfly found near mountain springs and seepages. Its larvae develop in calcareous spring...

Lepidoptera

Amazon Sphinx Moth

Cocytius antaeus

One of the largest sphinx moths in the Americas with a long, narrow body and pointed wings. Its tongue can exceed 30 cen...

Lepidoptera

Amazonian Uranid Moth

Urania leilus

A day-flying moth with iridescent green, blue, and black bands on swallowtail-shaped wings. It undertakes massive season...

Hymenoptera

American Bumble Bee

Bombus pensylvanicus

A large bumble bee with a yellow thorax, black band between the wings, and a mostly yellow abdomen. Once one of the most...

Lepidoptera

Angola White Lady Swallowtail

Graphium angolanus

A large swallowtail with black-and-white banded wings and a distinctive tail on each hindwing. It is a strong flier foun...

Hymenoptera

Anthricinan Yellow-Faced Bee

Hylaeus anthracinus

One of seven Hawaiian yellow-faced bees federally listed as endangered. These small native bees are critical pollinators...

Neuroptera

Antlion

Myrmeleon formicarius

Larvae build conical sand pit traps to catch ants and other small insects. The larva waits buried at the bottom and flic...

Hymenoptera

Apache Paper Wasp

Polistes apachus

A large paper wasp of the American Southwest with yellow and reddish-brown coloring. It constructs open paper comb nests...

Hymenoptera

Arctic Bumblebee

Bombus polaris

A large, densely furred bumblebee with yellow and black banding adapted to extreme cold. Its thick pile of hair provides...

Lepidoptera

Arctic Clouded Yellow

Colias tyche

A medium-sized butterfly with pale greenish-yellow wings and prominent dark borders. The underside has a silvery-white d...

Lepidoptera

Arctic Fritillary

Boloria chariclea

A small, orange-brown fritillary butterfly of arctic and alpine tundra. Its underside has distinctive silvery-white mark...

Lepidoptera

Arctic Ringlet

Erebia disa

A dark brown ringlet butterfly of arctic and alpine bogs. It flies low over sedge tussocks in a slow, bobbing flight pat...

Lepidoptera

Arctic Sulphur

Colias nastes

A pale greenish-white butterfly with dusky wing margins and small dark discal spots. Its subdued coloration helps it abs...

Hymenoptera

Ashy Mining Bee

Andrena cineraria

A striking black and grey solitary bee with silvery-white hair bands on its thorax. It nests in compacted soil and is on...

Hymenoptera

Asian Mud Dauber

Sceliphron curvatum

A dark-bodied mud dauber originally from Central Asia now invasive across Europe. It builds mud nests inside buildings a...

Hymenoptera

Australian Flower Wasp

Campsomeris tasmaniensis

A hairy black and orange scoliid wasp endemic to Australia. Males patrol flowers while females dig into soil to parasiti...

Lepidoptera

Australian Grapevine Moth

Phalaenoides glycinae

A day-flying moth closely related to Joseph's Coat Moth, with dark wings bearing white and orange spots. It is a common ...

Hymenoptera

Australian Large-headed Bee

Stenotritus greavesi

A robust, fast-flying bee endemic to Australia with a disproportionately large head and powerful mandibles. It belongs t...

Lepidoptera

Australian Painted Lady

Vanessa kershawi

An orange, black, and white butterfly closely related to the cosmopolitan painted lady. It undertakes seasonal migration...

Diptera

Banded General Soldier Fly

Stratiomys potamida

A large, boldly marked soldier fly with a broad flat abdomen bearing yellow lateral markings. Its aquatic larvae are elo...

Lepidoptera

Banded Hairstreak

Satyrium calanus

A small dark brown butterfly with conspicuous bands of white-edged dark dashes on its hindwing underside. It has a short...

Lepidoptera

Banded Peacock Butterfly

Anartia fatima

A medium-sized butterfly with dark brown wings crossed by a broad creamy-white band and orange wing bases. It is a fast,...

Lepidoptera

Banded Swallowtail

Papilio demolion

A medium-large swallowtail with dark brown-black wings bearing a broad pale greenish-yellow band across both forewings a...

Hymenoptera

Banded Velvet Ant

Dasymutilla occidentalis africana

A wingless wasp covered in dense orange and black velvety hair. Despite the name, it is actually a solitary wasp, not an...

Lepidoptera

Bedstraw Hawk Moth

Hyles gallii

A striking hawk moth with olive-green forewings bearing a buff median band and pink hindwings. It is a migratory species...

Diptera

Bee Fly

Bombylius major

A fuzzy bee mimic with a long fixed proboscis used for hovering in front of flowers to drink nectar. Despite its innocen...

Lepidoptera

Bee-fly Hawk Moth

Macroglossum bombylans

A small day-flying hawk moth that mimics a bumblebee with its furry body and buzzing flight. It visits flowers in garden...

Lepidoptera

Bhutan Glory

Bhutanitis lidderdalii

A spectacular swallowtail from the eastern Himalayas with multiple tail streamers and intricate black, white, and red wi...

Hymenoptera

Bicolored Pennant Ant

Tetraponera rufonigra

A large, slender arboreal ant with a painful sting found across tropical Asia. Workers are bicolored with an orange head...

Hymenoptera

Bicolored Trailing Ant

Monacis bispinosa

A neotropical dolichoderine ant with two prominent spines on its thorax. It forms long foraging trails on tree trunks an...

Lepidoptera

Birdwing Butterfly

Ornithoptera alexandrae

The largest butterfly in the world with a wingspan up to 31 cm. Found only in a small area of Papua New Guinea. Females ...

Lepidoptera

Bitter Blue

Theclinesthes miskini

Small blue and brown butterfly with spotted gray undersides. Commonly found around its host plant in Australian coastal ...

Hymenoptera

Black and Gold Velvet Ant

Dasymutilla nigripes

A medium-sized velvet ant with golden-orange hair on the thorax contrasting with its black legs and abdomen. It is found...

Coleoptera

Black and Yellow Longhorn

Rutpela maculata

A slender wasp-mimicking beetle with yellow elytra marked with black bands and spots. It is a common flower visitor in E...

Lepidoptera

Black Swallowtail

Papilio polyxenes

Black butterfly with yellow spot bands and blue hindwing patches; orange and black eyespot on each hindwing. Common in g...

Lepidoptera

Blackburn's Sphinx Moth

Manduca blackburni

The largest native insect in Hawaii, this sphinx moth has a wingspan up to 120 mm. It was once widespread across the isl...

Lepidoptera

Blind Ringlet

Erebia pharte

A small, dark ringlet butterfly with reduced or absent eyespots. It flies in damp alpine meadows during the short mounta...

Hymenoptera

Blue Ant

Diamma bicolor

Despite its name, the Blue Ant is actually a wingless flower wasp, not an ant. Females are metallic blue-green with a po...

Hymenoptera

Blue Mason Bee

Osmia caerulescens

A small, metallic blue-black solitary bee that nests in pre-existing cavities in wood and walls. It is common in gardens...

Lepidoptera

Blue Mormon

Papilio polymnestor

A large, spectacular swallowtail butterfly with deep black wings overlaid with brilliant blue bands. It is one of the la...

Hymenoptera

Blue Orchard Bee

Osmia lignaria

A metallic dark blue solitary bee that nests in pre-existing holes in wood. It is an exceptionally efficient pollinator ...

Lepidoptera

Blue Pansy

Junonia orithya

A medium-sized butterfly with stunning bright blue hindwings bearing large eyespots and brown forewings with smaller ora...

Lepidoptera

Blue Triangle

Graphium sarpedon

A swift-flying black swallowtail with a band of translucent blue-green spots across both wings. It is common along the e...

Hymenoptera

Blue-Banded Bee

Amegilla cingulata

A striking Australian native bee with iridescent turquoise bands on its abdomen. They are important buzz pollinators of ...

Hymenoptera

Blue-winged Scoliid Wasp

Scolia dubia

A black and reddish-brown wasp with iridescent blue wings commonly seen on flowers in late summer. It parasitizes green ...

Lepidoptera

Bolas Spider Moth Mimic

Celaenia excavata

An Australian moth whose eggs are so tough they resemble seeds and can survive passage through a bird digestive tract — ...

Hymenoptera

Boreal Bumblebee

Bombus borealis

A medium-sized bumblebee with yellow bands on the thorax and a white-tipped abdomen. It nests underground in abandoned r...

Lepidoptera

Brazilian Skipper

Calpodes ethlius

A robust brown skipper butterfly with translucent white spots on the forewings. Its larvae build leaf shelters on canna ...

Hymenoptera

Brazilian Stingless Bee

Melipona quadrifasciata

A robust stingless bee with a dark body and four pale abdominal bands. It is the most culturally important stingless bee...

Lepidoptera

Brazilian Thorn Moth

Cyanopepla huillensis

A day-flying moth with brilliant metallic blue forewings and bright red or orange hindwings, warning predators of its to...

Lepidoptera

Bright-eyed Ringlet

Erebia oeme

A dark brown ringlet with prominent white-pupiled eyespots. It frequents damp, grassy slopes in subalpine and alpine zon...

Lepidoptera

Brimstone

Gonepteryx rhamni

Males are vivid sulphur-yellow; females are pale greenish-white. Leaf-shaped wings provide excellent camouflage at rest....

Diptera

Bristly Tachinid Fly

Nowickia ferox

A large, heavily bristled tachinid fly with a gray-checkered pattern on the abdomen. It is conspicuously spiny and frequ...

Lepidoptera

Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth

Hemaris fuciformis

A day-flying sphinx moth with transparent wings that mimic a bumblebee. The scales on its wings fall off on its first fl...

