Predators

658 species with this diet

Mantodea

African Bark Mantis

Tarachodes afzelii

A small flat mantis with mottled grey-brown coloring perfectly matching tree bark. It presses its body flat against trun...

Coleoptera

African Firefly

Luciola africana

A Sub-Saharan African firefly with a dark brown body and pale pronotal margins. It is one of the few well-documented fir...

Coleoptera

African Giant Tiger Beetle

Manticora herculeana

The largest tiger beetle in the world, entirely black with enormous sickle-shaped mandibles. It is flightless and hunts ...

Hemiptera

African Giant Water Bug

Lethocerus cordofanus

A massive aquatic predatory bug with powerful raptorial forelegs for catching prey. It can grow to over 80 mm and is one...

Mantodea

African Ground Mantis

Ligariella trigonalis

A small mottled grey-brown mantis adapted to hunting on the ground among stones and gravel. It is remarkably well camouf...

Coleoptera

African Ladybird Beetle

Cheilomenes propinqua

A small, dome-shaped beetle with variable black and orange-red patterns. It is a voracious predator of aphids and is use...

Mantodea

African Mantis

Sphodromantis viridis

A large, powerful mantis that occurs in green or brown color forms. It is one of the most commonly kept pet mantis speci...

Hymenoptera

African Paper Wasp

Belonogaster juncea

A slender reddish-brown social wasp that builds small open paper nests under eaves and branches. It preys on caterpillar...

Coleoptera

African Predator Rove Beetle

Philonthus longicornis

A medium-sized, cosmopolitan rove beetle with notably long antennae relative to its body size. It is commonly found in d...

Neuroptera

African Predatory Lacewing

Chrysopa pudica

A robust lacewing found across tropical Africa in forested and cultivated areas. Adults and larvae both contribute to pe...

Coleoptera

African Soldier Beetle

Cantharis africana

A soft-bodied soldier beetle from Sub-Saharan Africa with orange-brown elytra and a darker head region. Like other canth...

Hymenoptera

African Spider Wasp

Hemipepsis capensis

A very large blue-black wasp with bright orange wings that hunts baboon spiders. It is one of Africa's largest solitary ...

Coleoptera

African Tiger Beetle

Manticora latipennis

The world's largest tiger beetle, a fierce predator with massive jaws. It is flightless and hunts on the ground at night...

Coleoptera

Aleochara Parasitoid Rove Beetle

Aleochara bilineata

A small, dark rove beetle whose larvae are parasitoids of cabbage root fly pupae. Adults are also active predators of fl...

Hemiptera

Alpine Assassin Bug

Coranus subapterus

A predatory bug of dry alpine and montane grasslands. It ambushes prey with its powerful raptorial forelegs....

Coleoptera

Alpine Carabus

Carabus alpestris

A metallic green or bronze ground beetle of high alpine meadows. It is a nocturnal predator of slugs and soft-bodied inv...

Coleoptera

Alpine Ground Beetle

Nebria germari

A dark, robust ground beetle found on alpine scree slopes and glacier margins. It hunts small invertebrates among loose ...

Hemiptera

Alpine Ground Bug

Geocoris grylloides

A small, big-eyed predatory bug of dry mountain slopes. It uses its large eyes to spot and stalk small arthropod prey....

Diptera

Alpine Marsh Fly

Elgiva solicita

A snail-killing fly of wet alpine meadows and bogs. Its larvae are specialist predators of aquatic snails....

Coleoptera

Alpine Rove Beetle

Ocypus alpestris

A large, black rove beetle of high-altitude meadows and forest edges. It is a fast-running predator of insects and larva...

Plecoptera

Alpine Stonefly

Dictyogenus alpinum

A large, dark stonefly of cold alpine streams and rivers. Its nymphs are voracious predators of other aquatic invertebra...

Coleoptera

Alpine Tiger Beetle

Cicindela gallica

A fast-running predatory beetle of dry alpine grasslands and rocky paths. Its greenish-bronze coloration provides camouf...

Hymenoptera

Amazon Ant

Polyergus breviceps

A slave-making ant that raids colonies of Formica ants to steal pupae, which then emerge as workers in the Polyergus col...

Coleoptera

Amazon Flat Ground Beetle

Agra eowilsoni

An extremely elongated, ant-like ground beetle from Central American rainforests. Its narrow body and long mandibles mak...

Hymenoptera

Amazon Giant Centipede-Eating Ant

Dinoponera quadriceps

A very large ponerine ant endemic to northeastern Brazil, reaching up to 30 mm. Colonies are queenless, with reproductio...

Lepidoptera

Amazonian Dagger Moth

Lophocampa citrina

A yellow and brown spotted tiger moth common in Neotropical forests. Its densely hairy caterpillars are conspicuously co...

Hymenoptera

Amazonian Giant Ant

Pachycondyla villosa

A large, hairy black ponerine ant with a powerful sting and strong mandibles. It is a solitary ground forager that hunts...

Hemiptera

Amazonian Leafhopper

Propetes schmidti

A colorful leafhopper with a bright green body adorned with red and blue markings. It feeds on the sap of various unders...

Coleoptera

Amazonian Net-Winged Beetle

Calopteron brasiliense

A soft-bodied beetle with broad, fan-shaped elytra featuring a net-like venation pattern. Its bright orange and black co...

Hemiptera

Amazonian Water Scorpion

Ranatra spp.

A stick-like aquatic bug with an extremely elongated body and long breathing siphon at the rear. It hangs motionless nea...

Hymenoptera

Amblyoponine Ant

Amblyopone australis

A primitive-looking subterranean ant from Australia with small eyes and pale coloring. It hunts chilopods in deep soil a...

Hemiptera

Ambush Bug

Phymata americana

A small crab-like bug that waits motionless on flowers to ambush visiting pollinators....

Neuroptera

American Dustywing

Conwentzia californica

A tiny western North American dustywing found on fruit trees and ornamental plants. Valued as a natural mite predator in...

Diptera

American Hoverfly

Eupeodes americanus

A widespread North American hoverfly with yellow and black markings. Larvae are voracious aphid predators in crop fields...

Hemiptera

American Marsh Treader

Hydrometra martini

A very thin, elongate bug with a head nearly as long as its thorax. It creeps slowly along floating debris and sphagnum ...

Neuroptera

American Owlfly

Ululodes quadripunctatus

A dragonfly-like neuropteran with split eyes and long knobbed antennae. It catches small insects on the wing during twil...

Hemiptera

Anchor Stink Bug

Stiretrus anchorago

A predatory stink bug that is one of North America's most colorful pentatomids, with highly variable patterns of red, bl...

Odonata

Ancient Greenling

Hemiphlebia mirabilis

The sole surviving member of one of the most ancient damselfly families on Earth....

Coleoptera

Andean Caterpillar Hunter

Calosoma abbreviatum

A South American caterpillar hunter beetle found in highland regions. It has dark bronze elytra and preys on armyworm ca...

Coleoptera

Andean Cloud Forest Ground Beetle

Notiobia nebrioides

A medium-sized dark brown ground beetle found in the cloud forests of the Andes mountains. It is typical of the rich but...

Coleoptera

Anophthalmus Cave Beetle

Anophthalmus hitleri

A small, blind, depigmented cave beetle found in only a handful of caves in Slovenia. It has elongated legs and antennae...

Coleoptera

Ant Beetle

Thanasimus formicarius

A brightly colored red and black bark beetle predator that mimics ants. It hunts bark beetles on pine trees....

Hemiptera

Ant Damsel Bug

Himacerus mirmicoides

A slender brown predatory bug whose nymphs remarkably mimic ants for protection from predators. Adults lose the ant-like...

Mantodea

Ant Mantis

Odontomantis planiceps

A tiny mantis whose nymphs mimic ants to avoid predation....

Coleoptera

Ant Nest Beetle

Paussus favieri

A bizarre reddish-brown beetle with swollen club-shaped antennae that lives inside ant nests. It mimics ant chemical sig...

Hemiptera

Ant-attended Treehopper

Publilia concava

A small North American treehopper commonly tended by ants that harvest its honeydew secretions. In return, attending ant...

Hemiptera

Ant-Mimicking Treehopper

Cyphonia clavata

A treehopper with a pronotal projection shaped like an ant sitting on its back. The ant mimic is thought to deter predat...

Coleoptera

Ant-nest Scydmaenine

Cephennium gallicum

A tiny, blind, pale yellow scydmaenine rove beetle found exclusively in ant nests. Its reduced eyes and pigmentation ind...

Plecoptera

Appalachian Springfly

Remenus bilobatus

A rare springfly restricted to a few clean Appalachian headwater streams. Nymphs are predatory on small invertebrates am...

Diptera

Aquatic Snail-killing Fly

Sepedon sphegea

A slender marsh fly with a distinctly pointed abdomen and yellowish-brown coloring. Larvae are aquatic predators of fres...

Diptera

Arctic Crane Fly

Tipula arctica

A large, long-legged fly with narrow wings and a slender body. Its legs break off easily when seized by predators. Larva...

Diptera

Arctic Hover Fly

Syrphus torvus

A medium-sized hover fly with bold yellow and black banding that mimics a wasp. It is a skilled hoverer that can remain ...

Coleoptera

Arctic Rove Beetle

Quedius boops

A medium-sized rove beetle with a sleek black body and short elytra. It has large eyes for hunting in dim conditions. Fo...

Coleoptera

Asian Giant Rove Beetle

Platydracus sharpi

A large, striking rove beetle from East Asia with metallic blue-green coloration and golden pubescence. It is one of the...

Coleoptera

Asian Rhagophthalmid Glowworm

Rhagophthalmus ohbai

A small beetle from the family Rhagophthalmidae with neotenic, larviform females that produce a bright continuous glow. ...

Hemiptera

Assassin Bug

Zelus renardii

Ambush predators that impale prey with their curved beak and inject lethal saliva. Some species coat their legs with sti...

Odonata

Aurora Bluetail Damselfly

Ischnura aurora

A delicate damselfly with a bright orange-and-blue tail tip, found across the Pacific region. It is one of the most wide...

Diptera

Australian Beefly Robber

Blepharotes coriarius

Australia's largest robber fly, heavily built with a dense covering of dark hair. It is a powerful predator capable of t...

Coleoptera

Australian Caterpillar Hunter

Calosoma schayeri

An Australian caterpillar hunter with dark metallic elytra. It is an important natural enemy of pasture and crop caterpi...

Megaloptera

Australian Dobsonfly

Archichauliodes diversus

A large, dark dobsonfly found in clean streams across southeastern Australia. Larvae are important predators in cool for...

Odonata

Australian Emerald

Hemicordulia australiae

A metallic green-eyed dragonfly common near ponds and slow streams across Australia. It hovers sentrylike over water, ea...

Odonata

Australian Emperor Dragonfly

Anax papuensis

A large, powerful dragonfly with a green thorax and blue-spotted abdomen. It is a strong flier commonly seen patrolling ...

Coleoptera

Australian Glow-Worm Firefly

Atyphella lychnus

One of Australia's few true firefly species, found in tropical Queensland rainforests. Females are wingless and glow fro...

Hemiptera

Australian Harlequin Bug

Dindymus versicolor

A small but conspicuous red and black bug that often aggregates in large numbers on tree trunks, fences, and walls durin...

Diptera

Australian Hoverfly

Simosyrphus grandicornis

A common Australian hoverfly with orange-yellow markings on a dark abdomen. It is an important pollinator and aphid pred...

Lepidoptera

Australian Magpie Moth

Nyctemera amica

A striking day-flying black and white moth from Australasia. Caterpillars feed on groundsel and ragwort, sequestering to...

Neuroptera

Australian Owlfly

Suhpalacsa flavipes

A large Australian owlfly with smoky wings and yellow legs. Active at dusk in open eucalyptus woodland and dry grassland...

Hymenoptera

Australian Paper Wasp

Polistes humilis

A common Australian paper wasp that builds small, open-celled papery nests under eaves, in shrubs, and other sheltered l...

Neuroptera

Australian Spoonwing

Chasmoptera hutti

One of the few Australian nemopterids, with distinctive elongated hindwings. Found in arid and semi-arid regions of sout...

Odonata

Azure Damselfly

Coenagrion puella

A delicate bright blue and black damselfly and one of the most abundant damselfly species in Europe. Males display a U-s...

Odonata

Azure Damselfly of Azores

Ischnura hastata

On the Azores, this species has evolved the only known all-female population of any odonate. These females reproduce thr...

Hemiptera

Backswimmer

Notonecta glauca

An aquatic bug that swims upside down just beneath the water surface, using its long hind legs as oars. Its back is keel...

Diptera

Balloon Dance Fly

Hilara maura

A dance fly famous for its elaborate mating ritual in which males present silk-wrapped prey gifts to females. Males spin...

Neuroptera

Banded Antlion

Glenurus gratus

A North American antlion with distinctive banded wing patterns. Commonly attracted to porch lights on warm summer evenin...

Odonata

Banded Demoiselle

Calopteryx splendens

A striking damselfly with metallic blue-green body and distinctive dark wing patches in males. It frequents slow-flowing...

Coleoptera

Banded Oogaster Ground Beetle

Anthia sexguttata

A large Indian ground beetle with six prominent white spots on its black elytra. It is a fast-running nocturnal predator...

Odonata

Banded Pennant

Celithemis fasciata

A medium-sized dragonfly with bold dark bands across all four wings. Its body is dark with reddish markings. It perches ...

Thysanoptera

Banded-wing Thrips

Aeolothrips fasciatus

A predatory thrips with dark-banded wings commonly found on crop plants. It preys on pest thrips, mites, and small insec...

Coleoptera

Bark Gnawing Beetle

Trogossita japonica

A predatory beetle found under bark where it hunts wood-boring larvae. Its flattened body is well suited to life in bark...

Mantodea

Bark Mantis

Liturgusa sp.

A flattened mantis species that lives on tree bark and is superbly camouflaged. Rather than ambushing prey, it actively ...

Coleoptera

Bark-crevice Rove Beetle

Nudobius lentus

A slender, flattened rove beetle adapted for life under tight-fitting bark. Its compressed body and strong legs allow it...

Neuroptera

Beaded Lacewing

Lomamyia latipennis

A small lacewing whose larvae live inside termite nests and prey on the termite workers. Adults have distinctive beaded ...

