Root Feeders
122 species with this diet
African Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa africana
A widespread mole cricket found across Africa and southern Asia, common in irrigated croplands and garden soils. It is c...
Alpine Click Beetle
Hypnoidus rivularius
A small, dark click beetle found in damp alpine and subalpine habitats. Its larvae develop in moist soil among grass roo...
Alpine Crane Fly
Tipula alpium
A large crane fly of mountain pastures and alpine meadows. Its larvae are soil-dwelling and feed on grass roots....
Apache Cicada
Diceroprocta apache
A large green and brown cicada that sings loudly in the Sonoran Desert heat. Nymphs spend years underground feeding on r...
Archangel Longitarsus
Longitarsus ganglbaueri
A minute flea beetle associated with yellow archangel in European woodlands. Larvae mine in the roots of labiates. Very ...
Arctic Weevil
Otiorhynchus arcticus
A small, dark, flightless weevil with a short broad snout and rough-textured elytra. Adults are nocturnal and hide under...
Australian Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa pluvialis
A native Australian mole cricket that emerges from the soil in large numbers after heavy rains. It is attracted to light...
Black Vine Weevil
Otiorhynchus sulcatus
A dull black, flightless weevil that is a serious pest of ornamental plants. Adults feed at night, leaving characteristi...
Broad-necked Root Borer
Prionus laticollis
A large dark brown prionine beetle with a notably broad pronotum bearing three sharp lateral teeth on each side. Found i...
Brown Chafer
Serica brunnea
A small chestnut-brown beetle with a velvety sheen to its elytra. It is nocturnal and attracted to lights on warm summer...
California Root Borer
Prionus californicus
A massive prionine beetle found in western North America, one of the largest beetles in the region. Males have conspicuo...
Changa Mole Cricket
Scapteriscus didactylus
A large mole cricket native to South America that became a severe pest in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It has only two...
Chorus Cicada
Amphipsalta zelandica
The most common and widespread cicada in New Zealand, producing the iconic summer chorus heard throughout the country. N...
Cloudy Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus nebulosus
A dark brown Christmas beetle with a cloudy or mottled pattern on its elytra. It is found in forests of eastern New Sout...
Clover Root Weevil
Sitona obsoletus
A small, grey-brown weevil that feeds on clover roots and nitrogen-fixing nodules. It became a major invasive pest in Ne...
Cockchafer
Melolontha melolontha
A large, clumsy-flying chafer beetle that emerges en masse on warm May evenings. Its white C-shaped larvae are familiar ...
Common Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus pallidicollis
A glossy golden-brown scarab beetle that swarms around lights during the Australian summer. It is the most commonly enco...
Common Click Beetle
Agriotes sputator
A small, uniformly brown click beetle that is one of the most common wireworm pests in European agriculture. Adults are ...
Common Crane Fly
Tipula oleracea
A large gray-brown crane fly with extremely long fragile legs that often enters homes in autumn. Its larvae, called leat...
Common Swift Moth
Korscheltellus lupulina
A small brownish moth with faint white streaks that emerges in large numbers in early summer evenings. Its underground l...
Cottonwood Borer
Plectrodera scalator
A large longhorn beetle with bold black and white patterning and long antennae. Its larvae bore into the roots and lower...
Crane Fly
Tipula paludosa
Often mistaken for giant mosquitoes but completely harmless. Adults often do not feed at all. Larvae (leatherjackets) li...
Dark Arches Moth
Apamea monoglypha
A large, dark brown moth with complex darker markings and pale stigmata. It is one of the largest and most frequently tr...
Denticerus Pygmy Mole Cricket
Denticerus raui
A rare pygmy mole cricket from South Asia with distinctive toothed antennae. It inhabits sandy soils along riverbanks in...
Desert Cockroach
Arenivaga bolliana
A sand-dwelling cockroach native to the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and Mexico. It spends most of its life buried in sand...
Desert Weevil
Brachycerus ornatus
A robust, intricately sculptured weevil found in arid southern African habitats. Its fused wing covers prevent flight bu...
Diamondback Eumolpid
Colaspis brunnea
A small, oblong beetle with a pale brown to yellowish body and rows of punctures on the elytra. Larvae are known as grap...
Dogwood Borer
Synanthedon scitula
A clearwing moth whose larvae bore beneath the bark of dogwood, apple, and other trees. It is a significant pest of appl...
Dusky Click Beetle
Agriotes obscurus
A dull dark brown click beetle with dense pubescence and subtle elytral striations. The larvae are significant wireworm ...
Elderberry Borer
Desmocerus palliatus
A striking longhorn beetle with cobalt blue wing covers and a bright yellow-orange base. Its larvae develop inside the s...
Elongate Paederine
Lathrobium elongatum
A very slender, reddish-brown paederine rove beetle that lives deep within waterlogged soils near streams. Its extremely...