Hymenoptera

Broad-faced Sweat Bee

Lasioglossum platycephalum

A rare and distinctive European furrow bee with an unusually broad, flattened head. It nests in sandy or gravelly soils ...

Hymenoptera

Broad-footed Colletes

Colletes halophilus

A rare coastal specialist plasterer bee that forages on sea aster in saltmarsh habitats. It is restricted to a narrow ba...

Hymenoptera

Bronze Furrow Bee

Halictus tumulorum

A small, dark metallic furrow bee with a subtle bronze sheen widespread across the Palearctic. It is primitively eusocia...

Lepidoptera

Brown Argus

Aricia agestis

A small chocolate-brown butterfly with a row of bright orange crescent-shaped spots around the wing margins. Despite its...

Hymenoptera

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Bombus terrestris

A large, familiar bumblebee with black fur, a yellow collar, a yellow abdominal band, and a distinctive buff-white tail....

Hymenoptera

Bulldog Ant

Myrmecia gulosa

A large aggressive ant with long mandibles and excellent vision found in Australia. It can jump and sting simultaneously...

Hymenoptera

Bullet Ant

Paraponera clavata

Named for its extremely painful sting, rated 4+ on the Schmidt Pain Index. Indigenous Satere-Mawe people use them in war...

Hymenoptera

Cape Honey Bee

Apis mellifera capensis

A unique honey bee subspecies where workers can lay diploid female eggs without mating. It is restricted to the winter r...

Hymenoptera

Cape Oil-collecting Bee

Rediviva neliana

A South African oil-collecting bee with extraordinarily long front legs used to extract floral oil from deep-spurred Dia...

Lepidoptera

Carolina Sphinx Moth

Manduca sexta

A large gray sphinx moth whose caterpillar, the tobacco hornworm, is a well-known pest of tomato and tobacco plants. The...

Hymenoptera

Cellophane Bee

Colletes thoracicus

A spring-flying plasterer bee native to eastern North America with dense reddish-brown thoracic hair. It lines its brood...

Lepidoptera

Central Asian Apollo

Parnassius actius

A large, high-altitude Apollo butterfly of the Pamir and Tian Shan mountains. It has a powerful gliding flight over barr...

Lepidoptera

Chimera Birdwing

Ornithoptera chimaera

A large montane birdwing butterfly found in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. It occurs at elevations between 1200 and ...

Lepidoptera

Chimney Sweeper Moth

Odezia atrata

A small, entirely sooty-black day-flying moth with white-tipped wing fringes. It flies over grasslands where pignut grow...

Lepidoptera

Chinese Peacock Swallowtail

Papilio bianor

A large swallowtail with dark wings that shimmer with brilliant blue-green iridescence. Its hindwings feature red and bl...

Lepidoptera

Chinese Windmill Butterfly

Byasa alcinous

A dark swallowtail with red-spotted hindwings that rotates its wings in a slow windmill-like pattern during flight. It i...

Hymenoptera

Chocolate Mining Bee

Andrena scotica

A medium-sized bee with warm brown fur, common across the British Isles. It visits a wide range of spring and early summ...

Trichoptera

Cinnamon Caddis

Ceratopsyche morosa

A medium-sized net-spinning caddisfly with warm cinnamon-brown wings. Larvae build intricate silk capture nets in fast r...

Lepidoptera

Citrus Swallowtail

Papilio demodocus

A common large swallowtail with cream and black patterned wings and blue-red eyespots on the hindwings. It is widespread...

Lepidoptera

Claudina Metalmark

Mesosemia claudia

A small, dark-winged metalmark butterfly with fine silvery-blue spots along the wing margins. It rests with wings spread...

Lepidoptera

Clouded Apollo

Parnassius mnemosyne

A delicate, semi-translucent white butterfly with dark wing veins and small dark spots. It flies slowly through woodland...

Lepidoptera

Clouded Skipper

Lerema accius

A dark brown skipper with small glassy white spots on its forewings. It is one of the most common grass skippers in the ...

Lepidoptera

Cloudless Sulphur

Phoebis sennae

Large unmarked lemon-yellow butterfly; females may have faint spots. Common and conspicuous across the southern United S...

Hymenoptera

Coccygomimus Wasp

Pimpla turionellae

A cosmopolitan black ichneumonid used in biological control of pine shoot moths. Females sting and paralyze host pupae b...

Lepidoptera

Coffee Bee Hawk Moth

Cephonodes picus

A smaller clearwing hawk moth with transparent wings and a compact olive and yellow body. It is often found around coffe...

Hymenoptera

Colorful Ichneumon

Ichneumon sarcitorius

A medium-sized ichneumon with a black body, yellow scutellum, and orange-tipped abdomen. It is one of the most commonly ...

Lepidoptera

Common Blue Butterfly

Polyommatus icarus

A small butterfly where males are vivid violet-blue and females are brown with orange spots. It is the most widespread b...

Hymenoptera

Common Carder Bee

Bombus pascuorum

A fluffy ginger-brown bumblebee that builds nests on the ground surface using moss and grass. It has one of the longest ...

Lepidoptera

Common Crow Butterfly

Euploea core

Dark brown wings with rows of white marginal spots. Highly toxic due to alkaloids sequestered from its larval food plant...

Hymenoptera

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Bombus impatiens

A robust fuzzy bumble bee with a black body and yellow thoracic band that is widely used as a commercial greenhouse poll...

Hymenoptera

Common Furrow Bee

Halictus rubicundus

A widespread sweat bee found across the Northern Hemisphere that displays flexible social behavior. In warmer regions th...

Lepidoptera

Common Graphium

Graphium leonidas

A striking swallowtail butterfly with black wings marked with pale blue-green translucent spots. It is a fast and powerf...

Hymenoptera

Common Green Furrow Bee

Lasioglossum malachurum

A small, primitively eusocial sweat bee in which a single queen overwinters and founds a colony with successive worker b...

Lepidoptera

Common Leopard

Phalanta phalantha

A medium-sized tawny butterfly with black spots arranged in a leopard-like pattern across the wings. It has a rapid, gli...

Lepidoptera

Common Lime Butterfly

Papilio demoleus

Black swallowtail covered in pale yellow spots and lacking hindwing tails. A major pest of citrus across Asia and recent...

Lepidoptera

Common Mime

Papilio clytia

A polymorphic swallowtail butterfly that exists in two main forms: one mimicking the toxic Common Crow and the other mim...

Lepidoptera

Common Mormon

Papilio polytes

Males are plain black with a cream band; females occur in multiple forms mimicking different toxic species. A textbook e...

Hymenoptera

Common Potter Wasp

Eumenes fraternus

A North American potter wasp that builds small globular mud cells on plant stems and twigs. The female suspends her egg ...

Lepidoptera

Common Rose Swallowtail

Pachliopta aristolochiae

A striking black and crimson swallowtail butterfly common across South and Southeast Asia. Its body contains toxins sequ...

Lepidoptera

Common Sootywing

Pholisora catullus

A very small sooty-black skipper with scattered tiny white spots on the forewings. It is a common but easily overlooked ...

Diptera

Common Thick-headed Fly

Sicus ferrugineus

A distinctive orange-brown fly with a disproportionately large, inflated head and a curved abdomen. It perches conspicuo...

Lepidoptera

Common Tree Nymph

Idea stolli

A very large butterfly with translucent white wings heavily veined and spotted in black. It flies with a slow, lazy, pap...

Lepidoptera

Common Windmill

Byasa polyeuctes

A black swallowtail with red body spots and white-patched hindwings that flutter in a distinctive windmill pattern. It f...

Lepidoptera

Convolvulus Hawk-moth

Agrius convolvuli

A powerful migrant hawk-moth with a streamlined grey body and pink-banded abdomen. It possesses an extraordinarily long ...

Lepidoptera

Copper Jewel

Hypochrysops ignitus

Brilliant coppery-orange upper wings with iridescent purple-blue reflections. One of Australia's most striking lycaenid ...

Hymenoptera

Copper-tailed Cuckoo Wasp

Chrysis succincta

A medium-sized cuckoo wasp with a metallic green forebody and a warm coppery-gold abdomen. It parasitizes the nests of c...

Hymenoptera

Coppery Sweat Bee

Augochloropsis sumptuosa

A stout metallic bee with brilliant coppery-green iridescence found across South America. It is a solitary ground-nestin...

Lepidoptera

Coral Hairstreak

Satyrium titus

A tailless hairstreak butterfly with a row of bright coral-red spots along the hindwing margin. Its brown wings lack the...

Lepidoptera

Corvus Skipper

Trapezites symmomus

A robust dark skipper butterfly with orange-spotted wings found in sedge-rich wetlands. It is endemic to southeastern Au...

Lepidoptera

Cranberry Blue

Plebejus optilete

A small butterfly with violet-blue upperwings in males and dark brown in females. The hindwing underside has a diagnosti...

Hymenoptera

Crotch's Bumblebee

Bombus crotchii

A western North American bumblebee that has declined by over 90% from its historical range. Once common in California's ...

Hymenoptera

Cuckoo Wasp

Chrysis ignita

A stunning metallic jewel-toned wasp that lays eggs in other wasps nests. Can curl into an armored ball when attacked. I...

Lepidoptera

Cynthia's Fritillary

Euphydryas cynthia

A striking black-and-white checkered fritillary with orange markings. Males and females differ dramatically in coloratio...

Lepidoptera

Dainty Swallowtail

Papilio anactus

A small, elegant swallowtail butterfly that is the most widespread Papilio species in Australia. It has black wings with...

Diptera

Dance Fly with Feathered Legs

Rhamphomyia sulcata

A small dance fly where females have distinctive feathered or pennate leg scales used to attract males. Females inflate ...

Lepidoptera

Dark Green Fritillary

Speyeria aglaja

A fast-flying fritillary with a powerful gliding flight over open grasslands. Its underside features large silver spots ...