Odonata

Beautiful Demoiselle

Calopteryx virgo

A stunning damselfly with entirely dark-tinted wings in males and bronze-green wings in females. It prefers faster-flowi...

Coleoptera

Beaver Rove Beetle

Leptusa fumida

A tiny, dark aleocharine rove beetle that inhabits the nests of beavers and other semi-aquatic rodents. It feeds on orga...

Hemiptera

Bed Bug Hunter

Reduvius personatus

An assassin bug whose nymph camouflages itself with dust and debris glued to its body....

Hemiptera

Bee Assassin Bug

Apiomerus flaviventris

A brightly colored assassin bug with a red and black body and a yellow underside. It specializes in ambushing bees and o...

Hemiptera

Bee Killer Assassin Bug

Apiomerus crassipes

An assassin bug that coats its legs with plant resin to capture bees visiting flowers....

Diptera

Belkin's Dune Tabanid Fly

Brennania belkini

A rare horse fly known only from the El Segundo sand dunes in Los Angeles County. Larvae develop in the sand and adults ...

Coleoptera

Bethany Beach Firefly

Photuris bethaniensis

A predatory firefly known from a narrow range along the mid-Atlantic coast. Females mimic the flash patterns of other fi...

Coleoptera

Big-eyed Ground Beetle

Notiophilus biguttatus

A small, fast-running ground beetle with enormously enlarged eyes relative to its body size. It has a bronze sheen and i...

Coleoptera

Big-headed Tiger Beetle

Megacephala virginica

A nocturnal tiger beetle with a disproportionately large head and long curved mandibles. It is dark brown to black and h...

Coleoptera

Bipunctate Aleocharine

Aleochara bipustulata

A robust aleocharine rove beetle with two reddish spots on its elytra, serving as both predator and parasitoid of agricu...

Coleoptera

Black Caterpillar Hunter

Calosoma sayi

A large, entirely black caterpillar hunter beetle native to North American prairies and grasslands. It is a powerful run...

Coleoptera

Black Clock Beetle

Pterostichus madidus

A common nocturnal ground beetle found throughout European gardens and farmland. It is jet black and a voracious predato...

Odonata

Black Darter

Sympetrum danae

Britain s smallest dragonfly where mature males become entirely jet black, unique among European dragonflies. Females an...

Hemiptera

Black-kneed Capsid

Blepharidopterus angulatus

A slender, pale green mirid bug with distinctive black knee joints. It is a beneficial predator found in European apple ...

Odonata

Black-winged Damselfly

Calopteryx atrata

A large damselfly where males have entirely black iridescent wings with a metallic blue-green body. Females have dark sm...

Odonata

Bladetail

Lindenia tetraphylla

A large gomphid dragonfly with leaf-shaped abdominal expansions at the tail....

Odonata

Blue Dasher

Pachydiplax longipennis

A medium-sized dragonfly with a powdery blue abdomen and metallic green eyes in males. It is one of the most common drag...

Coleoptera

Blue Ground Beetle

Carabus intricatus

A large brilliant blue beetle with intricately sculptured elytra. It is a nocturnal predator of slugs and snails in anci...

Odonata

Blue Hawker

Aeshna caerulea

A small hawker dragonfly with bright blue spots on males and yellow spots on females. It is restricted to high-altitude ...

Coleoptera

Blue Margined Ground Beetle

Chlaenius impunctifrons

A brilliantly colored ground beetle with bright metallic blue-green elytra and a velvety texture from fine pubescence. I...

Coleoptera

Blue Mountains Firefly

Atyphella flammulans

An Australian firefly found in cool temperate rainforests, producing a steady greenish glow. It has a dark body and is m...

Hymenoptera

Blue Mud Dauber

Chalybion californicum

A metallic blue wasp that preys on black widow spiders. It reuses mud nests built by other dauber species rather than co...

Coleoptera

Blue Paederine Rove Beetle

Paederus balcanicus

A colorful Paederus rove beetle with metallic blue elytra and an orange thorax, found in southeastern Europe. Like all P...

Odonata

Blue Skimmer

Orthetrum caledonicum

A common Australian dragonfly where mature males develop a powdery blue pruinescence over their abdomen. Females and you...

Hymenoptera

Blue-black Spider Wasp

Anoplius viaticus

A dark metallic blue spider wasp with orange-red abdominal bands. It hunts wolf spiders on sandy heathlands and dunes ac...

Odonata

Blue-eyed Darner

Rhionaeschna multicolor

A large darner dragonfly with striking bright blue eyes and blue spots on a brown body. It is one of the most common lar...

Orthoptera

Blue-winged Grasshopper

Oedipoda caerulescens

A well-camouflaged grasshopper that reveals bright blue hindwings when it flies. At rest it blends perfectly with bare g...

Coleoptera

Blue-winged Rove Beetle

Platydracus chalcocephalus

A handsome rove beetle with a metallic blue-green head and pronotum contrasting with brown elytra. It is found in wooded...

Odonata

Bog Hawker

Aeshna subarctica

A rare hawker dragonfly restricted to acidic Sphagnum bogs in northern regions....

Coleoptera

Bog Jet Beetle

Stenus juno

One of the largest Stenus species, with a shiny black body and the characteristic bulging eyes of its genus. It frequent...

Mantodea

Bordered Mantis

Stagmatoptera biocellata

A large green mantis with two prominent dark eyespots on the inner surfaces of its forelegs. It uses these spots in its ...

Coleoptera

Borneo Firefly

Pteroptyx bearni

A synchronous firefly endemic to Borneo that creates dramatic light displays in riverside trees. It congregates in speci...

Coleoptera

Borneo Giant Firefly

Lamprigera borneensis

A very large tropical firefly from Borneo with massive larviform females that glow brightly. Males are smaller and winge...

Odonata

Borneo River Cruiser

Macromia cingulata

A large fast-flying dragonfly of pristine river systems in Borneo. It patrols long stretches of river with a distinctive...

Coleoptera

Brazilian Headlight Firefly

Pyrearinus termitilluminans

A unique click beetle relative whose bioluminescent larvae inhabit termite mounds in the Brazilian cerrado. The glowing ...

Neuroptera

Brazilian Owlfly

Cordulecerus alopecinus

A neotropical owlfly with bushy-tipped antennae found in South American cerrado and forest edges. Adults are crepuscular...

Coleoptera

Brazilian Soldier Beetle

Chauliognathus flavipes

A South American soldier beetle with yellow-orange elytra and dark markings. It is commonly found on flowers in the Atla...

Hemiptera

Brazilian Treehopper

Bocydium globulare

One of the most bizarre insects alive — its helmet has bulbous globular projections resembling a tiny helicopter. The st...

Hymenoptera

Brazilian Wanderer Spider Wasp

Pepsis fabricius

A large metallic blue-black spider wasp with bright orange wings that hunts tarantulas as food for its larvae. The femal...

Odonata

Brilliant Emerald

Somatochlora metallica

A metallic green dragonfly with brilliant emerald green eyes. Males patrol low over sheltered lakes and woodland pools. ...

Odonata

Broad Scarlet

Crocothemis servilia

A robust dragonfly where males are brilliant scarlet-red with a broad flattened abdomen. Females are olive-brown. It is ...

Coleoptera

Brown-winged Rove Beetle

Tasgius ater

A large, uniformly dark rove beetle with subtly brownish elytra, closely related to Tasgius melanarius. It prefers more ...

Mantodea

Brunner's Stick Mantis

Brunneria borealis

A slender stick-like mantis found in the southeastern United States. It is remarkable because only females are known and...

Mantodea

Budwing Mantis

Parasphendale affinis

A sturdy, aggressive mantis from East Africa named for the bud-like wing stubs of the females, who are mostly flightless...

Coleoptera

Canary Islands Tiger Beetle

Cicindela lunulata

A fast-running predatory beetle found on the Canary Islands with metallic green coloring. It hunts on open sandy and vol...

Neuroptera

Cape Antlion

Crambomorphus sinuatus

A southern African antlion found in fynbos and sandy coastal areas. Its larvae inhabit loose sand in wind-sheltered spot...

Orthoptera

Cape Mountain Katydid

Pseudosaga incerta

A large predatory katydid with bold orange and blue-green warning colors. Found only on high mountain peaks in the Cape ...

Neuroptera

Cape Spoonwing

Palmipenna aeoleoptera

A South African nemopterid with broad, paddle-shaped hindwings. One of the most spectacular insects in the Western Cape ...

Coleoptera

Carabus olympiae

Carabus olympiae

A brilliantly colored ground beetle found only in a tiny area of the Italian Alps. Its metallic purple and green elytra ...

Coleoptera

Cardinal Beetle

Pyrochroa coccinea

A striking flat beetle with a bright scarlet body and large black eyes. Larvae are predators under bark....

Scolopendromorpha

Caribbean Giant Centipede

Scolopendra alternans

A large centipede found across the Caribbean islands with alternating dark and light body segments. It is an aggressive ...

Mantodea

Carolina Mantis

Stagmomantis carolina

The most common native mantis species in the eastern United States, occurring in green, brown, and mottled forms. It is ...

Coleoptera

Carpathian Alpine Beetle

Nebria reitteri

An endemic alpine ground beetle of the Carpathian Mountains. It is a cold-specialist predator found only at the highest ...

Odonata

Cascade Damselfly

Thaumatoneura inopinata

A rare damselfly found only near waterfalls in Central American cloud forests....

Plecoptera

Cascades Stonefly

Doroneuria theodora

A large predatory stonefly endemic to Cascade Range streams. Nymphs inhabit cold boulder-strewn torrents at moderate ele...

Mantodea

Cat-Eyed Mantis

Heterochaeta strachani

A spectacular West African mantis with enormously enlarged compound eyes that give it a cat-like appearance and exceptio...

Coleoptera

Caucasus Ground Beetle

Carabus caucasicus

A large, robust ground beetle from the Caucasus Mountains with deeply sculptured black elytra and a massive body. It is ...

Coleoptera

Cave Rove Beetle

Leptotyphlus mirabilis

A minute, eyeless, depigmented rove beetle adapted to life in deep soil and cave environments. Its body is extremely elo...

Mantophasmatodea

Cederberg Heelwalker

Austrophasma cederbergense

A predatory heelwalker found in the Cederberg Mountains of South Africa. It is greenish-brown and well-camouflaged among...

Coleoptera

Central American Glowworm Beetle

Phengodes hidalgoensis

A Mexican glowworm beetle with males possessing large feathery antennae and short elytra. The larviform females produce ...

Coleoptera

Chinese Golden Ground Beetle

Carabus elysii

A stunning Chinese ground beetle with brilliant golden-green elytra and deep blue pronotum. It is found in the forested ...

Mantodea

Chinese Mantis

Tenodera sinensis

One of the largest mantis species in North America (introduced). An ambush predator with remarkable binocular vision. Fe...

Coleoptera

Chinese Rhagophthalmid Glowworm

Rhagophthalmus lufengensis

A bioluminescent beetle from southern China with larviform females that emit a steady greenish glow from ventral light o...

Coleoptera

Chinese Terrestrial Glowworm Firefly

Pyrocoelia pectoralis

A large firefly with dark brown elytra and a bright reddish pronotum. Females are wingless and produce a steady glow. Th...

Coleoptera

Chrysomeline Rove Beetle

Tachyporus chrysomelinus

A small, elegantly shaped rove beetle with a distinctly pointed abdomen and yellowish-brown coloration. It is one of the...

Hemiptera

Cicada Assassin Bug

Pselliopus barberi

A colorful orange and black assassin bug that specializes in hunting cicadas. It uses its powerful raptorial forelegs an...

Hymenoptera

Cicada Killer Wasp

Sphecius speciosus

A large solitary wasp that provisions its burrow with paralyzed cicadas....

Plecoptera

Claassenia Stonefly

Claassenia sabulosa

A large predatory stonefly with a mottled yellow and brown pattern. The nymphs are active nocturnal hunters that roam th...

Coleoptera

Claudius Ground Beetle

Carabus clathratus

A large bronze or coppery-black ground beetle with distinctive chain-like patterning on its elytra formed by rows of rai...

Coleoptera

Click Beetle

Alaus oculatus

Has a special mechanism that allows it to snap its body with a click, launching itself up to 30 cm into the air. The lar...

Coleoptera

Cliff Tiger Beetle

Cicindela germanica

A small, dark green tiger beetle with faint pale markings found on exposed clay and chalk slopes. It has declined severe...

Coleoptera

Clouded Rove Beetle

Staphylinus nebulosis

A large European rove beetle with a cloudy gray-brown pubescence pattern and powerful jaws. It is a nocturnal hunter tha...

Odonata

Clubtail Dragonfly

Ophiogomphus cecilia

A green-eyed dragonfly with a club-shaped abdomen tip found along clean rivers....

Coleoptera

Coastal Rove Beetle

Cafius xantholoma

A medium-sized rove beetle with yellowish elytral margins, highly adapted to life on seashores. It lives under seaweed w...

Coleoptera

Colorado Soldier Beetle

Chauliognathus basalis

A soft-bodied beetle with orange and brown elytra commonly found on flowers. It is an important pollinator and predator ...

Coleoptera

Columbia Tiger Beetle

Cicindela columbica

A rare tiger beetle known from sandy riverbanks in the Pacific Northwest. It is an agile predator that chases down small...

Coleoptera

Common Agonum

Agonum muelleri

A sleek, metallic greenish-bronze ground beetle with a smooth, oval body. It is one of the most common ground beetles in...

Megaloptera

Common Alderfly

Sialis lutaria

A dark smoky-winged insect commonly found near still or slow-moving waters across Europe. Its aquatic larvae are predato...

Coleoptera

Common Aleocharine

Atheta coriaria

A tiny, dark brown aleocharine rove beetle now commercially sold as a biological control agent. It is an aggressive pred...

Coleoptera

Common Anchomenus

Anchomenus dorsalis

A small, elegant ground beetle with metallic green elytra, a reddish-brown head, and pale legs. It is one of the most ef...

Neuroptera

Common Antlion

Myrmeleon immaculatus

A delicate lacewing-like insect whose larvae are famous pit-trap predators. Adults are nocturnal and resemble slender da...

Coleoptera

Common Bembidion

Bembidion lampros

A tiny, metallic bronze ground beetle that is one of the most abundant carabids in European farmland. Despite its small ...