Euphorbia Flea Beetle
Aphthona euphorbiae
A tiny bronze flea beetle that feeds on spurge plants. Used as a highly effective biological control agent for leafy spu...
Feather-horned Beetle
Rhipicera femorata
A beetle with spectacular fan-shaped antennae used for detecting pheromones....
Flower Longhorn
Pachyta quadrimaculata
A robust yellow longhorn beetle with four black spots on its elytra. It is a common visitor to umbelliferous flowers in ...
Garden Grass-veneer
Chrysoteuchia culmella
A small straw-colored moth with a silvery sheen and prominent labial palps forming a snout. It is one of the commonest g...
Ghost Moth
Hepialus humuli
Males are ghostly white and perform an eerie hovering dance over grassland at dusk to attract brownish females. This pri...
Giant African Click Beetle
Tetralobus flabellicornis
Africa's largest click beetle, with impressive fan-shaped antennae in males. It can launch itself into the air with an a...
Giant Amazonian Cricket
Brachytrupes megacephalus
A large burrowing cricket with a disproportionately large head and powerful mandibles used for excavating deep soil burr...
Giant Australian Jewel Beetle
Julodimorpha bakewelli
A large, bumpy-textured jewel beetle from Australia. Males are famously attracted to discarded beer bottles....
Giant Brazilian Longhorn
Derobrachus geminatus
A very large longhorn beetle with powerful mandibles and long, segmented antennae. The body is dark brown to black with ...
Giant Malaysian Cricket
Brachytrupes portentosus
One of the largest crickets in the world with a robust brown body, powerful hind legs, and a loud, resonant chirping cal...
Giant Willow Cossid
Endoxyla cinereus
One of the heaviest moths in the world, native to Australia. Larvae bore into the trunks of eucalyptus and other hardwoo...
Glaresid Beetle
Glaresis inducta
A tiny, pale brown beetle in the enigmatic family Glaresidae within the Scarabaeoidea. It has a rounded body and short, ...
Gold Swift
Phymatopus hecta
A small primitive moth with golden-brown forewings marked with silvery-white spots. Males perform hovering display fligh...
Golden Click Beetle
Selatosomus aeneus
A metallic green or bronze click beetle with a bright coppery sheen on the elytra and pronotum. It is common in European...
Golden Sun Moth
Synemon plana
A day-flying moth with dull grey-brown forewings and brilliant orange-gold hindwings. It is critically threatened by the...
Goldsmith Beetle
Cotalpa lanigera
A beautiful golden-yellow scarab beetle with a metallic luster and fuzzy underside. It is attracted to lights on warm su...
Grape Phylloxera
Daktulosphaira vitifoliae
A tiny aphid-like insect that feeds on grapevine roots, causing galls and eventually killing European grape varieties. I...
Greek Ground Longhorn
Dorcadion graecum
A stout, flightless longhorn endemic to Greece with black elytra bearing distinct white pubescent stripes. It is found o...
Green Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus prasinus
A metallic green scarab beetle found in eucalypt woodlands of eastern Australia. Adults emerge in large numbers during t...
Green-and-gold Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus viridiaeneus
A striking iridescent beetle with green and gold metallic sheen on its elytra. It is one of the most colorful of all Aus...
Hairy Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus hirsutus
A densely hairy golden-brown Christmas beetle found in southeastern Australia. The fine hairs covering its body distingu...
Heart and Dart
Agrotis exclamationis
An extremely common brown moth named for the heart and dart-shaped markings on its forewing. It is often the most abunda...
Hildebrand's Jewel Beetle
Sternocera hildebrandti
A large, robust jewel beetle with a deep metallic green body covered in fine punctures. It emerges in large numbers afte...
Hydnus Prionine
Dorysthenes hydrophilus
A large dark brown prionine beetle found in the tropical forests of India and Sri Lanka. Its larvae develop in the roots...
Indian Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa krishnani
A mole cricket endemic to the Indian subcontinent found in irrigated crop fields. It damages seedling roots in rice nurs...
Indian White Grub
Holotrichia consanguinea
A brown, robust chafer beetle whose C-shaped white larvae live underground and feed on plant roots. Adults emerge in lar...
Iris Flea Beetle
Aphthona nonstriata
A small blue-green flea beetle associated with yellow iris in wetland habitats. Larvae feed on iris roots underwater. A ...
Jamaican Click Beetle
Pyrophorus noctilucus
The brightest bioluminescent insect known. Indigenous peoples used them as temporary lanterns by placing several in a ja...
Japanese Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa fossor
A mole cricket native to Japan and Korea that inhabits moist soils near rivers and paddies. It is declining in some area...
Javanese Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa orientalis
An East Asian mole cricket found in lowland rice paddies and moist agricultural soils across Japan, China, and Korea. It...