Diptera

Dark-edged Bee-fly

Bombylius major discolor

A subspecies of the bee-fly with slightly different wing patterning found in eastern populations....

Hymenoptera

Davies' Colletes

Colletes daviesanus

A small solitary bee that lines its nest cells with a cellophane-like secretion. It often nests in mortar joints of old ...

Hymenoptera

Dawson's Burrowing Bee

Amegilla dawsoni

A large solitary bee endemic to Western Australia that nests in massive aggregations in hardpan clay. Males engage in vi...

Hymenoptera

Desert Digger Bee

Centris pallida

A large, fuzzy solitary bee of the Sonoran Desert that nests in burrows in hard-packed soil. Males patrol nesting areas ...

Hymenoptera

Desert Globe Mallow Bee

Diadasia diminuta

A specialist solitary bee that visits only globe mallow flowers in the American Southwest. It lines its underground nest...

Hymenoptera

Desert Honeybee

Apis mellifera jemenitica

A small, heat-tolerant subspecies of honeybee native to the deserts of Africa and Arabia. It can forage at temperatures ...

Hymenoptera

Desert Large-headed Bee

Ctenocolletes nigricans

A dark-bodied, heat-tolerant bee found in arid inland Australia. It forages during the hottest parts of the day when mos...

Lepidoptera

Dewy Ringlet

Erebia pandrose

A widespread alpine ringlet with grayish-brown wings and small eyespots. It is found across many mountain ranges from Sc...

Lepidoptera

Dominican Clearwing Butterfly

Greta diaphanus

A glasswing butterfly found in Hispaniola with nearly transparent wings. Its wings have tiny nanopillars that reduce lig...

Lepidoptera

Doris Longwing

Heliconius doris

A highly variable Heliconius butterfly that occurs in multiple color forms including blue, red, and green morphs. All fo...

Diptera

Dotted Bee Fly

Bombylius discolor

A spring-flying bee fly distinguished from its commoner relative by spotted wings and a darker fur coat. Its larvae para...

Hymenoptera

Double-banded Scoliid

Scolia bicincta

A robust black wasp with two prominent yellow bands across the abdomen. It is a beneficial garden insect that parasitize...

Diptera

Drone Fly

Eristalis tenax

A large hoverfly that is an excellent mimic of the honey bee, complete with similar coloring and buzzing flight. Its aqu...

Hymenoptera

East African Sugar Ant

Camponotus maculatus

A large, polymorphic ant with major workers having disproportionately large heads. Workers vary in color from reddish-br...

Diptera

Eastern Calligrapher

Toxomerus geminatus

A tiny hoverfly with intricate black calligraphic markings on a yellow abdomen. It is one of the most abundant flower fl...

Hymenoptera

Eastern Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa virginica

A large robust bee that resembles a bumble bee but has a shiny black hairless abdomen. It excavates nesting tunnels in w...

Lepidoptera

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Cupido comyntas

Tiny blue butterfly with thin tails on the hindwings and orange spots near the tail. One of the smallest and most common...

Lepidoptera

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Papilio glaucus

A large yellow butterfly with bold black tiger stripes and blue and orange markings on the hindwing margins. Females can...

Lepidoptera

Elephant Hawk-moth

Deilephila elpenor

A stunning pink and olive-green moth that hovers at flowers like a hummingbird at dusk. Its caterpillar has eyespots and...

Hymenoptera

Emerald Cockroach Wasp

Ampulex compressa

A brilliant emerald-green wasp that zombifies cockroaches. It delivers precise stings to the cockroachs brain, removing ...

Hymenoptera

Emerald Cuckoo Wasp

Stilbum cyanurum

One of the largest and most spectacular cuckoo wasps with a vivid metallic green and blue body. It parasitizes mud daube...

Lepidoptera

Emerald Swallowtail

Papilio palinurus

A stunning swallowtail butterfly with broad bands of emerald green on black wings. The green color is produced by yellow...

Lepidoptera

Emperor Swallowtail

Papilio ophidicephalus

South Africa's largest butterfly with bold black and yellow-green markings. Its caterpillar mimics a bird dropping in ea...

Coleoptera

End Band Net-Winged Beetle

Calopteron terminale

A net-winged beetle with orange elytra that become black at the tips, common in eastern North American forests. It forms...

Hymenoptera

Erratic Ant

Tapinoma erraticum

A small dark ant common in southern Europe that runs in characteristic erratic zigzag patterns. It nests in dry, warm ha...

Hymenoptera

European Corn Borer Parasite

Macrocentrus grandii

A slender braconid wasp introduced to North America to control the European corn borer. It lays polyembryonic eggs that ...

Hymenoptera

European Oil Bee

Macropis europaea

One of only two Northern Hemisphere bees that collect floral oils instead of nectar as a food provision. It collects oil...

Hymenoptera

Executioner Wasp

Polistes carnifex

The largest Neotropical paper wasp, with a sting that produces immediate searing pain and potentially causes tissue necr...

Diptera

Eye Gnat

Liohippelates pusio

A tiny, shiny black fly attracted to eye and wound secretions of humans and animals. It is a suspected mechanical vector...

Lepidoptera

Fatal Metalmark

Calephelis nemesis

A tiny dark brown butterfly with fine metallic silver lines across the wings and minute checkered fringes. Despite its o...

Diptera

Fever Fly

Dilophus febrilis

A small, shiny black march fly with spiny front tibiae used for digging. It was once believed to cause fevers in humans,...

Lepidoptera

Fiery Skipper

Hylephila phyleus

A small bright orange skipper with short antennae and a fast darting flight. Males have a prominent black stigma on the ...

Lepidoptera

Fiji Blue Spotted Crow

Euploea tulliolus

A dark-winged butterfly with distinctive blue-white spotted margins, found in Fiji and other Pacific islands. It belongs...

Lepidoptera

Fiji Moth

Heterallactis baibakoua

A day-flying forester moth endemic to Fiji, with metallic blue-black wings. It is found in native forest where its larva...

Hymenoptera

Fiji Tree Ant

Paraparatrechina oceanica

A native ant species found in tropical forests of Fiji, where it nests in tree cavities and under bark. Pacific Island a...

Coleoptera

Firefly

Photinus pyralis

Famous for bioluminescent signals produced by a chemical reaction in their abdomen. Each species has a unique flash patt...

Lepidoptera

Five-bar Swordtail

Graphium antiphates

An elegant swallowtail with pale creamy-white wings crossed by bold black zebra-like stripes and exceptionally long, nar...

Lepidoptera

Five-Spotted Hawk Moth

Manduca quinquemaculata

A large mottled gray moth whose caterpillar is the familiar tomato hornworm with a distinctive black horn. The adult has...

Hymenoptera

Florida Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex ejectus

A small yellowish ant that nests in dead twigs in the canopy of southeastern US forests. It is arboreal and rarely desce...

Hymenoptera

Forelius Ant

Forelius pruinosus

A tiny fast-running ant found across the Americas that is often the first to discover food sources. It has a pruinose co...

Hymenoptera

Four-banded Furrow Bee

Halictus quadricinctus

A large, robust halictid bee with four prominent white hair bands across its dark abdomen. It is one of the biggest swea...

Lepidoptera

Four-barred Swordtail

Protographium leosthenes

A distinctive swallowtail with translucent wings crossed by four dark bars and a long sword-like tail. It has a rapid, d...

Hymenoptera

Four-spotted Cuckoo Bee

Nomada leucophthalma

A wasp-like cuckoo bee with reddish-brown and yellow markings that parasitizes Andrena mining bees. It is one of the ear...

Hymenoptera

Four-toothed Mason Wasp

Monobia quadridens

A solitary black and white mason wasp that nests in hollow stems and old carpenter bee tunnels. It provisions cells with...

Lepidoptera

Frangipani Hawk Moth

Pseudosphinx tetrio

A large gray hawk moth whose larvae are among the most spectacular caterpillars in the world, with bold black and yellow...

Hymenoptera

Franklin's Bumble Bee

Bombus franklini

The world's most range-restricted bumble bee, found only in a small area between southern Oregon and northern California...

Lepidoptera

Frigga Fritillary

Boloria frigga

A medium-sized fritillary with tawny-orange wings and a bold pattern of dark lines. The hindwing underside has a distinc...

Lepidoptera

Gatekeeper

Pyronia tithonus

A common warm-brown butterfly often seen basking on hedgerow flowers in high summer. It has distinctive twin white pupil...

Lepidoptera

Gaudy Sphinx Moth

Eumorpha labruscae

A spectacular hawk moth with blue-green and brown patterned forewings that create an extraordinary leafy camouflage. It ...

Lepidoptera

Giant Grey Hawk Moth

Agrius cingulata

A massive hawk moth with gray-streaked forewings and a pink and black banded abdomen. It is one of the largest and faste...

Hymenoptera

Giant Honey Bee

Apis dorsata

The largest honey bee species, building huge exposed single-comb nests on cliff faces and tall buildings. Colonies can c...

Lepidoptera

Giant Leopard Moth

Hypercompe scribonia

A striking white moth covered in black hollow ring spots with an iridescent blue-black body with orange markings underne...

Hymenoptera

Giant Resin Bee

Megachile sculpturalis

A large solitary bee originally from East Asia now invasive in North America and Europe. It uses tree resin and mud to s...

Lepidoptera

Giant Swallowtail

Papilio cresphontes

The largest butterfly in North America with dark brown wings crossed by yellow bands. Larvae resemble bird droppings for...

Lepidoptera

Giant Swallowtail of the Andes

Papilio thoas

One of the largest swallowtail butterflies in South America, with bold yellow and black striped wings and long tail stre...