Coleoptera

Common Black Ground Beetle

Pterostichus melanarius

One of the most abundant ground beetles in European farmland and gardens. It is a generalist predator active mainly at n...

Lepidoptera

Common Buckeye

Junonia coenia

Brown butterfly with prominent eyespots on all four wings. Eyespots deter predators by mimicking the eyes of larger anim...

Odonata

Common Clubtail

Gomphus vulgatissimus

A medium-sized dragonfly with a club-shaped abdomen tip and distinctive yellow and black markings. It emerges en masse f...

Hemiptera

Common Damsel Bug

Nabis rugosus

A slender, drab brown predatory bug with raptorial forelegs that is common in European grasslands and agricultural field...

Hemiptera

Common Flower Bug

Anthocoris nemorum

A tiny brown bug that is a voracious predator of aphids, mites and psyllids. An important biological control agent....

Odonata

Common Green Darner

Anax junius

A large migratory dragonfly with a green thorax and blue abdomen found across North America. It undertakes multigenerati...

Hemiptera

Common Pond Skater

Aquarius najas

A large, elongate water strider that glides across the surface of flowing rivers and large ponds. It is one of the bigge...

Coleoptera

Common Red Rove Beetle

Staphylinus erythropterus

A large rove beetle with reddish-brown elytra and a velvety black body. It is a fast-running predator found in forests....

Raphidioptera

Common Snakefly

Raphidia notata

A distinctive predatory insect with an elongated prothorax that gives it a snake-like appearance. It hunts aphids and ot...

Odonata

Common Spreadwing

Lestes sponsa

A slender metallic green damselfly that characteristically holds its wings half-open at rest. It is widespread across Eu...

Coleoptera

Common Sun Beetle

Elaphrus cupreus

A small, brilliantly metallic copper-green beetle with distinctive eye-like pits on its elytra. It runs rapidly on wet m...

Lepidoptera

Common Tiger

Danaus genutia

A tawny-orange butterfly with black veins and white-spotted black wing margins, resembling the Monarch butterfly. Its bo...

Odonata

Common Whitetail

Plathemis lydia

A stocky dragonfly where mature males sport a chalky white abdomen and dark wing bands. It is one of the most frequently...

Hymenoptera

Common Yellowjacket

Vespula vulgaris

An aggressive social wasp with bold black and yellow markings that builds large underground paper nests. Workers are vor...

Coleoptera

Compost Rove Beetle

Oxytelus laqueatus

A small, broad oxytelline rove beetle with a distinctively sculptured pronotum bearing deep grooves. It is abundant in c...

Neuroptera

Comstock's Green Lacewing

Chrysopa comanche

A medium-sized green lacewing native to the American Southwest. Frequently found in arid scrubland and desert-edge habit...

Mantodea

Conehead Mantis

Empusa pennata

A distinctive European mantis with a tall conical head crest and feathery antennae in males. Nymphs resemble small alien...

Coleoptera

Congo Giant Ground Beetle

Anthia duodecimguttata

A massive black ground beetle with twelve white spots on its elytra, found across sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the l...

Neuroptera

Conifer Brown Lacewing

Hemerobius pini

A small brown lacewing closely associated with pine trees across Europe. Larvae are specialist predators of pine aphids....

Coleoptera

Conifer Rove Beetle

Quedius plagiatus

A medium-sized, dark rove beetle strongly associated with coniferous bark and dead wood. It is an important predator of ...

Orthoptera

Cooloola Monster

Cooloola propator

A bizarre blind burrowing cricket found only in sandy soils of Queensland....

Coleoptera

Coppery Chlaenius

Chlaenius cumatilis

A medium-sized ground beetle with brilliant metallic blue-green coloring and fine pubescence covering its elytra. It is ...

Lepidoptera

Coppery Dysphania

Dysphania cuprina

A brightly colored day-flying moth widespread across Southeast Asia. The metallic coppery-gold and black pattern warns p...

Coleoptera

Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle

Cicindela albissima

A nearly white tiger beetle perfectly camouflaged against the pink-white sand dunes of its sole habitat in southern Utah...

Coleoptera

Costa Rican Firefly

Aspisoma ignitum

A neotropical firefly with a dark body and reddish pronotum bearing a median dark stripe. It produces a bright yellow-gr...

Coleoptera

Creek Pacer Ground Beetle

Chlaenius tricolor

A handsome ground beetle with bright metallic green elytra, a bluish pronotum, and reddish-brown legs. It is commonly fo...

Hemiptera

Creeping Water Bug

Ilyocoris cimicoides

A robust aquatic bug that crawls along pond bottoms and delivers a painful bite....

Neuroptera

Creoleon Antlion

Creoleon plumbeus

A robust Mediterranean antlion with lead-grey coloring on the thorax. Found in dry, warm habitats across southern Europe...

Odonata

Cretan Hawker

Boyeria cretensis

A dragonfly endemic to the island of Crete, found only along a few shaded mountain streams. One of Europe's most range-r...

Odonata

Daintree Ringtail Damselfly

Austrolestes psyche

A slender metallic green damselfly found near rainforest streams in north Queensland. It rests with wings spread at an a...

Diptera

Dance Fly

Empis tessellata

A predatory fly in which males present silk-wrapped insect prey as nuptial gifts to females. Mating swarms form elaborat...

Coleoptera

Dark Rove Beetle

Tachyporus nitidulus

A small, shiny dark brown rove beetle with a characteristic boat-shaped body. It is incredibly numerous in northern Euro...

Raphidioptera

Dark-stigma Snakefly

Phaeostigma notata

A primitive predatory insect with an elongated prothorax giving it a snake-like neck. Found on tree trunks in woodland. ...

Lepidoptera

December Moth

Poecilocampa populi

A dark, hairy moth that flies in the coldest months of the year, from November to January. Its cold-season activity is a...

Coleoptera

Delta Green Ground Beetle

Elaphrus viridis

A small metallic green ground beetle found only near vernal pools in Solano County, California. It is threatened by urba...

Odonata

Demoiselle

Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis

A Mediterranean damselfly with deeply pigmented wings and metallic body coloration....

Hemiptera

Deraeocoris Plant Bug

Deraeocoris ruber

A small, shiny dark reddish-brown to black predatory plant bug found across Europe. It feeds on aphids, spider mites, an...

Neuroptera

Desert Antlion

Brachynemurus abdominalis

A large antlion species common in desert regions of North America. Unlike some relatives, its larvae hunt without buildi...

Hymenoptera

Desert Blond Tarantula Hawk

Pepsis thisbe

A large metallic blue-black spider wasp with vibrant orange wings found in the Sonoran Desert. Females hunt blonde taran...

Neuroptera

Desert Lacewing

Chrysoperla comanche

A pale green lacewing adapted to arid environments of the American Southwest. Both adults and larvae are important preda...

Coleoptera

Desert Tiger Beetle

Cicindela hemorrhagica

A bright red and green tiger beetle that hunts along the edges of desert streams and alkaline flats. It is an extremely ...

Coleoptera

Dimple-back Ground Beetle

Elaphrus riparius

A small, fast-running beetle with distinctive cup-shaped depressions on its elytra that create a dimpled appearance. It ...

Coleoptera

Dinodes Ground Beetle

Dinodes decipiens

A rare cave-dwelling ground beetle from the Balkans with reduced eyes and elongated appendages. It represents an interme...

Coleoptera

Diving Beetle

Dytiscus marginalis

A large, streamlined aquatic beetle with an olive-green body bordered in yellow. It carries an air bubble under its elyt...

Neuroptera

Downes' Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla downesi

A conifer-associated green lacewing that retains its green color through winter. Unlike relatives, it does not turn brow...

Odonata

Downy Emerald

Cordulia aenea

A metallic green dragonfly with a distinctive downy thorax covered in fine golden hairs. Males patrol tirelessly along w...

Odonata

Dragonhunter

Hagenius brevistylus

The largest clubtail in North America and a formidable aerial predator. Its massive size and bold black and yellow marki...

Coleoptera

Dromedary Tiger Beetle

Dromica kolbei

A large flightless tiger beetle with elongated legs and a matte black body. Females are larger than males and have reduc...

Lepidoptera

Dun-bar

Cosmia trapezina

A late summer noctuid moth whose caterpillars are partly predatory, eating other moth larvae sharing their tree. Variabl...

Neuroptera

Dune Spoonwing

Halter halteratus

A small nemopterid with spoon-tipped hindwings found in coastal Mediterranean habitats. Commonly seen fluttering over sa...

Neuroptera

Dusky Green Lacewing

Chrysopa dorsalis

A green lacewing with a dark dorsal stripe running along the abdomen. Prefers wooded habitats across southern Europe....

Neuroptera

Dustywing

Coniopteryx tineiformis

A tiny moth-like lacewing covered in a white waxy powder that gives it a dusty appearance. It is an important predator o...

Coleoptera

East Asian Pheropsophus Bombardier

Pheropsophus jessoensis

A large Asian bombardier beetle with an orange head and pronotum and dark blue-black elytra. It is the largest bombardie...

Coleoptera

Eastern Bombardier Beetle

Brachinus explodens

A bombardier beetle widespread across central and eastern Europe. It hunts small soil invertebrates at night....

Orthoptera

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper

Romalea microptera

A large, brightly colored grasshopper with short wings that cannot fly. Its bold yellow, red, and black coloration warns...

Diptera

Eastern Net-Winged Midge

Blepharicera tenuipes

A net-winged midge whose larvae cling to rocks in the fastest torrents using ventral suction discs. Adults have characte...

Odonata

Eastern Pondhawk

Erythemis simplicicollis

A robust skimmer dragonfly where mature males are powdery blue and females are vivid green. It is an aggressive predator...

Hymenoptera

Ectatomma Ant

Ectatomma tuberculatum

A large, heavily sculptured neotropical ant with a powerful sting and distinctive tuberculate body. It is a common groun...

Mantodea

Egyptian Mantis

Miomantis paykullii

A small to medium green mantis native to Africa that has become established in parts of the southern United States. Fema...

Neuroptera

Egyptian Spoonwing

Nemoptera aegyptiaca

A North African spoonwing with striking wing patterns and long trailing hindwings. Found in arid habitats from Egypt acr...

Coleoptera

Eight-spotted Tiger Beetle

Cicindela octogramma

A dark bronze tiger beetle bearing eight distinct pale spots on its elytra. It is a fast-moving predator found on expose...

Orthoptera

Elegant Grasshopper

Zonocerus elegans

A strikingly colorful grasshopper with green, yellow, black, and orange warning patterns. It feeds on toxic plants and i...

Diptera

Elephant Mosquito

Toxorhynchites rutilus

A large, iridescent blue-green mosquito whose adults do not bite. Larvae are predators of other mosquito larvae in tree ...

Plecoptera

Embossed Stonefly

Paragnetina immarginata

A large patterned stonefly of clean eastern streams with raised body markings. Nymphs are top predators among stream cob...

Lepidoptera

Emperor Gum Moth

Opodiphthera eucalypti

A large and attractive native moth with prominent eyespots on each wing that serve as a startle defence against predator...

Coleoptera

Epomis Ground Beetle

Epomis dejeani

A beetle whose larvae lure and devour frogs — a rare case of predator-prey role reversal. The larva waggles its antennae...

Diptera

Eupeodes Hoverfly

Eupeodes corollae

A common small hoverfly with variable yellow comma-shaped markings on the abdomen. It is a migratory species and importa...

Hymenoptera

European Amazon Ant

Polyergus rufescens

An obligate slave-making ant that raids colonies of Formica ants to steal pupae. The kidnapped workers then perform all ...

Hymenoptera

European Beewolf

Philanthus triangulum

A large, striking yellow-and-black solitary wasp that specialises in hunting honeybees. Females paralyse bees in flight ...

Hemiptera

European Firebug

Pyrrhocoris apterus

A strikingly patterned red and black bug that forms large aggregations at the base of linden trees. It is one of the mos...

Coleoptera

European Glow-Worm Click Beetle

Phosphaenus hemipterus

A small European firefly with reduced wings in the male and completely wingless females. Both sexes produce faint biolum...

Mecoptera

European Hangingfly

Bittacus italicus

A delicate predatory insect with long legs that hangs from grass stems and snatches prey with its prehensile hind tarsi....

Coleoptera

European Large Firefly

Lamprohiza splendidula

A central European firefly whose males produce a continuous greenish glow while flying. Its predatory larvae spend up to...

Hymenoptera

European Spider Wasp

Episyron albonotatum

A medium-sized black spider wasp with white markings that hunts orb-weaving spiders across Europe. It nests in sandy soi...

Coleoptera

European Trechus Cave Beetle

Trechus quadristriatus

A small, pale brown ground beetle with four prominent striae on each elytron. Despite belonging to a subfamily with many...

Diplura

Ewingi Japygid

Catajapyx ewing

A predatory dipluran found in soils of the southeastern United States. It uses its forceps-like cerci to capture small s...

Lepidoptera

Eyed Hawk-moth

Smerinthus ocellatus

A large hawk-moth with cryptic brown forewings that conceal vivid blue and black eyespots on the hindwings. When startle...

Diptera

False Stable Fly

Muscina stabulans

A robust fly resembling a large house fly with reddish-yellow patches at the wing base. Larvae can be facultative predat...

Coleoptera

Femme Fatale Firefly

Photuris versicolor

A predatory firefly that mimics the flash patterns of other species to lure males as prey. Females are aggressive hunter...

Coleoptera

Fen Rove Beetle

Stenus providus

A tiny rove beetle of wetland margins with exceptionally large eyes for a beetle its size. Uses a retractable sticky lab...

Coleoptera

Festive Tiger Beetle

Cicindela scutellaris

A small brilliantly colored tiger beetle varying from deep purple to bright green depending on the subspecies. It runs a...

Hymenoptera

Field Digger Wasp

Mellinus arvensis

A yellow and black wasp that nests in sandy soil and provisions each cell with paralyzed hoverflies....

Odonata

Fijian Cave Swiftlet Dragonfly

Nesobasis erythrops

An endemic Fijian damselfly found along shaded forest streams on Viti Levu. Males have distinctive red eyes and metallic...

Odonata

Filigree Skimmer

Pseudoleon superbus

A dragonfly with ornate banded wing patterns and arid habitat preferences....