Diptera

Giant Tachinid Fly

Tachina grossa

The largest tachinid fly in Europe, covered in dense black bristles. It parasitizes large moth caterpillars and is often...

Hymenoptera

Giant Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex spinicola

One of the largest acacia-ant species, nesting in the massive swollen thorns of Central American bullhorn acacias. Queen...

Lepidoptera

Glandon Blue

Agriades glandon

A tiny high-altitude blue butterfly with distinctive underside spotting. It flies close to the ground in exposed alpine ...

Lepidoptera

Glasswing Butterfly

Greta oto

Remarkable for its transparent wings, created by nanopillar structures that reduce light reflection to just 2%. This mak...

Hymenoptera

Gold Cuckoo Wasp

Chrysis fasciata

A brilliant green and gold metallic cuckoo wasp found across southern Europe. It parasitizes the nests of potter wasps a...

Hymenoptera

Gold-fringed Mason Bee

Osmia aurulenta

A distinctive solitary bee that nests inside empty snail shells on warm hillsides. Females cover the shell with grass an...

Lepidoptera

Golden Birdwing

Troides aeacus

A large birdwing butterfly with velvety black forewings and brilliant golden-yellow hindwings. It is found across a wide...

Lepidoptera

Golden Kaiserind

Teinopalpus aureus

An extremely rare swallowtail butterfly from southern China with brilliant golden-green coloration. It is one of the rar...

Hymenoptera

Golden Northern Bumble Bee

Bombus fervidus

A large bumble bee with an almost entirely yellow-furred thorax and anterior abdomen. It is a generalist pollinator foun...

Hymenoptera

Golden Orchid Bee

Eufriesea surinamensis

A stunningly beautiful orchid bee with a metallic golden-green body and reddish legs. It is a solitary nester that build...

Hymenoptera

Golden Spiny Ant

Polyrhachis ammon

A striking Australian spiny ant with golden pubescence covering a black body. Workers have prominent paired petiolar spi...

Hymenoptera

Golden-tailed Bull Ant

Myrmecia chrysogaster

A strikingly coloured bull ant with a distinctive golden-yellow gaster and reddish-brown head and thorax. Like other Myr...

Diptera

Golden-tailed Hoverfly

Chrysotoxum cautum

A wasp-mimicking hoverfly with bold yellow and black bands and long antennae. It flies with a distinctive slow, wasp-lik...

Neuroptera

Goldeneye Lacewing

Chrysopa oculata

A common North American green lacewing with prominent golden eyes and a distinctive black head marking. Frequently found...

Coleoptera

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle

Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus

A familiar autumn beetle of eastern North America, commonly seen in large numbers on goldenrod flowers. Its yellow-and-b...

Lepidoptera

Goliath Birdwing

Ornithoptera goliath

One of the largest butterflies in the world, found in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea and nearby islands. Males are ...

Hymenoptera

Graceful Twig Ant

Tetraponera aethiops

A slender black African twig ant that nests in hollow stems and branches. Workers are elongate with a narrow waist and d...

Hymenoptera

Great Banded Furrow Bee

Halictus scabiosae

One of Europe's largest halictid bees, with prominent white abdominal hair bands. It is a eusocial species expanding its...

Hymenoptera

Great Golden Digger Wasp

Sphex ichneumoneus

A large solitary wasp with a golden-furred thorax and orange-red legs that digs burrows in sandy soil. It provisions its...

Lepidoptera

Great Helen

Papilio iswara

A large, elegant swallowtail with dark velvety black wings bearing a broad white band across the hindwings and blue subm...

Lepidoptera

Great Purple Hairstreak

Atlides halesus

The largest hairstreak in North America with brilliant iridescent blue upperside wings and a bright red-orange abdomen. ...

Lepidoptera

Great Spangled Fritillary

Speyeria cybele

Large orange butterfly with heavy black markings and silver spots on the hindwing underside. Common across much of North...

Diptera

Greater Bee Fly

Bombylius canescens

A pale greyish bee fly with a long proboscis and clear wings. It parasitizes ground-nesting bees in arid Mediterranean h...

Lepidoptera

Green Dragontail

Lamproptera meges

A diminutive swallowtail butterfly with translucent green-tinted wings and extraordinarily long, slender tail streamers ...

Hymenoptera

Green Metallic Bee

Augochloropsis metallica

A large, robustly built metallic green sweat bee common throughout eastern North America. It is a ground-nesting communa...

Coleoptera

Green Protea Beetle

Smaragdesthes oertzeni

A small but brilliantly metallic green beetle found in Central African forests. It is a frequent visitor to flowering tr...

Hymenoptera

Green Tree Ant

Oecophylla smaragdina subnitida

An Australian subspecies of the Asian weaver ant with distinctive bright green coloring. Indigenous Australians have tra...

Lepidoptera

Green-banded Swallowtail

Papilio nireus

A striking black swallowtail with brilliant metallic blue-green bands across both wings. It is a fast flier often seen m...

Lepidoptera

Greenland Copper

Lycaena phlaeas polaris

The Arctic subspecies of the small copper butterfly, smaller and darker than its temperate counterparts. The forewings a...

Lepidoptera

Greenland Noctuid Moth

Sympistis zetterstedtii

A small, cryptically patterned moth with mottled gray and brown forewings. It is one of the few noctuid moths that has a...

Lepidoptera

Guedin's Hawk Moth

Macroglossum gyrans

A small day-flying hawk moth with olive-brown forewings and orange-yellow hindwings. It hovers at flowers like a humming...

Lepidoptera

Gulf Fritillary

Dione vanillae

Bright orange wings with black markings above and elongated silver spots below. Despite its name, it belongs to the pass...

Hymenoptera

Hairy-footed Flower Bee

Anthophora plumipes

A fast-flying, plump solitary bee with males covered in tawny hair and females jet black. It is one of the earliest spri...

Hymenoptera

Hairy-saddled Colletes

Colletes succinctus

A late-summer plasterer bee that is a specialist on heather, secreting a cellophane-like lining in its underground nest ...

Coleoptera

Haldeman's Tumbling Flower Beetle

Mordella haldemani

A small black tumbling flower beetle found in eastern North America. It is commonly seen on composite flowers in summer ...

Hymenoptera

Hawaiian Assimulans Yellow-faced Bee

Hylaeus assimulans

A rare endemic bee from the Hawaiian Islands, once found on several islands but now severely reduced in range. It nests ...

Hymenoptera

Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee

Hylaeus longiceps

An endemic Hawaiian bee with distinctive yellow facial markings, found in dry coastal and lowland habitats. It nests in ...

Lepidoptera

Hawk Moth (Australian Privet Hawk Moth)

Psilogramma menephron

One of Australia's largest hawk moths, with a robust grey body and intricately patterned wings that provide superb camou...

Diptera

Heath Bee Fly

Bombylius minor

A small, late-summer bee fly with greyish fur and clear wings. Its larvae parasitize solitary wasps in sandy habitats....

Diptera

Heineken Hoverfly

Rhingia campestris

An unmistakable hoverfly with a long, beak-like snout used to reach nectar in tubular flowers. It has an orange abdomen ...

Lepidoptera

Heliconius Hecale Longwing

Heliconius hecale

A large Heliconius butterfly with black wings marked by broad orange and yellow patches. It is one of the most widesprea...

Lepidoptera

Heliconius Hewitsoni

Heliconius hewitsoni

A rare Heliconius butterfly with black wings and a distinctive bright yellow forewing band. It is restricted to Pacific-...

Lepidoptera

Helicopter Metalmark

Chorinea octauius

Transparent forewings with red and black hindwing tails that twirl in flight. The spinning tails create a helicopter-lik...

Lepidoptera

High Brown Fritillary

Fabriciana adippe

A large, fast-flying fritillary with rich tawny-orange wings and a complex pattern of silver spots beneath. It is one of...

Diptera

High-altitude Hover Fly

Platycheirus alpinus

A small hover fly with flattened front legs, found in alpine and arctic habitats. It is an important pollinator of mount...

Lepidoptera

Holly Blue

Celastrina argiolus

Pale silvery-blue butterfly with small black dots on the underside. Alternates between holly and ivy as host plants betw...

Hymenoptera

Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

The worlds most important pollinator. Lives in complex colonies of up to 80,000 individuals with a single queen. Communi...

Hymenoptera

Honey Pot Ant

Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Certain workers called repletes serve as living food storage vessels. They hang from the ceiling, gorged with honey and ...

Hymenoptera

Honeypot Ant

Myrmecocystus mimicus

A honey ant species that engages in ritualized territorial tournaments between neighboring colonies. Workers are amber-c...

Diptera

Hover Fly

Syrphus ribesii

A bright yellow and black banded hoverfly that is an excellent wasp mimic. It hovers motionless in sunbeams before darti...

Diptera

Hoverfly

Episyrphus balteatus

Excellent Batesian mimics of wasps and bees. Important pollinators often overlooked. Can hover perfectly stationary in m...

Lepidoptera

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Hemaris thysbe

A day-flying sphinx moth with transparent wings bordered in reddish-brown that closely resembles a hummingbird. It hover...

Lepidoptera

Hummingbird Hawk-Moth

Macroglossum stellatarum

A day-flying moth that hovers at flowers and produces an audible hum, almost perfectly mimicking a hummingbird. Has exce...

Hymenoptera

Hunt's Bumble Bee

Bombus huntii

A medium-sized bumble bee with orange, black, and yellow banding commonly found in the western United States. It is an i...

Lepidoptera

Imperial Jezebel

Delias harpalyce

A striking butterfly with white uppersides and vivid red and yellow undersides. It flies high in eucalypt canopy and is ...

Hymenoptera

Indian Flower Wasp

Scolia quadripustulata

A robust black scoliid wasp with four yellowish spots on its abdomen found across South Asia. It targets white grubs of ...

Lepidoptera

Indian Fritillary

Argyreus hyperbius

Orange wings with rounded black spots; females have darker forewings with white patches. Females mimic the toxic Danaus ...

Hymenoptera

Indian Giant Ant

Camponotus compressus

One of the largest and most common carpenter ants in India, with shiny black coloration and a robust build. Major worker...

Hymenoptera

Indian Honey Bee

Apis cerana indica

A small, dark-banded honey bee native to the Indian subcontinent and the primary managed bee species in traditional Indi...

Lepidoptera

Indian Tortoiseshell

Aglais caschmirensis

A beautiful butterfly with rich orange-brown wings edged with blue spots and irregular dark markings. It is found in the...

Lepidoptera

Jamides celeno

Jamides celeno

Small pale blue butterfly with white-striped underside and orange-crowned eyespots near the tail. Common in tropical Asi...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Clouded Yellow

Colias erate

Known as 'monjiro-cho' in Japanese, a common yellow butterfly found in open grasslands. Males are bright yellow while fe...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Copper

Lycaena phlaeas daimio

The Japanese subspecies of the small copper butterfly, known as 'beni-shijimi.' A small but brilliantly colored butterfl...

Hymenoptera

Japanese Honeybee

Apis cerana japonica

The Japanese subspecies of the Eastern honeybee, known as 'nihon-mitsubachi.' Smaller and darker than the European honey...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Oakblue

Arhopala japonica

A beautiful lycaenid butterfly with brilliant metallic blue upperwings and cryptic brown underwings. Found in oak forest...

Hymenoptera

Japanese Scoliid Wasp

Scolia oculata

A large black wasp with distinctive eye-like yellow spots on the abdomen found in East Asia. It parasitizes the larvae o...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Spicebush Swallowtail

Papilio protenor

A striking all-black swallowtail known as 'kuro-ageha' in Japanese. The hindwings have subtle red and blue markings. Com...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Swallowtail

Papilio xuthus

A common Asian swallowtail with pale yellow wings striped with black tiger-like bands. It is one of the most frequently ...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Yellow Swallowtail

Papilio machaon hippocrates

The Japanese subspecies of the Old World swallowtail, known as 'ki-ageha.' A large and elegant butterfly with bright yel...

Lepidoptera

Kaiseri-i-Hind Butterfly

Teinopalpus imperialis

An elusive swallowtail from Himalayan cloud forests. Its name means Emperor of India. Rarely seen due to its preference ...

Hymenoptera

Keyhole Wasp

Pachodynerus nasidens

A mud-nesting wasp notorious for building nests inside aircraft pitot tubes. It has caused aviation incidents by blockin...

Hymenoptera

Koschevnikov's Honey Bee

Apis koschevnikovi

A reddish-orange cavity-nesting honey bee found in Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. It prefers lowland dipterocarp forest...

Hymenoptera

Lapland Bumblebee

Bombus lapponicus

A medium-sized bumblebee with a distinctive orange tail and yellow collar band. It is well adapted to cold, windy condit...

Lepidoptera

Large Copper Butterfly

Lycaena dispar

Once widespread across European wetlands, the English subspecies went extinct in the 1850s. Remaining populations are de...

Hymenoptera

Large Garden Bumble Bee

Bombus ruderatus

A long-tongued bumble bee introduced to New Zealand in the early 1900s to pollinate red clover. They have one of the lon...

Hymenoptera

Large Sallow Mining Bee

Andrena apicata

A rare, early-spring mining bee that specializes on sallow and willow catkins. It has declined significantly across Euro...

Hymenoptera

Large Scoliid Wasp

Megascolia maculata

Europe's largest wasp, with a massive black body marked with bold yellow spots. Females burrow underground to parasitise...

Lepidoptera

Large Skipper

Ochlodes sylvanus

A robust golden-orange skipper with a distinctive swift darting flight. Males have a prominent dark scent brand across t...

Lepidoptera

Large Wall Brown

Lasiommata maera

A medium-sized brown butterfly with large apical eyespots and warm orange patches on the forewings. It frequents rocky t...

Lepidoptera

Large White

Pieris brassicae

A common white butterfly with black wingtips and one or two black spots on the forewing. Its green-yellow caterpillars a...

Hymenoptera

Large Yellow-faced Bee

Hylaeus signatus

One of the larger masked bees in Europe with prominent yellow face patches. It is a specialist on wild mignonette and re...

Hymenoptera

Large-headed Resin Bee

Heriades truncorum

A tiny black resin bee with a disproportionately large head that nests in beetle holes and hollow stems. It uses plant r...

Lepidoptera

Latreille's Hawk Moth

Theretra latreillii

A medium-sized hawk moth with olive-brown forewings bearing a distinctive pale stripe. It is common in eastern Australia...

Lepidoptera

Lemon Migrant

Catopsilia pomona

Variable coloring from white to deep yellow with a reddish spot on hindwing underside. A widespread and migratory tropic...

Diptera

Long Hoverfly

Sphaerophoria scripta

A small, elongated hoverfly with a slender yellow-and-black striped abdomen. Males have an abdomen longer than their win...

Hymenoptera

Long-horned Bee

Eucera longicornis

Males are unmistakable with their extraordinarily long antennae, nearly as long as the body. It nests in the ground in w...

Hymenoptera

Long-Legged Desert Ant

Cataglyphis bicolor

A large, bicolored desert ant with a distinctive red thorax and black head and gaster. Workers are solitary foragers wit...

Hymenoptera

Long-legged Oil Bee

Rediviva longimanus

An extraordinary South African bee whose front legs are nearly twice its body length, the longest of any bee relative to...

Diptera

Lovebug

Plecia nearctica

A small black march fly famous for flying in mated pairs connected end to end for days. Massive swarms occur twice yearl...

Hymenoptera

Lunar Ichneumon Wasp

Megarhyssa lunator

A striking ichneumon with a yellow and brown banded body. It parasitizes pigeon tremex horntail larvae inside hardwood t...

Lepidoptera

Madagascan Giant Swallowtail

Pharmacophagus antenor

A large black swallowtail butterfly with red and white markings, endemic to Madagascar. It is the island's largest butte...

Lepidoptera

Madagascan Sphinx Moth

Xanthopan praedicta

A hawkmoth with an extraordinarily long proboscis, endemic to Madagascar. Darwin famously predicted its existence based ...

Lepidoptera

Madagascan Sunset Moth

Chrysiridia rhipheus

Often considered the most beautiful insect in the world. Its rainbow-colored wings with metallic hues are caused by opti...

Lepidoptera

Madagascar Swordtail Butterfly

Graphium evombar

An elegant swallowtail butterfly with elongated sword-like tails on the hindwings and pale green to white bands across d...

Lepidoptera

Magellan Birdwing

Troides magellanus

A large Philippine birdwing with black forewings and vibrant golden hindwings. It is endemic to the Philippines and part...

Lepidoptera

Malabar Banded Peacock

Papilio buddha

A striking swallowtail endemic to the Western Ghats with broad green bands across dark wings. Males congregate at mud pu...

Lepidoptera

Malabar Tree Nymph

Idea malabarica

A very large, elegant butterfly with translucent white wings patterned with dark veins and spots. It flies slowly and gr...

Lepidoptera

Malagasy Emerald Moth

Chrysiridia croesus

A day-flying uraniid moth closely related to the sunset moth but smaller, with iridescent green and gold scales across t...

Hymenoptera

Malagasy Mud Dauber Wasp

Sceliphron madecassum

A striking black and yellow wasp with a dramatically elongated, thread-like petiole connecting the thorax to the abdomen...

Hymenoptera

Malagasy Orchid Bee

Liotrigona madecassa

A tiny stingless bee that is one of Madagascar's most important pollinators. It has a black body with pale wing membrane...

Lepidoptera

Malay Lacewing

Cethosia hypsea

A vividly colored butterfly with deep orange-red wings outlined in black with white spots along the margins. The undersi...

Hymenoptera

Margined Colletes

Colletes marginatus

A small, pale plasterer bee found in sandy coastal habitats across Europe. It nests in loose sand and forages on wild mi...

Coleoptera

Margined Leatherwing

Chauliognathus marginatus

An early-summer soldier beetle found across eastern North America with yellow elytra edged in dark margins. It visits a ...

Diptera

Marmalade Hoverfly

Episyrphus balteatus balteatus

A common hoverfly with distinctive double black bands on an orange abdomen. One of the most effective migrant pollinator...

Coleoptera

Marshalli Flower Beetle

Smaragdesthes africana

A small brilliant green flower chafer commonly found on flowers in open woodland. It is an important pollinator of savan...

Hymenoptera

Mason Wasp

Ancistrocerus nigricornis

A small black and yellow solitary wasp that nests in pre-existing holes and hollow stems. It provisions each cell with p...

Lepidoptera

Meadow Argus

Junonia villida

A medium-sized brown butterfly with prominent eyespots on each wing. It is one of Australia's most common and widespread...

Diptera

Mexican Cactus Fly

Copestylum mexicanum

A large, dark hoverfly whose larvae develop in decaying cactus tissue. Adults are strong fliers visiting flowers in arid...

Hymenoptera

Mexican Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex pallidus

A pale yellowish twig-nesting ant found from the southern United States through Central America. Small colonies occupy s...

Lepidoptera

Mnestra's Ringlet

Erebia mnestra

A dark alpine ringlet with bright orange patches on its forewings. It inhabits steep, rocky grasslands at high elevation...

Lepidoptera

Mocker Swallowtail

Papilio dardanus

A remarkable swallowtail where females mimic several different toxic butterfly species while males look completely diffe...