Odonata

Flame Skimmer

Libellula saturata

A brilliantly red-orange dragonfly found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Males are unmistakable with their...

Coleoptera

Florida Predatory Firefly

Photuris frontalis

A large predatory firefly found in the southeastern United States that exhibits synchronous flashing behavior. Males pro...

Hemiptera

Flower Bug

Orius insidiosus

A tiny predatory bug widely used in biological pest control against thrips and aphids. Despite its small size it is a vo...

Hymenoptera

Flower Wasp

Cerceris rybyensis

A solitary wasp that hunts small mining bees to provision its nest. Nests in sandy soil, often in dense aggregations. Di...

Coleoptera

Forest Caterpillar Hunter

Calosoma sycophanta

A large, brilliant metallic green and gold ground beetle that climbs trees to hunt caterpillars. It was introduced to No...

Odonata

Forest Darner

Austroaeschna pulchra

A handsome darner dragonfly with blue and brown markings found in temperate forests of eastern Australia. It flies along...

Coleoptera

Four-Spotted Carrion Beetle

Dendroxena quadrimaculata

A yellowish-brown beetle with four dark spots on its elytra, unusual for a silphid because it hunts in trees rather than...

Odonata

Four-Spotted Chaser

Libellula quadrimaculata

A medium-sized dragonfly with two dark spots on the leading edge of each wing, totaling four. It is one of the most wide...

Coleoptera

Fourteen-spotted Leaf Beetle

Propylea quatuordecimpunctata

A small yellow and black ladybird with a distinctive checkerboard pattern of rectangular black spots. It is an effective...

Coleoptera

Fungus Rove Beetle

Lordithon thoracicus

A colorful rove beetle of the Tachyporinae with a reddish-orange pronotum and dark elytra, typically found on bracket fu...

Diptera

Gallinipper Mosquito

Psorophora ciliata

One of the largest mosquitoes in North America, with shaggy legs covered in dark and pale scales. It delivers an excepti...

Odonata

Ghost Darner

Anax longipes

A large green-eyed dragonfly with a distinctively long reddish-brown abdomen....

Neuroptera

Giant African Antlion

Palpares speciosus

A massive African antlion with strikingly marked black-and-yellow wings. One of the largest neuropteran insects in the w...

Coleoptera

Giant Amazonian Ground Beetle

Calosoma alternans

A large Neotropical caterpillar hunter with dark elytra bearing rows of metallic pits. It is an important natural enemy ...

Mantodea

Giant Asian Mantis

Hierodula membranacea

One of the largest mantis species in Asia, reaching 90 mm. A voracious generalist predator that catches everything from ...

Coleoptera

Giant Black Water Beetle

Hydrophilus triangularis

The largest water beetle in North America, with a shiny black oval body. Larvae are voracious predators while adults are...

Hymenoptera

Giant Brazilian Ant

Dinoponera australis

A large ponerine ant found in the cerrado and Atlantic Forest regions of southern Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Like ...

Odonata

Giant Darner Dragonfly

Tetracanthagyna plagiata

One of the largest dragonflies in the world, with a wingspan exceeding 16 cm. The body is brown with green markings and ...

Megaloptera

Giant Dobsonfly

Acanthacorydalis fruhstorferi

The largest aquatic insect in the world by wingspan, found in streams in Vietnam and China. Males have enormous mandible...

Diptera

Giant Eastern Crane Fly

Pedicia albivitta

A large crane fly with long delicate legs and white-banded wing markings found near forest streams. Despite its mosquito...

Odonata

Giant Hawaiian Darner

Anax strenuus

The largest dragonfly in the United States, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It patrols forest streams and pools in nati...

Diplura

Giant Japygid

Metajapyx subterraneus

One of the larger diplurans, found in deep soil and caves in southern Europe. It is a voracious predator of other soil i...

Odonata

Giant Petaltail

Petalura gigantea

One of the largest dragonflies in Australia and a living fossil belonging to the most ancient dragonfly family. Its larv...

Hymenoptera

Giant Ponerine Ant

Pachycondyla crassinoda

A very large black predatory ant of African tropical forests with powerful mandibles and a painful sting. Solitary forag...

Mantodea

Giant Rainforest Mantis

Hierodula majuscula

One of Australia's largest mantises with a green body and reddish inner forelegs. It has distinctive blue-purple patches...

Coleoptera

Giant Robber Firefly

Photuris lucicrescens

A large predatory firefly from eastern North America that mimics the flash patterns of Photinus species. Females lure Ph...

Diptera

Giant Robber Fly

Promachus fitchii

A large, bristly predatory fly with powerful grasping legs and a sharp proboscis. It ambushes prey in mid-air with remar...

Coleoptera

Giant Scarites

Scarites gigas

One of the largest burrowing ground beetles, entirely shiny black with a massive head and powerful toothed mandibles. It...

Mantodea

Giant Shield Mantis

Rhombodera basalis

A large, robust mantis with a distinctive broad shield-shaped pronotum and vivid green coloring. It is one of the most i...

Hemiptera

Giant Water Bug

Lethocerus americanus

One of the largest true bugs. Powerful predator that catches fish, frogs, and even small snakes. Males carry eggs on the...

Mantophasmatodea

Gladiator Bug

Mantophasma zephyra

One of the first species described in the newest insect order Mantophasmatodea, erected in 2002. A small wingless predat...

Coleoptera

Globular Ant-loving Beetle

Chennium bituberculatum

A small, rounded pselaphine rove beetle with a glossy chestnut-brown body and two prominent tubercles on the pronotum. I...

Coleoptera

Gold-and-Brown Rove Beetle

Ontholestes tessellatus

A large rove beetle covered in a mosaic of golden and dark brown hairs. It frequents dung and carrion where it preys on ...

Diptera

Golden Dung Fly

Scathophaga stercoraria

A common furry yellow fly that gathers on fresh cow dung to mate and hunt....

Coleoptera

Golden Ground Beetle

Carabus auratus

A large, brilliant metallic green or golden ground beetle with ridged elytra. It is a voracious predator of slugs and ca...

Coleoptera

Golden Net Ground Beetle

Carabus auratus festivus

A subspecies of the golden ground beetle with particularly vivid metallic green and gold coloring and prominent elytral ...

Coleoptera

Golden Net-Winged Beetle

Dictyoptera aurora

A soft-bodied beetle with bright orange-red elytra featuring a network of raised veins. It is toxic and uses bright colo...

Plecoptera

Golden Stonefly

Calineuria californica

A large predatory stonefly with a golden-brown body found in western North American rivers. Its nymphs are active hunter...

Neuroptera

Golden-eyed Lacewing

Chrysopa perla

A bright green lacewing with distinctive dark head markings and iridescent golden eyes. Both adults and larvae are preda...

Odonata

Golden-Ringed Dragonfly

Cordulegaster boltonii

The longest dragonfly in Britain, adorned with bold black and yellow rings along its body. Females have a conspicuous ov...

Diptera

Golden-tabbed Robber Fly

Choerades marginatus

A large bristly brown robber fly with golden hair tufts that ambushes prey from sunny perches on logs....

Odonata

Graphic Flutterer

Rhyothemis graphiptera

A stunning dragonfly with dark patterned wings that give it a butterfly-like appearance in flight. It flies with a disti...

Mantodea

Grass Mantis

Pyrgomantis jonesi

A very slender mantis adapted to hiding among tall grass stems in savanna....

Orthoptera

Greater Arid-Land Katydid

Neobarrettia spinosa

A large, aggressive predatory katydid from the American Southwest with powerful spiny legs. It is one of the most voraci...

Neuroptera

Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla carnea

Delicate green insects with lace-like wings and golden eyes. Larvae are ferocious predators nicknamed "aphid lions." Wid...

Odonata

Green Lestes

Lestes viridis

A metallic green damselfly that lays eggs into the bark of overhanging trees. Creates distinctive oviposition scars on w...

Coleoptera

Green Mangrove Tiger Beetle

Myriochila mastersi

A metallic green tiger beetle that inhabits mangrove mud flats and tidal zones along the northern Australian coast. It i...

Neuroptera

Green Mantidfly

Zeugomantispa minuta

A small green mantidfly found in the southeastern United States. It has enlarged raptorial forelegs and a long prothorax...

Trichoptera

Green Sedge

Rhyacophila dorsalis

A free-living caddisfly larva that does not build a case, instead roaming the streambed as an active predator. Adults ha...

Coleoptera

Green Tiger Beetle

Cicindela campestris

A fast-running, metallic green beetle with cream-colored spots. It is a fierce predator that chases down prey on bare gr...

Coleoptera

Greenland Ground Beetle

Patrobus septentrionis

A dark brown to black ground beetle with long legs and a narrowly oval body. It is common under stones and moss in damp ...

Mantodea

Ground Mantis

Litaneutria minor

The smallest North American mantis, well camouflaged on dry rocky soil....

Coleoptera

Habu's Ground Beetle

Carabus dehaanii

A large Japanese ground beetle with deeply sculptured elytra and striking blue-violet metallic coloring. It is widesprea...

Neuroptera

Hagen's Dustywing

Coniopteryx hageniana

A minute dustywing found across Europe and known for its effectiveness against orchard mites. Easily overlooked due to i...

Neuroptera

Hagen's Green Lacewing

Leucochrysa pavida

A large neotropical lacewing with broad wings and pale green coloring. Found from Mexico through Central America to Braz...

Odonata

Hairy Dragonfly

Brachytron pratense

The earliest-emerging hawker dragonfly in Europe, with a distinctively hairy thorax. Males have blue and green markings ...

Diptera

Hairy Maggot Blow Fly

Chrysomya rufifacies

A blow fly whose larvae have distinctive fleshy projections giving them a hairy appearance. Its predatory larvae feed on...

Coleoptera

Hairy Rove Beetle

Creophilus maxillosus

A stocky rove beetle with distinctive patches of golden-grey hair on its elytra. It is commonly found on carrion where i...

Coleoptera

Hairy Sexton Rove Beetle

Velleius dilatatus

A large, broad rove beetle with flattened expanded elytra, uniquely associated with European hornet nests. It is one of ...

Coleoptera

Harpalus Seed-eating Ground Beetle

Harpalus rufipes

A common Palearctic ground beetle with pubescent elytra and orange-red legs. Despite being partly granivorous, it also p...

Lepidoptera

Hawaiian Carnivorous Caterpillar

Eupithecia staurophragma

A remarkable moth whose caterpillars are ambush predators of insects, unique among Lepidoptera. Found only in Hawaiian n...

Odonata

Hawaiian Orangeblack Damselfly

Megalagrion xanthomelas

A strikingly coloured Hawaiian damselfly with orange and black markings. It was once widespread in lowland wetlands but ...

Orthoptera

Hawaiian Predatory Cricket

Leptogryllus deceptor

A small cricket endemic to Hawaii that has evolved predatory habits. It hunts smaller insects on the forest floor at nig...

Hemiptera

Helicopter Damselfly

Megaloprepus caerulatus

The largest damselfly in the world with a wingspan approaching 19 centimeters....

Odonata

Helicopter Dragonfly

Mecistogaster linearis

A forest giant damselfly that plucks spiders from their webs while hovering....

Megaloptera

Hellgrammite

Nigronia serricornis

A dark-colored dobsonfly whose larvae, known as hellgrammites, are prized as fishing bait. Adults are smaller than Coryd...

Odonata

Hine's Emerald Dragonfly

Somatochlora hineana

A brilliant green-eyed emerald dragonfly found in calcareous spring-fed wetlands. It is one of the most endangered drago...

Plecoptera

Hooked Stonefly

Agnetina capitata

A large, patterned stonefly of eastern North American rivers with distinctive hooked anal gills. Nymphs are active noctu...

Hymenoptera

Horned Baboon Spider-hunting Wasp

Sphex tomentosus

A large, solitary wasp with a black body and metallic blue-green sheen. It hunts grasshoppers and katydids, paralyzing t...

Odonata

Horned Clubtail

Arigomphus cornutus

A medium-sized clubtail dragonfly with small horn-like projections on the top of the head. Its body is yellow-green with...

Diptera

Hornet Robber Fly

Asilus crabroniformis

Europe's largest robber fly, a hornet mimic with a yellow-and-brown body that hunts dung beetles on grazed pastures. Fem...

Coleoptera

Huia Ground Beetle

Mecodema huia

A large, flightless ground beetle endemic to New Zealand with a heavily sculptured dark body. It is named after the exti...

Coleoptera

Iberian Glow-Worm

Lampyris iberica

A glow-worm firefly found in Spain and Portugal with wingless, luminous females. It inhabits Mediterranean scrublands an...

Neuroptera

Iberian Spoonwing

Josandreva sazi

A rare Iberian Peninsula nemopterid found in hot, dry calcareous grasslands. One of Europe's more localized spoonwing sp...

Coleoptera

Icelandic Water Beetle

Agabus bipustulatus

A medium-sized, oval, dark brown diving beetle found in cold ponds and lakes. It carries a silvery air bubble under its ...

Lepidoptera

Ilia Underwing

Catocala ilia

A large moth with bark-patterned gray forewings that conceal bright reddish-orange and black hindwings. When startled, i...

Megaloptera

Indian Dobsonfly

Nevromus testaceus

A medium-sized dobsonfly found in hill streams of the Indian subcontinent. Larvae live under rocks in well-oxygenated ra...

Coleoptera

Indian Firefly

Luciola praeusta

A common firefly across South and Southeast Asia known for its bright flashing displays. Its larvae are ground-dwelling ...

Mantodea

Indian Flower Mantis

Creobroter pictipennis

A small, colorful flower mantis with green and white coloring and a single large eyespot on each forewing. It frequents ...

Neuroptera

Indian Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla zastrowi

A green lacewing commonly found across the Indian subcontinent. Widely studied for biocontrol of cotton and rice pests....

Hymenoptera

Indian Jumping Ant

Harpegnathos saltator

A slender predatory ant with large eyes and powerful jumping ability native to India. Workers can leap several centimete...

Neuroptera

Indian Owlfly

Helicomitus festivus

A tropical Asian owlfly with long antennae and patterned wings. Found along forest edges and clearings in the Indian sub...

Mantodea

Indian Rose Mantis

Gonypeta brigittae

A small pastel pink mantis that sits among rose petals and other flowers to ambush prey. Its delicate coloration provide...