Lepidoptera

Mormon Metalmark

Apodemia mormo

A small butterfly with dark brown wings covered in white spots arranged in irregular bands. Several of its subspecies ar...

Hymenoptera

Mountain Bumblebee

Bombus monticola

A colorful bumblebee with bright red-orange tail, yellow thorax bands, and a black midriff. It is found at high altitude...

Lepidoptera

Mountain Fritillary

Boloria napaea

A small fritillary with rich orange-brown wings marked with black spots. It occurs in damp alpine meadows alongside stre...

Diptera

Mountain Hover Fly

Arctophila superbiens

A furry, bumblebee-mimicking hover fly of alpine meadows. Its dense body hair helps it retain heat in cold mountain envi...

Hymenoptera

Mud Dauber Wasp

Sceliphron caementarium

A slender black and yellow solitary wasp that builds tubular mud nests on walls and structures. It stocks each cell with...

Diptera

Narcissus Bulb Fly

Merodon equestris

A bumble bee-mimicking hoverfly that comes in multiple color forms matching different bumblebee species. Its larvae bore...

Diptera

Narrow-banded Hoverfly

Meliscaeva auricollis

A small hoverfly with narrow yellow crescent markings on a dark abdomen. It is among the first hoverflies to appear in s...

Diptera

Narrow-winged Bee Fly

Systoechus vulgaris

A small, hairy bee fly with a rounded body and a short proboscis compared to Bombylius species. It hovers at flowers in ...

Lepidoptera

Neotropical Blue Hairstreak

Pseudolycaena marsyas

A brilliant iridescent blue hairstreak butterfly with delicate tail streamers on the hind wings. Its underside is pale g...

Hymenoptera

Neotropical Paper Wasp

Polistes canadensis

A large reddish-brown paper wasp with dark wings that builds open-comb nests under eaves and branches. It is one of the ...

Hymenoptera

Neotropical Stingless Bee

Tetragonisca angustula

A tiny stingless bee whose honey has been harvested by indigenous peoples for centuries....

Lepidoptera

Nessus Sphinx Moth

Amphion floridensis

A day-flying sphinx moth with dark chocolate-brown wings and two bright yellow bands across the abdomen. It hovers like ...

Coleoptera

Net-winged Beetle

Calopteron reticulatum

A toxic beetle with raised net-like veins on its elytra and aposematic coloration....

Coleoptera

Noble Chafer

Gnorimus nobilis

A scarce metallic green beetle with small white flecks on the elytra. It is associated with old orchards and ancient fru...

Hymenoptera

Nocturnal Sweat Bee

Megalopta genalis

One of few bees adapted to forage in near-total darkness in tropical forests....

Lepidoptera

Northern Clouded Yellow

Colias hecla

A bright orange-yellow butterfly with broad dark borders on the upperwings. The underside is greenish-yellow with a prom...

Lepidoptera

Numata Longwing

Heliconius numata

A remarkable butterfly that exists in over a dozen wing pattern forms, each mimicking a different species of toxic Melin...

Lepidoptera

Nymphidium mantus

Nymphidium mantus

White butterfly with dark wing edges resembling a tiny pierid. Caterpillars are tended by ants in a mutualistic relation...

Lepidoptera

Orange Sulphur

Colias eurytheme

Orange-yellow butterfly with black wing borders and a pink-rimmed silver spot on the hindwing underside. Often hybridize...

Lepidoptera

Orange-tip

Anthocharis cardamines

Males have bright orange wingtips; females are plain white with black tips. A herald of spring in European woodlands....

Lepidoptera

Orchard Swallowtail

Papilio aegeus

A large black swallowtail where females display white and red markings mimicking toxic butterflies. Males are mostly bla...

Hymenoptera

Orchid Bee

Euglossa imperialis

Dazzling metallic-colored bees that collect aromatic compounds from orchids. Males use collected scents to attract femal...

Hymenoptera

Ordinate Large-headed Bee

Ctenocolletes ordensis

A rarely collected bee from the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. It is known from very few specimens and ...

Hymenoptera

Pacific Cuckoo Wasp

Chrysis pellucidula

A brightly metallic cuckoo wasp with green-blue head and thorax and a coppery red abdomen. It parasitizes solitary mason...

Lepidoptera

Painted Bat Moth

Alcidis zodiaca

A day-flying moth with iridescent blue-black wings marked with bands of brilliant orange and white patches. Its flight i...

Hymenoptera

Painted Dark Sweat Bee

Lasioglossum pictum

A small dark furrow bee with fine punctation on its thorax found in western Europe. It nests in sparsely vegetated groun...

Lepidoptera

Painted Lady

Vanessa cardui

The most widely distributed butterfly in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica and South America. Known ...

Hymenoptera

Painted Mining Bee

Andrena fucata

A handsome spring bee with a red-brown thorax and banded abdomen. It is common in woodland clearings and gardens across ...

Lepidoptera

Pale Arctic Clouded Yellow

Colias werdandi

A pale greenish-yellow butterfly with very faint dark wing borders. It is closely associated with Scandinavian mountain ...

Lepidoptera

Pale Brown Hawk Moth

Theretra nessus

A sleek hawk moth with uniform brown coloring and darker lateral stripes along the body. It is widespread across tropica...

Lepidoptera

Pale Grass Blue

Zizeeria maha

One of the smallest and most common butterflies in Japan, known as 'yamato-shijimi.' Found everywhere from city sidewalk...

Neuroptera

Pale Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla pallida

A light-colored lacewing recently distinguished from the carnea species complex. Identified partly by its unique courtsh...

Lepidoptera

Pale Triangle

Graphium eurypylus

A fast-flying swallowtail with pale blue-green triangle markings on black wings. It frequently puddles on wet sand and m...

Lepidoptera

Paradise Birdwing

Ornithoptera paradisea

A spectacular birdwing butterfly endemic to Papua New Guinea, notable for the elongated tails on the male's hindwings. M...

Diptera

Parasitic Bee Fly

Winthemia rufopicta

A medium-sized tachinid fly that parasitizes armyworm caterpillars and other crop pest larvae. It is found across multip...

Hymenoptera

Patagonian Bumble Bee

Bombus dahlbomii

The largest bumble bee in the world, with queens reaching up to 40 mm in length and covered in dense orange fur. Its pop...

Lepidoptera

Peacock Butterfly

Aglais io

Reddish-brown wings with four large blue and yellow eyespots resembling peacock feathers. Undersides are nearly black, p...

Lepidoptera

Peak White

Pontia callidice

A white butterfly with greenish marbling on the underside of its hindwings. It is one of the highest-flying European but...

Hymenoptera

Pearly-banded Bee

Nomia melanderi

A ground-nesting bee with pearly white abdominal bands vital for alfalfa pollination. Large nesting aggregations in alka...

Lepidoptera

Pellucid Hawk Moth

Cephonodes hylas

A strikingly beautiful day-flying hawk moth with entirely transparent wings and a bright green and yellow body. It hover...

Lepidoptera

Pepe Para Riki (Common Copper)

Lycaena salustius

New Zealand's most common endemic butterfly, a small copper-coloured species found in open habitats throughout the count...

Diptera

Phasia Tachinid

Phasia hemiptera

A parasitic fly with distinctive dark-tipped wings that parasitizes shieldbug species. Males have broader wings than fem...

Lepidoptera

Philippine Birdwing

Troides rhadamantus

A large birdwing butterfly endemic to the Philippines with black forewings and bright golden-yellow hindwings. The body ...

Lepidoptera

Pine White

Neophasia menapia

Delicate white butterfly with black forewing veins. Uniquely among pierids, larvae feed on conifer needles rather than b...

Hymenoptera

Pitted Resin Bee

Anthidiellum strigatum

A small, stout bee with bold yellow and black markings that constructs free-standing resin nests on rocks and walls. It ...

Diptera

Plain-faced Dronefly

Eristalis arbustorum

A small, dark dronefly with a distinctive bare facial stripe. It is one of the most common hoverflies visiting garden fl...

Hymenoptera

Plasterer Bee

Colletes hederae

A solitary bee discovered in 1993 that is a specialist pollinator of ivy flowers....

Lepidoptera

Polar Fritillary

Boloria polaris

A small butterfly with warm orange upperwings marked with dark spots and zigzag lines. The underside has a distinctive p...

Lepidoptera

Police Car Swallowtail

Graphium policenes

A striking swallowtail butterfly with black wings covered in small pale green spots resembling a police car's livery. It...

Hymenoptera

Potter Wasp

Delta unguiculatum

A solitary wasp that constructs small urn-shaped mud nests on walls and branches. Each pot is provisioned with paralyzed...

Lepidoptera

Priamus Birdwing

Ornithoptera priamus

A large and variable birdwing butterfly found across Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and parts of northern Austra...

Diptera

Progressive Bee Fly

Exoprosopa fasciata

A large bee fly with boldly banded wings in dark brown and clear patterns. It is a fast and agile flyer, frequently hove...

Lepidoptera

Punched Metalmark

Adelotypa annulifera

Brown metalmark with distinctive pale-ringed dark spots giving a punched-hole appearance. Active in the forest understor...

Hymenoptera

Punctate Sweat Bee

Lasioglossum punctatissimum

A tiny, dark furrow bee with dense punctation covering its thorax and head. It is one of the most common but overlooked ...

Hymenoptera

Red Dwarf Honey Bee

Apis florea

The smallest honey bee species, building single exposed combs hanging from tree branches. They are important wild pollin...

Lepidoptera

Red Lacewing

Cethosia biblis

A large butterfly with brilliant red-orange wings boldly bordered in black and white. The underside features an elaborat...

Coleoptera

Red Soldier Beetle

Rhagonycha fulva

A very common soldier beetle in Europe with orange-red elytra tipped in black. It is one of the most familiar beetles on...

Hymenoptera

Red Velvet Ant

Dasymutilla magnifica

A large, brilliantly red-haired velvet ant found in the arid regions of the American Southwest. Females are wingless and...

Lepidoptera

Red-banded Hairstreak

Calycopis cecrops

Small dark butterfly with a prominent red-orange postmedian band on the underside. Hindwings bear false head pattern wit...

Lepidoptera

Red-banded Jezebel

Delias mysis

A tropical butterfly with white upper wings and vivid red bands on the hindwing underside. It is found in the rainforest...

Coleoptera

Red-legged Jewel Beetle

Castiarina rufipennis

A medium-sized jewel beetle with reddish-brown elytra and metallic green thorax. It visits flowers in eucalypt woodlands...

Coleoptera

Red-spotted Jewel Beetle

Castiarina erythroptera

A strikingly beautiful jewel beetle with bright red elytra spotted with dark markings. It is commonly found visiting wil...

Hymenoptera

Red-tailed Bumblebee

Bombus lapidarius

A jet-black bumblebee with a vivid orange-red tail that is unmistakable in flight. It commonly nests underground in old ...

Coleoptera

Red-tipped Flower Beetle

Malachius bipustulatus

A small metallic green beetle with bright red tips on each elytron. Males can evert orange vesicles from their thorax as...

Coleoptera

Red-tipped Flower Longhorn

Stictoleptura rubra

A sexually dimorphic flower longhorn where males have tawny-yellow elytra and females are bright red. Common across Euro...

Lepidoptera

Regent Skipper

Euschemon rafflesia

A large, strikingly colored skipper butterfly with black wings marked by bold yellow and blue patches. It is the only sk...

Hymenoptera

Resin Bee

Megachile campanulae

A solitary bee that collects plant resins and sap to construct its brood cells....

Lepidoptera

Rice Stem Borer

Scirpophaga incertulas

A small white moth whose larvae bore into rice stems, causing the devastating symptoms known as 'dead heart' in vegetati...

Lepidoptera

Richmond Birdwing

Ornithoptera richmondia

A large subtropical birdwing butterfly with green and black males and brown females. It is threatened by habitat loss an...

Hymenoptera

Robust Large-headed Bee

Stenotritus pubescens

A heavily built bee covered in dense pale pubescence found in southern Australia. It is one of the fastest-flying bee sp...

Lepidoptera

Rustic Sphinx Moth

Manduca rustica

A striking hawk moth with dark brown forewings marked with white patches and a banded abdomen. It is a strong flier foun...

Hymenoptera

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

Bombus affinis

A once-common bumble bee named for the rust-colored patch on the second abdominal segment of workers. It was the first b...

Lepidoptera

Samoan Swallowtail

Papilio godeffroyi

A rare and beautiful swallowtail butterfly endemic to Samoa. It has dark wings with pale markings and is found in native...

Hymenoptera

Sand Wasp

Bembix rostrata

A robust wasp that digs burrows in sandy soil and provisions them with flies. It progressively feeds its larvae fresh pr...

Hymenoptera

Sandpit Mining Bee

Andrena barbilabris

A pale, sandy-colored mining bee that specializes in nesting in loose sandy soils. It is commonly found in sand pits, co...

Lepidoptera

Sara Longwing

Heliconius sara

A striking longwing butterfly with velvety black wings marked by brilliant blue iridescent bands. It roosts communally i...

Lepidoptera

Sara Orangetip

Anthocharis sara

Small white butterfly with vivid orange forewing tips and mottled greenish hindwing undersides. Flies early in spring in...

Lepidoptera

Sertania Metalmark

Sertania circumdata

Small brown butterfly with orange patches and metallic scaling on the underside. Endemic to the Brazilian cerrado biome....

Neuroptera

Seven-spotted Green Lacewing

Chrysopa septempunctata

A green lacewing marked with seven dark spots on its head. Common across Europe and temperate Asia in vegetated habitats...

Lepidoptera

Shepherd's Fritillary

Boloria pales

A variable fritillary butterfly of high alpine pastures. Its wing pattern varies greatly between populations across diff...

Lepidoptera

Silky Hairstreak

Pseudalmenus chlorinda

A small dark butterfly with metallic blue-green sheen and orange-spotted hindwing tails. Its larvae have a mutualistic r...

Lepidoptera

Silver Y

Autographa gamma

A migratory moth marked with a bright silvery Y or gamma symbol on each forewing. Billions migrate northward across Euro...

Lepidoptera

Silver-striped Hawk Moth

Hippotion celerio

A medium-sized hawk moth with olive-brown forewings and bright pink hindwings, featuring silver stripes along the body. ...

Lepidoptera

Silver-washed Fritillary

Argynnis paphia

A large, fast-flying butterfly with bright orange upperwings marked with black spots and streaks. The hindwing underside...

Hymenoptera

Silvery Leafcutter Bee

Megachile leachella

A coastal specialist bee with silvery-white hair on the underside of the abdomen. It nests in sandy ground near the coas...

Lepidoptera

Skipper Butterfly

Epargyreus clarus

A stout-bodied butterfly with hooked antennae, brown wings with golden spots on the forewing, and a distinctive silver p...

Lepidoptera

Sleepy Orange

Eurema nicippe

Bright orange butterfly with irregular black borders and a small dark spot on the forewing. Named for a sleepy-eye-shape...

Lepidoptera

Small Apollo

Parnassius phoebus

A high-altitude alpine butterfly with translucent white wings bearing small red and black spots. It flies weakly over al...

Hymenoptera

Small Carpenter Bee

Ceratina calcarata

A tiny metallic blue-green bee that nests in the pithy stems of broken twigs. It is one of the few bee species showing r...

Lepidoptera

Small Copper

Lycaena phlaeas

A vivid little butterfly with burnished copper-orange forewings spotted with black. It is feisty and territorial for its...

Lepidoptera

Small Elephant Hawk Moth

Deilephila porcellus

A smaller relative of the elephant hawk moth, with delicate pink and yellow-olive coloring. It is found in grasslands an...

Lepidoptera

Small Heath Butterfly

Coenonympha pamphilus

A small, plain orange-brown butterfly that always rests with its wings closed. It is one of the most widespread grasslan...

Lepidoptera

Small Postman

Heliconius erato

A neotropical butterfly with black wings and vivid red, yellow, or white bands depending on the geographic race. It is a...

Hymenoptera

Smeathman's Furrow Bee

Lasioglossum smeathmanellum

One of the smallest bees in the world, this tiny metallic species nests in old mortar joints and earthen banks. It is su...

Lepidoptera

Snowberry Clearwing

Hemaris diffinis

A bumblebee mimic with largely transparent wings bordered in dark brown, a fuzzy olive thorax, and black and yellow band...

Lepidoptera

Sonoran Blue

Philotes sonorensis

Tiny blue butterfly with orange and black hindwing spots. One of the earliest-flying butterflies of the year in the Amer...

Hymenoptera

Sonoran Honeypot Ant

Myrmecocystus navajo

A honeypot ant species native to the high deserts of the Colorado Plateau. Repletes store amber-colored honeydew in thei...

Lepidoptera

Sooty Ringlet

Erebia pluto

One of the darkest European butterflies, almost entirely black. It inhabits the highest scree slopes and rock faces in t...

Lepidoptera

South American Swallowtail

Heraclides thoas

A large swallowtail butterfly with black wings bearing bright yellow band patterns and prominent tail extensions. It is ...

Hymenoptera

Southeast Asian Stingless Bee

Heterotrigona itama

A popular managed stingless bee in Malaysia and Indonesia valued for its medicinal honey. They construct their nests in ...

Lepidoptera

Southern Birdwing

Troides minos

India's largest butterfly, with a striking black and bright yellow color scheme. Males display velvety black forewings a...

Lepidoptera

Southern Dogface

Zerene cesonia

Yellow butterfly with a pointed forewing showing a poodle-dog-face pattern in black. Males have a warm orange flush on t...

Hymenoptera

Soybean Aphid Parasite

Binodoxys communis

A tiny Asian braconid wasp studied as a biocontrol candidate for the invasive soybean aphid in North America. It is high...

Lepidoptera

Spanish Festoon

Zerynthia rumina

A brightly patterned butterfly with zigzag black markings and red and yellow patches on its wings. It is a spring-flying...

Lepidoptera

Speckled Yellow

Pseudopanthera macularia

A bright yellow day-flying moth with brown speckles across the wings. It flutters through woodland clearings and along s...

Hymenoptera

Spined Sweat Bee

Agapostemon splendens

A brilliantly iridescent green sweat bee with bluish reflections found in the eastern United States. Both sexes are enti...

Hymenoptera

Spiny Ant

Polyrhachis dives

A distinctive Asian ant with paired spines on the petiole and propodeum. Workers are metallic dark brown and build nests...

Neuroptera

Spoonwing Lacewing

Nemoptera bipennis

A graceful insect with spatula-shaped hindwing extensions, giving it an ethereal appearance in flight. Common in Iberian...

Lepidoptera

Spotted Jezebel

Delias aganippe

A boldly patterned butterfly with black-bordered white wings and red-spotted undersides. It is the most widespread Delia...

Hymenoptera

Spotted-eye Hover Fly

Eristalinus taeniops

A large hover fly with distinctively striped compound eyes and a bee-like body. It is an excellent pollinator found thro...

Hymenoptera

Squash Bee

Peponapis pruinosa

A solitary ground-nesting bee that specializes exclusively in pollinating squash, pumpkin, and gourd flowers. It begins ...

Hymenoptera

Sugar Ant

Camponotus consobrinus

A common Australian ant with an orange-brown thorax and black head and abdomen. It is mainly nocturnal and frequently en...