Hymenoptera

Indian Spider Wasp

Hemipepsis tamisieri

A large dark-winged spider wasp from Africa and the Middle East that hunts large burrowing spiders. It is one of the big...

Coleoptera

Indian Tiger Beetle

Cicindela aurulenta

A brilliantly metallic green tiger beetle with coppery-red margins on the elytra. It is an agile predator that runs swif...

Raphidioptera

Inocellia Snakefly

Inocellia crassicornis

A snakefly belonging to the family Inocelliidae, distinguished from Raphidiidae by the absence of ocelli. It is found in...

Lepidoptera

Io Moth

Automeris io

Named after Io from Greek mythology. Hindwings display large eyespots that flash open to startle predators. Caterpillars...

Mantodea

Iranian Desert Mantis

Eremiaphila iranensis

A small, pale mantis endemic to the deserts of Iran. It runs rapidly across gravel plains to ambush small invertebrate p...

Neuroptera

Italian Owlfly

Libelloides italicus

A handsome owlfly with distinctive half-black, half-yellow hindwings. It is an agile predator of small flying insects in...

Hymenoptera

Jack Jumper Ant

Myrmecia pilosula

A medium-sized black ant with powerful mandibles and an extremely potent sting. It is one of the most dangerous ant spec...

Mantodea

Jade Mantis

Hierodula venosa

A bright jade-green mantis with a rounded thoracic shield edged in pale yellow. It is a common and conspicuous garden pr...

Megaloptera

Japanese Alderfly

Sialis japonica

A medium-sized alderfly found in ponds and slow streams across Japan. It is one of the most common megalopterans in East...

Coleoptera

Japanese Blister Beetle

Epicauta gorhami

A black and orange striped blister beetle found in Japan and Korea. Known as 'tsuchi-hanmyo.' Contains cantharidin, a bl...

Coleoptera

Japanese Damaster Ground Beetle

Damaster blaptoides

A remarkably elongated Japanese ground beetle with an extremely narrow body and extended neck region. It has evolved thi...

Megaloptera

Japanese Dobsonfly

Protohermes grandis

A large aquatic insect known as 'hebi-tonbo' (snake dragonfly) in Japanese. The adult males have elongated, curved mandi...

Odonata

Japanese Emperor Dragonfly

Anax parthenope julius

A large hawker dragonfly and one of the most powerful aerial predators in Japanese wetlands. Known as 'gin-yanma' for it...

Plecoptera

Japanese Giant Stonefly

Oyamia lugubris

A large predatory stonefly found in mountainous streams of Japan. Nymphs have powerful mandibles for capturing prey in s...

Hemiptera

Japanese Giant Water Bug

Lethocerus deyrolli

Known as 'ta-garame' in Japanese, this is one of Japan's largest aquatic insects. A fearsome ambush predator that can ca...

Diptera

Japanese Robber Fly

Cophinopoda chinensis

A large East Asian robber fly with powerful raptorial legs. It preys on cicadas and large beetles in montane forests....

Hymenoptera

Japanese Spider Wasp

Batozonellus lacerticida

A large black spider wasp with yellow-banded legs found across Eurasia. It hunts large orb-weaver spiders and provisions...

Coleoptera

Jet Beetle

Stenus comma

A tiny, goggle-eyed rove beetle that hunts with a remarkable extendable labium tipped with adhesive pads. It can also sk...

Mantodea

Jeweled Flower Mantis

Creobroter gemmatus

A small, brilliantly colored mantis with green and cream body and striking green eyespots ringed with cream on its forew...

Mantophasmatodea

Karoophasma biedouwense

Karoophasma biedouwense

A gladiator insect endemic to the Biedouw Valley in South Africa. It is nocturnal and hunts among low shrubs in semi-ari...

Odonata

Keeled Skimmer

Orthetrum coerulescens

A slender dragonfly where mature males develop a powder-blue abdomen. Females and immature males are yellowish-brown. It...

Neuroptera

Kenyan Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla agilis

A recently described species from the carnea complex found in East African highlands. Occurs in both natural and cultiva...

Diptera

Kite-tailed Robber Fly

Tolmerus atricapillus

A common grey robber fly with a slightly club-shaped abdomen. It is widespread across Europe, frequently hunting from lo...

Hemiptera

Korean Water Scorpion

Laccotrephes japonensis

A flat, leaf-shaped aquatic predator found in Japan and Korea. Despite its name, it is not a true scorpion but a true bu...

Hemiptera

Lace Bug with Maternal Care

Gargaphia solani

A subsocial lace bug found on nightshade plants where mothers actively guard their eggs and nymphs. Females stand over t...

Coleoptera

Large Asian Firefly

Lamprigera tenebrosus

A very large Asian firefly with dark brown elytra and a broad body. The larviform females are among the largest biolumin...

Coleoptera

Large Gold Rove Beetle

Staphylinus caesareus

A large and handsome rove beetle with golden pubescence on its thorax and bright orange abdominal bands. It is an aggres...

Odonata

Large Red Damselfly

Pyrrhosoma nymphula

One of the first damselflies to emerge each spring in Europe, with a distinctive bright red body and black legs. It is c...

Plecoptera

Large Spring Stonefly

Dinocras cephalotes

One of the largest European stoneflies with a distinctively broad, flattened head. Nymphs are apex invertebrate predator...

Plecoptera

Large Stonefly

Perla bipunctata

One of the largest European stoneflies with a distinctive pair of pale spots on its head. Its predatory nymphs live amon...

Coleoptera

Large Tropical Rove Beetle

Hesperus rufipennis

A large, impressive tropical rove beetle with red elytra and a black head and pronotum. It is one of the larger staphyli...

Hemiptera

Leaf-Footed Assassin Bug

Psytalla horrida

A fearsome-looking African assassin bug covered in spines and tubercles. It is one of the most heavily armored assassin ...

Coleoptera

Leatherback Ground Beetle

Carabus coriaceus

The largest European ground beetle, entirely matte black with heavily wrinkled elytra. It is a powerful nocturnal hunter...

Diptera

Leucozona Hoverfly

Leucozona leucorum

A distinctive hoverfly with a white-banded abdomen found visiting flowers in damp woodland clearings. Larvae prey on aph...

Coleoptera

Lined Flat Bark Ground Beetle

Platynus decentis

A medium-sized, flattened ground beetle with a sleek black body and fine striations on its elytra. It is commonly found ...

Neuroptera

Long-horned Antlion

Distoleon tetragrammicus

A large antlion with intricately patterned wings and long clubbed antennae. Unlike most antlions, the larvae do not buil...

Diptera

Long-Palped Crane Fly

Dicranota bimaculata

A short-bodied crane fly whose predatory larvae inhabit gravel beds of clean streams. Larvae are active hunters among co...

Diptera

Long-tailed Dance Fly

Rhamphomyia longicauda

A small dark fly where females inflate their legs with air to appear larger during mating swarms. Males present nuptial ...

Diptera

Long-winged Fungus Gnat

Macrocera stigma

A delicate fungus gnat with unusually long antennae and slender patterned wings. It is often found in shaded damp woodla...

Trichoptera

Longhorn Caddisfly

Oecetis ochracea

A slender caddisfly with antennae much longer than its body. Larvae are unusual among caddisflies in being active predat...

Coleoptera

Loricera Bristly Ground Beetle

Loricera pilicornis

A small, distinctive ground beetle with uniquely modified antennae bearing long bristles. These bristle-fringed antennae...

Coleoptera

Luminous Beetle of Ulu Selangor

Pteroptyx similis

A tiny synchronous firefly found along rivers in Malaysia. Males congregate by the hundreds in berembang trees along tid...

Mantodea

Lurker Praying Mantis

Archimantis latistyla

One of Australia's largest praying mantises, reaching over 10 cm in length. It is a powerful ambush predator that sits m...

Neuroptera

Lutescent Brown Lacewing

Hemerobius lutescens

A yellowish-brown lacewing found in European coniferous forests. Strongly associated with spruce and pine trees....

Hymenoptera

Macromeris Spider Wasp

Entypus unifasciatus

A large dark spider wasp with a single white or yellow band on the abdomen. It hunts large wolf spiders and trapdoor spi...

Neuroptera

Madagascan Green Lacewing

Ankylopteryx octopunctata

A delicate green lacewing found in Madagascan forests with transparent wings. Adults and larvae are important predators ...

Odonata

Madagascar Giant Darter

Anax tumorifer

A large dragonfly endemic to Madagascar that frequents forest pools and marshes. It is one of the largest odonates on th...

Coleoptera

Madeiran Ground Beetle

Carabus lundbladi

A large, black, flightless ground beetle endemic to the island of Madeira. It inhabits the ancient laurel forests that a...

Coleoptera

Malagasy Aquatic Beetle

Hydrophilus madagascariensis

A large, shiny black aquatic beetle with a streamlined oval body. It carries a bubble of air beneath its body for underw...

Megaloptera

Malagasy Dobsonfly

Neochauliodes madagascariensis

A large, brown-winged insect with broad wings held tent-like over the body at rest. Males may have elongated mandibles. ...

Coleoptera

Malagasy Firefly

Luciola madagascariensis

A soft-bodied beetle with a yellowish pronotum and dark elytra, producing a steady green bioluminescent glow from its ab...

Coleoptera

Malagasy Ground Beetle

Graphipterus multiguttatus

A strikingly patterned ground beetle with a flattened body covered in black and white spots. It is a fast runner that hu...

Neuroptera

Malagasy Lacewing

Chrysoperla madagascariensis

A delicate green insect with large, transparent wings bearing a fine network of veins. Adults have bright golden eyes an...

Coleoptera

Malagasy Tiger Beetle

Pogonostoma elegans

A brilliantly colored tiger beetle endemic to Madagascar with metallic green, blue, or purple elytra. It is a fast, agil...

Neuroptera

Malay Green Lacewing

Mallada basalis

A tropical Asian lacewing with a greenish body and dark wing venation. Commercially reared in Taiwan for pest control in...

Coleoptera

Malaysian Firefly

Pteroptyx valida

A synchronous firefly of Malaysian rivers that creates spectacular congregation displays. It is a key species for firefl...

Orthoptera

Mammoth Cave Cricket

Hadenoecus subterraneus

A large obligate cave cricket and keystone species of Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Its eggs are the primary food source for m...

Neuroptera

Mantis Lacewing

Mantispa perla

A delicate insect with mantis-like raptorial forelegs and lace-like wings. An ambush predator of small insects....

Neuroptera

Margined Brown Lacewing

Hemerobius marginatus

A European brown lacewing with darkened wing margins found in deciduous woodland. Common but often overlooked due to its...

Diptera

Maritime Long-legged Fly

Aphrosylus praedator

A specialized marine intertidal fly that hunts on wave-splashed rocks and barnacles. It has a metallic greenish body and...

Coleoptera

Mediterranean Drilus

Drilus mauritanicus

A North African drilus beetle with small winged males bearing brown elytra and pectinate antennae. The larviform females...

Neuroptera

Mediterranean Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla mediterranea

A cryptic species within the carnea group found in Mediterranean climates. Distinguished from close relatives by substra...

Mantodea

Mediterranean Mantis

Iris oratoria

A medium-sized mantis with striking eyespots on its hindwings used to startle predators. It is native to the Mediterrane...

Mantodea

Mega Mantis

Plistospilota guineensis

One of the largest mantis species in the world reaching up to 17cm. It is green with a massive thorax and powerful legs....

Neuroptera

Mexican Antlion

Vella americana

A robust antlion found across the southern United States and Mexico. Recognized by its large size and boldly marked fore...

Coleoptera

Mexican Firefly

Photinus mexicanus

A medium-sized firefly from Mexico and Central America with a dark body and yellowish-red pronotum. It produces a yellow...

Odonata

Migrant Hawker

Aeshna mixta

A medium-sized hawker dragonfly that has significantly expanded its range northward in Europe. It flies late into autumn...

Hemiptera

Milkweed Assassin Bug

Zelus longipes

A slender, brightly colored assassin bug with red and black markings. It is a generalist predator common in gardens and ...

Coleoptera

Mole-nest Rove Beetle

Quedius mesomelinus

A medium-sized, dark rove beetle commonly found in caves, cellars, and the nests of burrowing mammals. It is one of the ...

Lepidoptera

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Famous for its incredible multi-generational migration spanning up to 4,800 km between Canada and Mexico. Orange wings w...

Diptera

Mountain Dance Fly

Empis pennipes

A predatory fly with feathery leg fringes used in aerial mating displays. Males offer prey gifts wrapped in silk to fema...

Coleoptera

Mountain Ladybird

Coccinella quinquepunctata

A five-spotted ladybird commonly found in alpine meadows and mountain pastures. It is an active predator of aphids on al...

Coleoptera

Mountain Leaf Beetle

Oreina cacaliae

A brightly colored leaf beetle found on alpine plants like Adenostyles. Its metallic blue-green body warns predators of ...

Diptera

Mountain Robber Fly

Machimus rusticus

A powerful aerial predator found in dry mountain meadows and rocky slopes. It catches other insects in flight with its s...

Coleoptera

Nairobi Eye Beetle

Paederus sabaeus

A small, brightly colored rove beetle with an orange and black body that produces pederin, a potent blistering toxin. Ou...

Coleoptera

Narrow-mouth Ground Beetle

Abax parallelepipedus

A large, shiny black ground beetle with a distinctive parallel-sided body shape. It is one of the most common large cara...

Mantodea

Narrow-Winged Mantis

Tenodera angustipennis

A large East Asian mantis closely related to the Chinese mantis, with characteristically narrow forewings. It inhabits g...

Coleoptera

Nebroides Ground Beetle

Carabus problematicus

A common black ground beetle of northern European heathlands and moorlands. It is an active nocturnal predator with ridg...

Coleoptera

Neotropical Firefly

Aspisoma lineatum

A soft-bodied beetle producing a continuous greenish glow from its abdominal lantern organs. It is common in South Ameri...

Hymenoptera

Neotropical Hunting Ant

Neoponera apicalis

A large black ponerine ant with reddish-brown appendages and a powerful sting. Workers are skilled solitary hunters that...

Diptera

Neotropical Robber Fly

Ommatius orenoquensis

A slender tropical robber fly found in South American lowland forests. It hunts from leaf tips in the forest understory....

Coleoptera

Neotropical Tiger Beetle

Pseudoxycheila tarsalis

A fast-running predatory beetle with metallic blue-green elytra and large sickle-shaped mandibles. It actively hunts sma...

Hemiptera

Neotropical Toe-Biter

Belostoma elongatum

A large aquatic predatory bug with flattened body and powerful raptorial forelegs. It is common in South American freshw...

Neuroptera

Nervous Brown Lacewing

Micromus variegatus

A tiny mottled brown lacewing found across the Palearctic region. Despite its small size, it is an effective predator of...

Scolopendromorpha

New Zealand Giant Centipede

Cormocephalus rubriceps

New Zealand's largest centipede, reaching up to 160 mm in length. While not an insect, it is a prominent invertebrate pr...

Coleoptera

New Zealand Glow-Worm Firefly

Atyphella flammans

An Australasian firefly found in subtropical forests of eastern Australia. It produces a steady amber glow rather than a...

Lepidoptera

New Zealand Magpie Moth

Nyctemera annulata

A distinctive day-flying moth endemic to New Zealand, with black and white spotted wings. It is commonly seen fluttering...

Coleoptera

New Zealand Rove Beetle

Quedius antipodus

A medium-sized, shiny dark rove beetle native to New Zealand's native forests. It is one of the most commonly encountere...

Coleoptera

New Zealand Sand Scarab

Pericoptus truncatus

A large flightless scarab beetle endemic to sandy coastal habitats in New Zealand. It is nocturnal and burrows in sand d...

Coleoptera

New Zealand Tiger Beetle

Neocicindela tuberculata

An endemic tiger beetle found on sandy and clay soils throughout New Zealand. It is an active visual predator that runs ...

Coleoptera

Night-Stalking Tiger Beetle

Omus dejeanii

A flightless nocturnal tiger beetle from western North America with a matte black body. Unlike its diurnal relatives, it...

Odonata

Norfolk Hawker

Anaciaeschna isosceles

A large brown hawker dragonfly with distinctive green eyes and a yellow triangle on the second abdominal segment. It is ...

Megaloptera

North American Alderfly

Sialis infumata

A small, dark-winged alderfly common near ponds and slow streams across eastern North America. Adults are clumsy fliers ...

Hemiptera

North American Backswimmer

Notonecta undulata

A common backswimmer across North America that hunts by floating upside down at the surface. Its large eyes help it spot...

Coleoptera

Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle

Habroscelimorpha dorsalis dorsalis

A tiger beetle of Atlantic coast beaches from New England to Virginia. It nests in sandy beach habitat that is increasin...

Coleoptera

Northern Cave Ground Beetle

Pseudanophthalmus menetriesi

A small, blind, unpigmented cave beetle from the limestone caves of the Appalachian region. The genus contains over 250 ...

Odonata

Northern Emerald Dragonfly

Somatochlora arctica

A rare dragonfly of northern bogs and moorland pools. Has brilliant emerald-green eyes and a bronzy-green body. One of t...

Coleoptera

Northern Ground Beetle

Pelophila borealis

A medium-sized, dark metallic green or bronze ground beetle with long legs. It is an active predator on riverbanks and l...

Coleoptera

Northern Taiga Ground Beetle

Pterostichus adstrictus

A medium-sized black ground beetle common across the boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of the most ab...

Odonata

Northern White-faced Darter

Leucorrhinia rubicunda

A small dragonfly with a dark body, white face, and reddish markings on the abdomen. Males are more brightly colored tha...

Coleoptera

Notched-mouth Ground Beetle

Dicheirus dilatatus

A large southern African ground beetle with powerful mandibles and a robust body. It is a formidable predator found in s...

Orthoptera

Oak Bush-cricket

Meconema thalassinum

A slender, pale green bush-cricket found in tree canopies. It is nocturnal and rarely flies despite having fully develop...

Coleoptera

Obtuse Rove Beetle

Tachyporus obtusus

A tiny, boat-shaped rove beetle with a yellow-brown pronotum and darker elytra. It is common in grasslands and meadows w...

Odonata

Ogasawara Damselfly

Rhinocypha ogasawarensis

A striking damselfly endemic to the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands of Japan. Males display iridescent blue wing patches durin...

Coleoptera

Ohlone Tiger Beetle

Cicindela ohlone

One of the rarest tiger beetles in North America, known from only a handful of coastal terrace grassland sites near Sant...

Hemiptera

Orange Assassin Bug

Platymeris rhadamanthus

A large black assassin bug with striking orange-red markings on the connexivum and legs. Found in East African forests w...

Hymenoptera

Orange Spider Wasp

Cryptocheilus australis

A striking orange and black spider wasp that hunts large ground-dwelling spiders across Australia. Its vivid colouration...

Hymenoptera

Orange Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex simplex

A bright orange pseudomyrmecine ant found in the Amazon basin that nests in small hollow twigs. It is a generalist preda...

Odonata

Orange-bellied Skimmer

Libellula jesseana

A rare North American dragonfly found in acidic bog ponds and fens. It is extremely localized across scattered populatio...

Odonata

Orange-spotted Emerald

Oxygastra curtisii

A rare metallic green dragonfly with golden spots along its abdomen....

Hymenoptera

Organ Pipe Mud Dauber

Trypoxylon politum

A slender black wasp that builds distinctive parallel tubes of mud resembling organ pipes under eaves and overhangs. Mal...

Coleoptera

Osumi Ground Beetle

Carabus osumensis

An endemic ground beetle from the Osumi Peninsula in southern Kyushu, Japan. Features a beautiful metallic green-gold co...

Neuroptera

Owlfly

Libelloides coccajus

Dragonfly-like neuropterans with large eyes and clubbed antennae. Fast aerial predators that catch prey in flight. Often...

Diptera

Ozark Stiletto Fly

Thereva frontalis

A medium-sized stiletto fly with a grayish body covered in fine pale hairs and clear wings. It is commonly found resting...

Neuroptera

Pacific Brown Lacewing

Hemerobius pacificus

A brown lacewing native to western North America found in coniferous forests. Important natural enemy of hemlock and spr...

Coleoptera

Pacific Seashore Rove Beetle

Cafius canescens

A small, grayish-pubescent rove beetle found along the Pacific coast of the Americas under kelp and seaweed deposits. It...

Orthoptera

Painted Grasshopper

Poekilocerus pictus

A strikingly colorful grasshopper with bright yellow and turquoise markings found in the Indian subcontinent. Its vivid ...

Mantodea

Pale Bark Mantis

Amorphoscelis pallida

A pale-colored bark mantis from tropical Africa that hunts on light-colored tree bark. Its translucent wings and pale bo...

Coleoptera

Pale Click Beetle

Agrypnus murinus

A distinctive European click beetle covered in a mosaic pattern of grey and brown scales giving it excellent camouflage ...

Neuroptera

Palpares Antlion

Palpares immensus

An enormous antlion from sub-Saharan Africa with strikingly patterned wings. Among the largest flying neuropterans on th...

Coleoptera

Panamanian Giant Ground Beetle

Calosoma granulatum

A large South American caterpillar hunter with coarsely sculptured dark elytra and metallic reflections. It is an import...

Hymenoptera

Panzer's Nomad Bee

Nomada panzeri

A wasp-mimicking cleptoparasitic bee that targets Andrena mining bee nests. Its bright red, yellow, and black coloring w...

Coleoptera

Pasimachus Flat Ground Beetle

Pasimachus depressus

A large, broad, flattened shiny black beetle with massive mandibles and distinctive blue-margined elytra. It is one of t...

Coleoptera

Patagonian Tiger Beetle

Cicindela patagonika

A fast-running predatory beetle adapted to the harsh steppe environment of Patagonia. It has a dark metallic body with p...

Hemiptera

Pennsylvania Ambush Bug

Phymata pennsylvanica

A small chunky yellow and brown bug with thickened raptorial forelegs that hides in flower heads to ambush pollinators. ...

Coleoptera

Pennsylvania Firefly

Photuris pennsylvanica

A common firefly of the eastern United States that produces a green-yellow bioluminescent flash. Adults are soft-bodied ...

Plecoptera

Perlodes Stonefly

Perlodes microcephalus

A striking patterned stonefly with yellow and brown markings found across Europe. Nymphs are active predators that emerg...

Neuroptera

Persian Spoonwing

Lertha sheppardi

A Middle Eastern nemopterid found in arid steppe and desert-margin habitats. Adults have beautifully patterned forewings...

Odonata

Petaltail Dragonfly

Tachopteryx thoreyi

A primitive dragonfly that perches on tree trunks and has bog-dwelling larvae....

Diptera

Phantom Midge

Chaoborus crystallinus

A nearly transparent midge whose larvae are planktonic predators in lakes. Larvae migrate vertically in the water column...

Hemiptera

Picromerus Predatory Bug

Picromerus bidens

A dark brown predatory stink bug with two prominent pronotal spines found across Europe. It is an important natural enem...

Coleoptera

Pictured Rove Beetle

Paederus littoralis

A slender black and orange rove beetle with short elytra exposing most of its abdomen. It contains the toxin pederin whi...

Diptera

Pied Hoverfly

Scaeva pyrastri

A large, elegant hoverfly with white crescent-shaped markings on a dark abdomen. It is a strong migrant and beneficial a...

Hymenoptera

Pipe-organ Mud Wasp

Trypoxylon figulus

A slender black solitary wasp that builds mud-tube nests in hollow stems and holes, provisioning them with paralyzed spi...

Coleoptera

Pleasing Fungus Beetle

Gibbifer californicus

A brightly colored beetle that feeds exclusively on bracket fungi on dead trees. Its warning colors signal chemical defe...

Mantodea

Praying Mantis

Mantis religiosa

The original praying mantis, named for the prayer-like position of its folded forelegs. A formidable predator with stere...

Coleoptera

Predaceous Diving Beetle

Cybister lateralimarginalis

A large olive-green diving beetle found across southern Europe and Africa. It is a powerful swimmer that hunts a range o...

Orthoptera

Predatory Bush Cricket

Saga pedo

The largest European bush-cricket reaching up to 12cm. It is a formidable predator of other insects. The entire known po...

Coleoptera

Predatory Dung Beetle

Deltochilum valgum

An unusual roller dung beetle that has evolved predatory behavior, actively hunting and killing millipedes. It is dark b...

Orthoptera

Predatory Katydid

Clonia melanoptera

A large predatory katydid with powerful spiny forelegs for catching insects....

Hemiptera

Predatory Stink Bug

Eocanthecona furcellata

A medium-sized predatory shield bug used as a biological control agent in Asia and Australia. It feeds on caterpillars a...

Thysanoptera

Predatory Thrips

Aeolothrips intermedius

A beneficial predatory thrips that feeds on spider mites, other thrips, and small insects. It has distinctive banded win...

Neuroptera

Psocid-like Dustywing

Conwentzia psociformis

A European dustywing named for its resemblance to psocids or booklice. Common on deciduous trees where it hunts mites on...

Coleoptera

Puritan Tiger Beetle

Cicindela puritana

A bronze-green tiger beetle with white markings found only on sandy riverbanks and beaches. It is one of the rarest inse...

Coleoptera

Rain Beetle Hunter

Calosoma cancellatum

A medium to large caterpillar hunter with dark elytra marked by rows of rectangular pits giving a grid-like appearance. ...

Coleoptera

Rainbow Ground Beetle

Carabus nitens

A spectacularly colored ground beetle with elytra showing bands of metallic green, copper, and red, with three prominent...

Odonata

Red and Blue Damselfly

Xanthagrion erythroneurum

A small damselfly where males display striking red and blue coloring. It is one of the most colorful damselflies in Aust...

Coleoptera

Red Rove Beetle

Platydracus maculosus

A large, brightly marked rove beetle with reddish elytra spotted with dark markings and a densely pubescent thorax. It i...

Coleoptera

Red-bellied Rove Beetle

Tasgius melanarius

A large, shiny black rove beetle with a reddish-brown abdominal tip, found in synanthropic habitats across Europe. It is...

Coleoptera

Red-Headed Cardinal Beetle

Pyrochroa serraticornis

A vivid red beetle with serrated antennae found on flowers and under bark. Larvae are predatory and live beneath the bar...

Coleoptera

Red-legged Rove Beetle

Lathrobium brunnipes

A slender, elongate paederine rove beetle with brown legs and a parallel-sided body. It is a soil-dwelling predator comm...

Coleoptera

Red-legged Shieldback Ground Beetle

Badister bullatus

A small, attractively colored ground beetle with a reddish-orange head and legs contrasting with dark elytra. It is a sn...

Coleoptera

Red-Shouldered Ham Beetle

Carcinops pumilio

A tiny, shiny black hister beetle commonly found in poultry houses where it preys on house fly larvae. It is an importan...

Odonata

Red-veined Darter

Sympetrum fonscolombii

A striking darter dragonfly with red veins on the leading edge of the wings and a vivid blue underside to the eyes. Male...

Hymenoptera

Red-winged Spider Wasp

Tachypompilus ferrugineus

A large rusty-red spider wasp that hunts wolf spiders and other large ground spiders. It drags paralyzed prey across the...

Odonata

Relict Himalayan Dragonfly

Epiophlebia laidlawi

A living fossil dragonfly from the Himalayas that retains features of both dragonflies and damselflies. It breeds in col...

Odonata

Reunion Riverjack

Zygonyx elisabethae

A large dragonfly endemic to the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean. It patrols waterfalls and fast-flowing mountain ...

Neuroptera

Ribbon-winged Lacewing

Nemoptera coa

A graceful Aegean lacewing with long ribbon-like hindwings and patterned forewings. Found on dry, flower-rich hillsides ...

Odonata

Ringed Cascader

Zygonyx torridus

A dragonfly that hunts exclusively over rapids and waterfalls in warm climates....

Odonata

River Clubtail

Stylurus flavipes

A large clubtail dragonfly with yellow and black markings and a distinctly expanded abdomen tip. It breeds in large lowl...

Diptera

Robber Fly

Promachus rufipes

Aggressive aerial predators that catch other insects in flight. Inject prey with neurotoxic saliva that paralyzes and li...

Coleoptera

Robust Brown Rove Beetle

Ocypus brunnipes

A large, dark rove beetle with characteristic brown legs, found commonly in grasslands and meadows. It is a powerful noc...