Hymenoptera

Sugarbag Bee

Tetragonula carbonaria

A tiny Australian stingless bee commonly kept in backyard hives for pollination and honey. They build distinctive spiral...

Hymenoptera

Sulawesi Honey Bee

Apis nigrocincta

A cavity-nesting honey bee endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands. It was only recognized as a distinct species in 2000 ...

Lepidoptera

Sunbeam Butterfly

Curetis thetis

Dark upper wings contrast with brilliant silvery-white undersides. Fast-flying and sun-loving, often found darting aroun...

Hymenoptera

Sweat Bee

Halictus ligatus

A small, dark metallic bee that is attracted to human perspiration for its salt content. It exhibits variable social beh...

Hymenoptera

Sweat Bee of the Desert

Lasioglossum titusi

A small metallic green bee found in arid regions of western North America. It nests communally in sandy desert soil....

Lepidoptera

Swiss Brassy Ringlet

Erebia tyndarus

A dark butterfly with a greenish metallic sheen on its upperside. It is endemic to alpine meadows in the Swiss Alps....

Hymenoptera

Swollen-thorn Acacia Ant

Pseudomyrmex peperi

An obligate acacia-ant mutualist that nests exclusively within the hollow thorns of Vachellia trees. Workers patrol the ...

Coleoptera

Synchronous Firefly of India

Pteroptyx maipo

A small firefly known for its remarkable ability to synchronize its flashing with neighboring individuals. Mangrove tree...

Diptera

Tapered Drone Fly

Eristalis pertinax

A large hoverfly resembling a honeybee but distinguished by its yellow-tipped front tarsi. It is active from early sprin...

Lepidoptera

Tawny-edged Skipper

Polites themistocles

A small brown skipper with a warm orange-tawny leading edge on the forewing. It is one of the most common grass skippers...

Lepidoptera

Teak Defoliator Moth

Hyblaea puera

A medium-sized moth with orange-brown forewings and bright orange hindwings bordered in black. Its caterpillars are the ...

Hymenoptera

Teddy Bear Bee

Amegilla bombiformis

A plump, densely furred native Australian bee that closely resembles a bumblebee. Despite its cuddly appearance, it is a...

Lepidoptera

Tersa Sphinx Moth

Xylophanes tersa

A sleek hawk moth with narrow, pointed forewings in lavender-gray with darker streaks. It is a fast and agile flier foun...

Hymenoptera

Texas Striped Sweat Bee

Agapostemon texanus

A widespread metallic green sweat bee found across much of North America. Males have distinctive black and yellow abdomi...

Coleoptera

Thick-legged Flower Beetle

Oedemera nobilis

A metallic green beetle with splayed elytra that expose the wings. Males have distinctively swollen hind femora....

Hymenoptera

Thistledown Velvet Ant

Dasymutilla gloriosa

A strikingly beautiful velvet ant covered in long white hair that resembles a piece of thistledown blowing across desert...

Diptera

Tiger Hoverfly

Helophilus pendulus

A distinctive hoverfly with bold yellow and black stripes on the thorax. It breeds in muddy, organically enriched water....

Lepidoptera

Tiger Moth of the Amazon

Idalus herois

A striking moth with bold black and white striped forewings and orange hind wings with black spots. The bright colors se...

Hymenoptera

Tiny Dark Sweat Bee

Lasioglossum villosulum

A tiny, inconspicuous furrow bee widespread across the Palearctic region. Despite its small size, it is an important pol...

Hymenoptera

Tormus Bee

Perdita minima

The smallest known bee in the world at under 2 mm in length. It is a solitary ground-nesting species found in the southw...

Lepidoptera

Transparent Burnet

Zygaena purpuralis

A day-flying moth with semi-transparent red-streaked forewings. It is found in calcareous grasslands where wild thyme gr...

Coleoptera

Tres Marias Firefly

Photinus knabi

A small firefly native to Mexico with a yellowish-green flash. It has a dark body with a pale-bordered pronotum and is f...

Hymenoptera

Trimmer's Mining Bee

Andrena trimmerana

A widespread spring mining bee with brownish-grey fur and a distinctive tooth on the hind femur. It forages on a wide ra...

Hymenoptera

Turtle Ant

Cephalotes atratus

A large, flat-bodied arboreal ant with a broad disc-shaped head used to block nest entrances in tree holes. Workers can ...

Diptera

Twin-spot Centurion

Sargus bipunctatus

A metallic bronze-green soldier fly with two characteristic pale spots on the frons. It is one of the most common strati...

Diptera

Two-banded Wasp Hoverfly

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

A striking wasp-mimicking hoverfly with bold yellow and black banding. Distinguished from wasps by its hovering flight a...

Hymenoptera

Two-coloured Mason Bee

Osmia bicolor

A distinctive bee with a black head and thorax and bright orange abdominal hair. It uniquely nests inside empty snail sh...

Lepidoptera

Ulysses Butterfly

Papilio ulysses

A large swallowtail with electric blue uppersides and cryptic brown undersides. It is an iconic symbol of tropical north...

Hymenoptera

Unequal Cellophane Bee

Colletes inaequalis

An early spring bee that forms large nesting aggregations in sandy soil. It lines its cells with a waterproof secretion ...

Hymenoptera

Velvet Ant

Dasymutilla occidentalis

Not actually an ant but a wasp. Females are wingless and covered in dense, colorful hair. Known as "cow killers" for the...

Lepidoptera

Verdant Sphinx Moth

Euchloron megaera

A large green and brown hawk moth that pollinates tropical flowers at dusk....

Lepidoptera

Vine Hawk Moth

Hippotion velox

A sleek olive-brown hawk moth with a distinctive pale dorsal stripe. It is widespread across Africa and Asia, and is one...

Lepidoptera

Wallace's Longwing

Heliconius wallacei

A relatively rare Heliconius species with dark wings marked by a distinctive yellow band on the forewing and red patches...

Hymenoptera

Wallacea Giant Bee

Megachile pluto

The worlds largest bee at 39 mm long with a 63 mm wingspan. Thought extinct for 38 years until rediscovered in Indonesia...

Lepidoptera

Wallaces Golden Birdwing

Ornithoptera croesus

Named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who called it the finest specimen he ever captured. Males are brilliant orange-gold a...

Lepidoptera

Waved Sphinx Moth

Ceratomia undulosa

A large gray hawk moth with wavy dark lines across the forewings, providing superb bark camouflage. It is one of the mos...

Hymenoptera

Western Bumble Bee

Bombus occidentalis

A once-common bumble bee of western North America that has experienced dramatic population declines since the late 1990s...

Hymenoptera

Western Large-headed Bee

Ctenocolletes smaragdinus

A metallic green bee endemic to Western Australia that belongs to the ancient family Stenotritidae. It nests in sandy so...

Diptera

White-banded Hoverfly

Leucozona lucorum

A dark hoverfly with a broad white band across the abdomen. It is associated with shaded habitats and visits white umbel...

Hymenoptera

White-banded Sweat Bee

Lasioglossum leucozonium

A solitary dark brown furrow bee with conspicuous white hair bands on its abdomen. It is one of the most widespread and ...

Hymenoptera

White-footed Ant

Technomyrmex difficilis

A small black ant with pale tarsi that forms enormous colonies numbering in the millions. It is a serious pest in Florid...

Lepidoptera

White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Hyles lineata

A common sphinx moth with bold white stripes on its forewings and a pink-banded hindwing. It hovers at flowers like a hu...

Hymenoptera

Willoughby's Leafcutter Bee

Megachile willughbiella

A large, furry leafcutter bee common across Europe that nests in a variety of above-ground cavities. It is named after t...

Lepidoptera

Willowherb Hawk Moth

Proserpinus proserpina

A compact hawk moth with olive-green forewings and bright orange hindwings with a dark border. It flies at dusk and is f...

Hymenoptera

Winter Ant

Prenolepis imparis

A small brown ant unique for being most active during cold months when other ants are dormant. Replete workers store liq...

Hymenoptera

Wood-carving Leafcutter Bee

Megachile ligniseca

A large, dark leafcutter bee that nests in rotten wood and dead tree stumps across Europe. Females cut large leaf pieces...

Hymenoptera

Wool Carder Bee

Anthidium manicatum

A robust yellow-and-black solitary bee whose females scrape plant hairs to line their nests. Males are territorial and a...

Lepidoptera

Yam Hawk Moth

Theretra oldenlandiae

A widespread tropical hawk moth with olive-brown forewings and contrasting dark and light lateral body stripes. Its larv...

Coleoptera

Yellow False Blister Beetle

Oedemera flavipes

A slender yellowish-brown oedemerid beetle found across Europe. It is a frequent visitor to umbelliferous flowers in lat...

Hymenoptera

Yellow Flower Wasp

Radumeris tasmaniensis

A large, robust wasp with a bright yellow and black body commonly seen visiting flowers in Australian gardens. Females b...

Lepidoptera

Yellow Glassy Tiger

Parantica aspasia

A delicate danainae butterfly with semi-transparent wings marked with black veins and margins and pale yellowish cells. ...

Diptera

Yellow-legged Dance Fly

Empis livida

A medium-sized dance fly with yellowish legs, a grayish body, and a distinctive long proboscis. It forms conspicuous mat...

Lepidoptera

Zela Metalmark

Emesis zela

A small butterfly with rust-brown wings marked with fine dark lines and subtle metallic scaling. It inhabits mountain ca...

Lepidoptera

Zodiac Moth

Alcides metaurus

A spectacular day-flying moth with iridescent green and black wings resembling a swallowtail butterfly. It migrates in l...

Diptera

Zodion Thick-headed Fly

Zodion cinereum

A small, grayish-brown conopid fly with a slightly swollen head and prominent proboscis. It is commonly found on flowers...