Odonata

Roseate Skimmer

Orthemis ferruginea

A dragonfly where mature males develop a beautiful rosy-pink to violet abdomen. Females are brown with a pale dorsal str...

Lepidoptera

Rosy Underwing

Catocala electa

A large moth with camouflaged grey-brown forewings hiding vivid rosy-pink and black hindwings. When disturbed, the flash...

Hemiptera

Rough Stink Bug

Brochymena quadripustulata

A gray-brown bark-colored stink bug with a rough, granular body surface that provides excellent camouflage on tree trunk...

Coleoptera

Round Sand Beetle

Omophron limbatum

A highly distinctive, nearly circular ground beetle with a domed shape and striking pattern of pale yellow with dark gre...

Coleoptera

Round-bodied Scydmaenine

Scydmaenus tarsatus

A minute, convex rove beetle of the subfamily Scydmaeninae with a distinctively constricted waist between thorax and abd...

Coleoptera

Rustic Soldier Beetle

Cantharis rustica

A common European soldier beetle with dark elytra and an orange-red pronotum marked with a black spot. It is an active p...

Hymenoptera

Saharan Silver Ant

Cataglyphis bombycina

The fastest ant in the world, sprinting across Saharan sand at midday when predators shelter from the heat. Its body is ...

Coleoptera

Saharan Silver Ant Beetle

Anthia sexmaculata

A large predatory ground beetle with bold white spots on black elytra. It hunts other insects across hot desert surfaces...

Plecoptera

Sallfly

Chloroperla tripunctata

A small, bright green stonefly with three distinctive dark spots on its head. It is common in clean European upland stre...

Coleoptera

Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

Cicindela nevadica lincolniana

One of the rarest insects in the world, this small tiger beetle has dark olive-brown elytra with faint white markings. I...

Odonata

San Francisco Forktail Damselfly

Ischnura gemina

A tiny damselfly restricted to a few freshwater ponds near the San Francisco Bay coast. It is threatened by urban encroa...

Diptera

Sand Robber Fly

Philonicus albiceps

A pale sandy-colored robber fly found on coastal dunes and sandy heaths. It hunts other flies and small insects on open ...

Coleoptera

Sand-Loving Hister Beetle

Hypocaccus rugifrons

A small, reddish-brown hister beetle found in sandy coastal habitats. It hunts fly larvae in seaweed wrack and stranded ...

Odonata

Sapphire Flutterer

Rhyothemis triangularis

A small dragonfly with sapphire-blue metallic patches on its hindwings. It has a fluttering, butterfly-like flight patte...

Hymenoptera

Saxon Wasp

Dolichovespula saxonica

A social wasp that builds distinctive grey football-shaped nests in trees and bushes. It is generally docile and its col...

Odonata

Scarlet Percher

Diplacodes haematodes

A brilliant scarlet-red dragonfly found across northern and inland Australia. Males are among the most vividly colored d...

Diptera

Scarlet Robber Fly

Laphria flava

A bumblebee-mimicking robber fly covered in dense golden-yellow hair. It preys on insects visiting flowers at woodland e...

Odonata

Scarlet Skimmer

Crocothemis erythraea

A medium-sized dragonfly where males are entirely vivid scarlet red, including the veins of the wings. It is one of the ...

Coleoptera

Screech Beetle

Hygrobia hermanni

A medium-sized, reddish-brown water beetle that produces an audible squeaking sound when handled. It is found in muddy p...

Coleoptera

Seven-Spot Ladybird

Coccinella septempunctata

The most common ladybird in Europe. Its bright red coloring with seven black spots warns predators of its bitter taste. ...

Coleoptera

Seven-spotted Ladybird

Hippodamia variegata

A small, variably marked ladybird that is an important predator of aphids in agricultural settings. Often found in open,...

Odonata

Seychelles Cascader

Zygonyx hookeri

A large dragonfly endemic to the Seychelles that breeds in fast-flowing streams and waterfalls. Adults hawk insects over...

Odonata

Shadow Darner

Aeshna umbrosa

A large, dark darner that hunts in shaded forest edges during evening hours. It is widespread across North America in wo...

Odonata

Shadowdamsel

Palaemnema paulicoba

A delicate damselfly that lives in deep shade along tropical forest streams....

Coleoptera

Sharp-Grooved Diving Beetle

Acilius sulcatus

A medium-sized diving beetle widespread across Europe, recognized by the deeply grooved elytra of females. It is a fast ...

Coleoptera

Shining Rove Beetle

Quedius fuliginosus

A sleek, shiny dark brown rove beetle with a smooth, mirror-like pronotum. It is one of the most common Quedius species ...

Coleoptera

Shiny Lined Rove Beetle

Xantholinus longiventris

A distinctively elongate rove beetle with a shiny black head and pronotum, and reddish-brown elytra. It hunts in narrow ...

Coleoptera

Silky Chlaenius

Chlaenius vestitus

A medium-sized ground beetle covered in fine silky pubescence giving it a velvety green appearance. It is commonly found...

Lepidoptera

Six-spot Burnet

Zygaena filipendulae

A day-flying moth with metallic blue-black forewings bearing six crimson spots. Its bright colours warn predators of its...

Thysanoptera

Six-spotted Thrips

Scolothrips sexmaculatus

A tiny predatory thrips with three dark spots on each forewing. It is a valuable natural enemy of spider mites in agricu...

Coleoptera

Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle

Cicindela sexguttata

A brilliant metallic green beetle with six white spots on its elytra. It is an agile predator commonly seen on forest pa...

Plecoptera

Skimmer Stonefly

Acroneuria abnormis

A large predatory stonefly widespread in eastern North American rivers. Adults skim across the water surface during egg-...

Diptera

Slender Robber Fly

Leptogaster cylindrica

A delicate, narrow-bodied robber fly with an extremely slender abdomen. It hunts small insects among tall grass stems....

Coleoptera

Sloane's Tiger Beetle

Pseudotetracha sloaneae

A rare nocturnal tiger beetle endemic to inland salt lakes of southern Australia. It has unusually large eyes and long l...

Hemiptera

Small Milkweed Bug

Lygaeus kalmii

A boldly patterned red-and-black seed bug that feeds on milkweed seeds and sequesters toxic cardiac glycosides. Its warn...

Plecoptera

Small-headed Stonefly

Perlodes microcephala

A large spring-emerging stonefly found in clean upland rivers. Nymphs are predatory, feeding on mayfly and midge larvae....

Diptera

Snail-killing Fly

Tetanocera elata

A wetland fly whose larvae are specialized predators or parasitoids of land snails. It has been investigated as a biocon...

Coleoptera

Snail-killing Fly Beetle

Drilus flavescens

A brown beetle with soft elytra where males are winged but females are larviform and never develop wings. It specializes...

Hymenoptera

Snapping Amblyopone

Stigmatomma oregonense

A pale, blind subterranean ant of western North American forests that hunts centipedes and other soil arthropods. Like o...

Diptera

Snipe Fly

Rhagio scolopaceus

A slender, brownish fly with a pointed abdomen and spotted wings that typically perches head-down on tree trunks and fen...

Coleoptera

Snout Ant-loving Beetle

Batrisodes venustus

A tiny, reddish-brown pselaphine rove beetle with a characteristic elongated snout-like head. It inhabits ant nests wher...

Coleoptera

Snow Patch Ground Beetle

Nebria rufescens

A reddish-brown ground beetle found near persistent snow patches. It is among the first predators to colonize newly expo...

Coleoptera

Snowfield Rove Beetle

Geodromicus globulicollis

A small, cold-adapted omaline rove beetle found at high elevations near snowfields and glacier margins. It is active on ...

Coleoptera

Soldier Beetle

Cantharis livida

A soft-bodied beetle with orange-yellow elytra and a dark head. Adults are commonly seen on flower heads hunting small i...

Plecoptera

South African Brown Stonefly

Neoperla spio

A medium-sized brown stonefly found in rivers and streams of southern and eastern Africa. Nymphs are predatory and favor...

Megaloptera

South African Dobsonfly

Taeniochauliodes ochraceus

A large dobsonfly from southern African rivers with broad amber-tinged wings....

Coleoptera

South African Glowworm

Lamprigera boyei

A large firefly from southern Africa with larviform females that produce a steady bright greenish glow. Males are winged...

Coleoptera

South African Graphipterus

Graphipterus serrator

A flattened, distinctively patterned ground beetle with white and black markings on its broad, flat elytra. It hides und...

Neuroptera

South African Owlfly

Tmesibasis lacerata

A large African owlfly with intricately patterned wings and prominent clubbed antennae. Active during warm summer aftern...

Diptera

South African Robber Fly

Alcimus tristrigatus

A large, hairy robber fly endemic to southern Africa's fynbos and savanna. It perches conspicuously on shrubs while scan...

Megaloptera

South American Dobsonfly

Chloronia hieroglyphica

A large, distinctively patterned dobsonfly from South American mountain streams. Its wings bear intricate markings resem...

Diptera

South American Robber Fly

Microstylum magnum

A large, elongate robber fly from tropical regions with a slender abdomen and long spiny legs. It hunts from exposed per...

Odonata

Southern Hawker

Aeshna cyanea

A large, inquisitive dragonfly with apple-green and blue markings on a dark body. It is known for its curiosity and ofte...

Coleoptera

Southern Rove Beetle

Philonthus spinipes

A shiny, black rove beetle with distinctive spiny hind tibiae. It is a fast-running predator commonly found under stones...

Plecoptera

Southern Salmonfly

Neoperla clymene

A medium-sized stonefly of warm southeastern streams with nocturnal adults. Nymphs are active predators in gravel substr...

Odonata

Southern Skimmer

Orthetrum brunneum

A robust skimmer dragonfly where males develop a pale powder-blue pruinescence. Females are brown with a pale lateral st...

Coleoptera

Spangled Ground Beetle

Callisthenes luxatus

A striking caterpillar hunter with dark elytra covered in rows of metallic golden or copper pits. It is a nocturnal pred...

Coleoptera

Spanish Copperhead Ground Beetle

Carabus macrocephalus

A large Iberian ground beetle with a distinctly oversized head and copper to bronze-colored elytra with deep sculptured ...

Plecoptera

Speckled Peter Stonefly

Paragnetina media

A medium-sized patterned stonefly of eastern streams with distinctive speckled wing markings. Nymphs are voracious preda...

Hymenoptera

Spider Wasp

Cryptocheilus bicolor

A large orange and black wasp that hunts huntsman spiders for its larvae....

Hymenoptera

Spider-hunting Wasp

Anoplius nigerrimus

A large all-black spider-hunting wasp that drags paralyzed wolf spiders back to its burrow....

Diptera

Spine-legged Robber Fly

Diogmites angustipennis

A slender amber-colored robber fly with conspicuously spined legs. It hunts from the ground in open sandy or rocky areas...

Hemiptera

Spined Soldier Bug

Podisus maculiventris

A beneficial predatory stink bug with prominent shoulder spines and a mottled brown body. It feeds on pest caterpillars ...

Coleoptera

Spiny Oakworm Moth Predator Beetle

Calosoma scrutator

A large, iridescent green ground beetle with violet-blue margins, known as the fiery searcher. It hunts caterpillars in ...

Hemiptera

Spittlebug

Philaenus spumarius

A small, stout brown bug whose nymphs produce masses of frothy white "spittle" on plant stems. The foam protects them fr...

Coleoptera

Splendid Rove Beetle

Philonthus splendens

A large, shiny black rove beetle associated with mammal dung. Found across European pasturelands. An effective predator ...

Neuroptera

Split-banded Owlfly

Ascaloptynx appendiculatus

A striking North American owlfly with a bold dark band across each forewing. Inhabits dry grasslands and open woodland i...

Coleoptera

Spotted Brown Rove Beetle

Staphylinus fossor

A large, robust rove beetle with a brown body covered in patches of golden and dark setae. It is a ground-dwelling preda...

Coleoptera

Spring Firefly

Photinus ardens

A small early-season firefly of the eastern United States with a distinctive fast double-pulse flash pattern. It has a d...

Mantodea

Springbok Mantis

Miomantis caffra

A small bright green mantis native to southern Africa that has become invasive in New Zealand. Females are notorious for...

Plecoptera

Springfly

Isoperla signata

A spring-emerging stonefly of fast-flowing European streams. Nymphs are active hunters that pursue prey among streambed ...

Coleoptera

Sri Lankan Firefly

Luciola singalesa

A tropical firefly endemic to Sri Lanka found in lowland forests. It produces a bright yellow-green flash in the humid e...

Odonata

Sri Lankan Relict Dragonfly

Lankanectes corrugatus

A rare clubtail dragonfly endemic to Sri Lanka's wet zone streams. It has declined sharply due to water pollution and de...

Neuroptera

Stately Green Lacewing

Chrysopa walkeri

A large green lacewing found in Australian woodlands and gardens. One of the more conspicuous lacewing species on the co...

Hymenoptera

Steel-blue Cricket Hunter

Chlorion aerarium

A large metallic blue wasp that hunts field crickets and mole crickets. It drags paralyzed prey into burrows to provisio...

Coleoptera

Steelblue Ladybird

Halmus chalybeus

A small metallic blue-green ladybird native to Australia. It is an important predator of scale insects on citrus and euc...

Coleoptera

Stellate Dung Beetle

Gymnopleurus humanus

A medium-sized, glossy black roller found in African savannas. It has a nearly perfectly spherical body when viewed from...

Mantodea

Stick Mantis

Popa spurca

A twig-mimicking mantis with lobed legs and bark-like body texture....

Neuroptera

Striped Green Lacewing

Chrysopa pallens

A pale green lacewing with a characteristic dark stripe along the body. Widely distributed across the Palearctic region....

Coleoptera

Striped Ladybird

Myzia oblongoguttata

A large distinctive ladybird with cream streaks on a brown background. It lives exclusively in conifer trees....

Plecoptera

Stripetail Stonefly

Isoperla bilineata

A yellow-green stonefly with two distinctive dark stripes on its tails. It is common in clean North American streams dur...

Coleoptera

Styrian Ground Beetle

Nebria styriana

An endemic alpine beetle restricted to high elevations in the eastern Alps. It shelters under stones during the day and ...

Coleoptera

Svalbard Rove Beetle

Atheta islandica

A tiny, dark brown rove beetle found in some of the most northerly terrestrial habitats on Earth. It shelters in bird ne...

Lepidoptera

Swallowtail Butterfly

Papilio machaon

Elegant butterfly with yellow wings marked with black veins and blue-red eyespots on hindwings. The tail extensions on h...

Odonata

Swamp Darner

Austroaeschna parvistigma

A medium-sized brown and blue darner dragonfly found along shaded creeks in southeastern Australia. It has small stigmat...

Plecoptera

Sweltsa Green Stonefly

Sweltsa borealis

A small northern green stonefly found in cold boreal and montane streams. Nymphs prey on early-instar chironomids and ot...

Coleoptera

Swift Rove Beetle

Tachyporus hypnorum

A small, streamlined rove beetle of the subfamily Tachyporinae with a tapered posterior and bicolored body. It is extrem...

Diptera

Tachydromia Dance Fly

Tachydromia umbrarum

A tiny wingless dance fly that runs rapidly over tree bark hunting for small arthropods. Despite being flightless, it is...

Diptera

Tanypod Predatory Midge

Tanypus punctipennis

A predatory midge whose larvae hunt other small invertebrates in soft sediments. Adults have distinctively spotted wings...

Hymenoptera

Tarantula Hawk

Pepsis grossa

A giant wasp that hunts tarantulas. The female paralyzes a tarantula with her sting, drags it to a burrow, and lays an e...

Plecoptera

Tasmanian Giant Stonefly

Eusthenia spectabilis

A spectacular large stonefly endemic to Tasmanian mountain streams with bold orange and black markings. Nymphs are among...

Odonata

Tau Emerald

Hemicordulia tau

A metallic emerald-green dragonfly with bright green eyes and a distinctive T-shaped yellow marking on the abdomen. It i...

Coleoptera

Tellkampf's Cave Beetle

Neaphaenops tellkampfi

A predatory blind cave beetle endemic to Kentucky's Mammoth Cave region. It feeds primarily on eggs of cave crickets....

Coleoptera

Tepui Firefly

Photinus tepui

A bioluminescent beetle endemic to the isolated tepui tabletop mountains of Venezuela. It produces a distinctive greenis...

Mantodea

Texas Unicorn Mantis

Phyllovates chlorophaea

A medium-sized green mantis with a distinctive horn-like process on its head. It is found in the southern United States ...

Coleoptera

Thai Synchronous Firefly

Pteroptyx malaccae

A synchronous firefly of Southeast Asian mangroves that gathers in large congregations. Males synchronize their flashes ...

Mantodea

Thistle Mantis

Blepharopsis mendica

A graceful desert mantis with feathered antennae and a crown-like crest on its head. It has a slender build adapted to l...

Hemiptera

Thread-legged Bug

Emesaya brevipennis

An extremely slender assassin bug with stick-like legs that hunts in spider webs. It plucks web strands to lure spiders ...

Hymenoptera

Thread-waisted Wasp

Ammophila sabulosa

An elegant wasp with an extremely narrow petiole and red-banded abdomen. It hunts caterpillars and carries them clasped ...

Neuroptera

Thread-winged Antlion Lacewing

Croce filipennis

A bizarre nemopterid with extremely long, thread-like hindwings. Males have hindwings that can be several times their bo...

Coleoptera

Tibetan Alpine Ground Beetle

Carabus henningi

A high-altitude ground beetle adapted to the harsh conditions of the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountains. It has a...

Coleoptera

Tiger Beetle

Cicindela hybrida

A fast-running bronze-green tiger beetle with cream markings. One of the fastest running insects relative to size....

Hemiptera

Toad Bug

Gelastocoris oculatus

A warty bug that closely resembles a tiny toad and hops along stream banks....

Coleoptera

Tooth Cave Ground Beetle

Rhadine persephone

A tiny eyeless ground beetle found only in a few limestone caves near Austin, Texas. It is a specialized predator of oth...

Lepidoptera

Transparent Burnet Moth

Methona confusa

A delicate butterfly with almost entirely transparent wings bordered by dark brown and orange margins. It is part of a m...

Neuroptera

Trash-carrying Lacewing

Chrysopa nigricornis

A North American green lacewing with dark antennae. Its larvae camouflage themselves by piling debris on their backs....

Coleoptera

Trechine Cave Ground Beetle

Aphaenops cerberus

A fully cave-adapted ground beetle from the Pyrenees with no eyes, no pigmentation, and extremely elongated spider-like ...

Coleoptera

Tricolored Fungus Rove Beetle

Lordithon trinotatus

A small, attractively patterned rove beetle with three dark spots on yellowish elytra, found exclusively on fungi. It is...

Neuroptera

Tropical Dustywing

Heteroconis picticornis

A tropical dustywing with banded antennae found in Asian and African lowland habitats. One of the larger species in the ...

Coleoptera

Tropical Flat Bark Tiger Beetle

Tricondyla aptera

A bizarre, ant-like tiger beetle with an extremely elongated body, narrow waist, and long legs. It hunts on tree bark in...

Neuroptera

Tropical Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla rufilabris

A widely distributed green lacewing used commercially for biological pest control in greenhouses. Larvae are aggressive ...

Coleoptera

Tschitscherine's Ground Beetle

Carabus schoenherri

A large ground beetle from the forests of European Russia and Siberia with heavily ridged elytra and dark bronze colorin...

Araneae

Tundra Wolf Spider

Pardosa glacialis

A dark, medium-sized wolf spider with cryptic brown and gray patterning. Females carry their egg sacs attached to their ...

Neuroptera

Turkish Owlfly

Libelloides rhomboideus

A striking owlfly with rhombus-shaped wing markings found in Anatolia and the eastern Mediterranean. Active on warm sunn...

Odonata

Twelve-Spotted Skimmer

Libellula pulchella

A showy dragonfly with three dark spots on each wing, totaling twelve. Mature males develop additional white spots betwe...

Hymenoptera

Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex gracilis

A slender fast-moving ant that nests in hollow twigs and delivers a painful sting....

Coleoptera

Twin-spotted Firefly

Photinus tanytoxus

A small North American firefly with a bright greenish-yellow flash and distinctive twin light organs visible on the last...

Orthoptera

Two-clawed Mole Cricket

Neoscapteriscus didactylus

A large South American mole cricket recognized by its two-clawed digging foreleg. It is both a turf pest and a predator ...

Coleoptera

Two-Spotted Hister Beetle

Hister bipustulatus

A small, globular black beetle with two red-orange spots on its truncated elytra. It is commonly found in dung where it ...

Coleoptera

Two-spotted Jet Beetle

Stenus bipunctatus

A small black rove beetle with two distinctive reddish spots on its elytra and greatly enlarged compound eyes. It is an ...

Hemiptera

Two-spotted Stink Bug

Perillus bioculatus

A colorful predatory stink bug with bold red or orange and black markings. It is particularly valued for its appetite fo...

Mantophasmatodea

Tyrannophasma gladiator

Tyrannophasma gladiator

A South African heelwalker named for its fierce predatory habits. Males drum their abdomens on plant stems to communicat...

Mantodea

Unicorn Mantis

Pseudovates peruviana

A slender mantis with a horn-like projection on its head and lobed leg extensions. Its green and brown coloring mimics l...

Odonata

Variable Damselfly

Coenagrion pulchellum

A blue damselfly with highly variable black markings, making identification challenging. Males have a distinctive mercur...

Coleoptera

Variable Rove Beetle

Philonthus varians

A small but abundant rove beetle highly variable in elytral coloration, ranging from entirely black to reddish-brown. It...

Coleoptera

Viennese Ground Beetle

Carabus fabricii

A large metallic ground beetle of mountain forests and alpine meadows. It is a powerful predator of earthworms and snail...

Coleoptera

Vietnamese Firefly

Luciola curtithorax

A small Southeast Asian firefly with a compact dark body and a short, broad pronotum with pale margins. It produces rapi...

Coleoptera

Violet Ground Beetle

Carabus violaceus

A large black beetle with violet or purple margins on its elytra and thorax. It is nocturnal and hides under logs and st...

Mantodea

Wahlberg Mantis

Polyspilota aeruginosa

A large robust mantis with spectacular spiral-patterned inner forewings....

Mantodea

Wahlberg's Velvet Mantis

Ameles decolor

A small ground-dwelling mantis from the Mediterranean. Females are wingless and brachypterous while males fly readily....

Odonata

Wandering Glider

Pantala hymenaea

A medium-sized dragonfly with broad hindwings and a yellowish body. It spends almost its entire life on the wing, rarely...

Odonata

Wandering Percher

Diplacodes bipunctata

A small dragonfly where males turn deep red with maturity while females remain yellow and brown. It is one of Australia'...

Mantodea

Wandering Violin Mantis

Gongylus gongyloides

An extremely bizarre-looking mantis with an elongated thorax, leaf-like appendages, and a violin-shaped body. It is one ...

Diptera

Warble Fly

Hypoderma bovis

A large, hairy bee-like fly whose larvae migrate through the bodies of cattle for months before emerging from cysts in t...

Phasmatodea

Water Stick Insect

Ranatra linearis

Despite its common name, this is actually a true bug (Hemiptera) that resembles a stick insect and lives underwater. It ...

Hemiptera

Wax-Tailed Planthopper

Pterodictya reticularis

A Neotropical planthopper that produces long waxy tail filaments from its abdomen. These white wax strands may confuse p...

Coleoptera

West African Tiger Beetle

Megacephala megacephala

A large, nocturnal tiger beetle with a broad head and powerful mandibles. The body is dark brown to black with subtle me...

Coleoptera

Western Banded Glowworm

Zarhipis integripennis

A North American glowworm beetle where the larviform female produces rows of greenish-yellow bioluminescent spots along ...

Hymenoptera

Western Cicada Killer

Sphecius grandis

A massive solitary wasp of the American West that hunts cicadas to provision its underground burrows. It is slightly lar...

Hemiptera

Western Corsair

Rasahus thoracicus

A large, dark brown assassin bug found in western North America that occasionally enters homes and can deliver an intens...

Hemiptera

Western Damsel Bug

Nabis alternatus

A tan to light brown predatory bug common in agricultural fields across western North America. It has elongate forelegs ...

Megaloptera

Western Dobsonfly

Neohermes californicus

A large dobsonfly of western North American streams, smaller than its eastern relative. Larvae are top predators under r...

Megaloptera

Western Fishfly

Neohermes filicornis

A western North American fishfly with feathery antennae and brownish wings. Adults are attracted to lights near streams ...

Raphidioptera

Western Snakefly

Agulla adnixa

A North American snakefly found in western forests and woodlands. Larvae develop under bark of conifers where they hunt ...

Plecoptera

Western Stone

Doroneuria baumanni

A large predatory stonefly of Pacific Northwest mountain streams. Nymphs have distinctive patterned heads and powerful m...

Orthoptera

Weta Punga (Tusked Weta)

Anostostoma australasia

A distinctive king cricket or tusked weta found in the North Island of New Zealand. Males possess curved tusks projectin...

Coleoptera

Whirligig Beetle

Gyrinus natator

A small, oval, shiny black beetle that spins in rapid circles on the water surface. Its eyes are divided in two, allowin...

Coleoptera

Whirligig Diving Beetle

Macrogyrus oblongus

A large whirligig beetle that spins on the water surface of African rivers....

Odonata

White-faced Darter

Leucorrhinia dubia

A small dragonfly with a distinctive white face and red markings on a dark body. It is a specialist of acidic bog pools ...

Odonata

Widow Skimmer

Libellula luctuosa

A distinctive dragonfly with broad dark wing patches at the base and white bands beyond them in mature males. Females an...

Diptera

Window Fly

Scenopinus fenestralis

A small shiny black fly often found on windowsills inside buildings. Its larvae are beneficial predators of carpet beetl...

Coleoptera

Winter Firefly

Ellychnia corrusca

A day-active firefly that does not produce light as an adult. It is commonly found on tree trunks during late winter and...

Coleoptera

Woodland Pterostichus

Pterostichus oblongopunctatus

A medium-sized, shiny black ground beetle with distinctive oblong punctures in rows on its elytra. It is one of the most...

Blattodea

Woodlouse Cockroach

Prosoplecta semperi

A tiny rounded cockroach that strongly resembles a ladybird beetle with its domed shape and red-orange coloring with bla...

Hemiptera

Woolly Hackberry Aphid

Shivaphis celti

A waxy-white social aphid that feeds on hackberry trees and is notable for its cooperative colony defense. Large groups ...

Coleoptera

Xantholine Rove Beetle

Xantholinus linearis

An elongated, shiny black rove beetle with a distinctive long head. It hunts small invertebrates in soil and under bark....

Raphidioptera

Xanthostigma Snakefly

Xanthostigma xanthostigma

A snakefly with a distinctive yellow wing stigma from which it derives its name. It is found in European woodlands where...

Diptera

Yellow Dance Fly

Empis stercorea

A medium-sized dance fly with a yellowish body commonly found on spring flowers. Males present prey items as mating gift...

Neuroptera

Yellow Owlfly

Libelloides longicornis

A beautiful owlfly with long clubbed antennae and bright yellow-and-black wings. It perches on grass stems with wings sp...

Plecoptera

Yellow Stonefly

Isoperla dicala

A bright yellow springfly found in clean Appalachian streams. Nymphs are predatory on small invertebrates in gravel subs...

Diptera

Yellow Swarming Fly

Thaumatomyia notata

A tiny yellow fly famous for forming enormous hibernation aggregations in buildings, sometimes numbering millions. Larva...

Coleoptera

Yellow-legged Aleocharine

Aleochara curtula

A medium-sized aleocharine rove beetle whose larvae are parasitoids of fly pupae, a rare strategy among beetles. Adults ...

Hymenoptera

Yellow-legged Hornet

Vespa velutina

An invasive Asian hornet with a dark body and yellow leg tips now spreading rapidly across Europe. It is a major predato...

Odonata

Yellow-spotted Tree Damselfly

Platycypha caligata

A colorful damselfly from African forest streams with males showing bright red and white leg flags. Males wave their col...

Odonata

Yellow-striped Flutterer

Rhyothemis phyllis

A small dragonfly with bold yellow and black stripes on its wings. It flies in a distinctive fluttering manner, resembli...