Jerusalem Cricket
Stenopelmatus fuscus
A large, flightless insect with a round head and amber-banded abdomen found in western North America. Despite its name i...
Jewel Beetle of Cyprus
Julodis ehrenbergii
A large, robust jewel beetle with textured, dark bronze-green elytra dotted with golden pits. It is one of the largest b...
Korean Click Beetle
Campsosternus auratus
A large metallic green click beetle with a coppery sheen found across East Asia. It can propel itself several inches int...
Larger Citronella Ant
Lasius interjectus
A subterranean yellow ant that emits a strong lemon-like odor when crushed. It lives entirely underground tending root-f...
Lesser Citronella Ant
Lasius claviger
A small yellow subterranean ant closely related to the larger citronella ant. It produces a citrus scent and lives in de...
Lined Click Beetle
Agriotes lineatus
A small, brown click beetle with pale stripes along its elytra. Its wireworm larvae are major pests of potatoes and cere...
Lined June Beetle
Polyphylla decemlineata
A large scarab beetle with striking white-striped elytra found in western North America. Males have enormous lamellate a...
Long-jawed Desert Termite
Psammotermes hybostoma
A sand-dwelling termite found across the Sahara and arid North Africa, uniquely adapted to life in loose desert sands. C...
Long-snouted March Fly
Bibio lanigerus
A robust, hairy black march fly with a woolly thorax and relatively large body for the family. Adults emerge in spring a...
Madagascan Headlight Beetle
Heteronychus arator madagascariensis
A dark scarab beetle found in Madagascar that is an agricultural pest of grasses. Larvae develop in soil feeding on plan...
Madagascar Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa madecassa
A mole cricket endemic to Madagascar found in the island's moist forest soils. Little is known about its biology compare...
Marbled Minor
Oligia strigilis
A small, cryptically marked moth that is extremely variable in pattern. Part of a complex of similar-looking species tha...
Microtermes Subterranean Termite
Microtermes obesi
A small fungus-growing termite widespread across South Asia and the Middle East. Unlike larger Macrotermes, colonies bui...
Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa
Extraordinary burrowers with powerful shovel-like forelegs adapted for digging. Males construct horn-shaped burrows that...
Mole Cricket with Four Dots
Neoscapteriscus abbreviatus
A short-winged mole cricket-like species from South America that has invaded the southeastern United States. Despite its...
Molybdenum Ground Longhorn
Dorcadion molybdaeneum
A flightless longhorn beetle with a lead-grey velvety appearance found in the grasslands of Anatolia. Males are smaller ...
Mountain Shieldbug
Canthophorus impressus
A small, dark brown to black burrowing shieldbug found in Arctic and alpine habitats. It has a broadly oval body with a ...
Nettle-tap Flea Beetle
Longitarsus nasturtii
A tiny yellowish-brown flea beetle found on watercress and other crucifers in damp habitats. Larvae mine in plant roots....
Northern Corn Rootworm
Diabrotica barberi
A pale green beetle whose larvae attack corn root systems. It can survive crop rotation by extending egg diapause for tw...
Northern Flower Longhorn
Pachyta lamed
A robust flower longhorn with black elytra bearing variable yellow-orange markings, found in boreal and montane conifer ...
Orange Swift Moth
Triodia sylvina
A ghost moth whose larvae bore into the roots of various trees and herbaceous plants. Males have bright orange forewings...
Painted Reed Beetle
Plateumaris sericea
A brilliantly metallic leaf beetle found on aquatic plants, varying from green to blue, copper, or purple. Larvae feed o...
Periodical Cicada
Magicicada septendecim
Emerges in massive synchronized broods every 17 years. Nymphs live underground feeding on tree root sap. Males produce t...
Pine Chafer
Polyphylla fullo
A large brown chafer beetle with white marbled markings on its elytra. Males have enormous fan-shaped antennae with seve...
Pygmy Mole Cricket
Tridactylus variegatus
A tiny mole cricket that lives along sandy stream banks and lake margins. It has miniature digging forelegs and can jump...
Ragwort Flea Beetle
Longitarsus jacobaeae
A small black flea beetle that feeds on ragwort plants. Successfully used as a biological control agent for invasive rag...
Red Milkweed Beetle
Tetraopes tetrophthalmus
A bright red beetle with black spots, exclusively associated with common milkweed. Its antennae bisect its compound eyes...
Reed Beetle
Donacia crassipes
A striking aquatic leaf beetle with metallic golden-green to coppery elytra and elongated hind legs. It is one of the la...
Rough Alpine Weevil
Otiorhynchus rugosus
A heavily sculptured flightless weevil of mountain habitats. Its rough exoskeleton helps it blend in with rocky substrat...
Rugose Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus rugosus
A robust dark brown scarab with distinctly wrinkled elytra found in southeastern Australia. Adults are attracted to ligh...
Sand Dune Scarab
Pseudocotalpa andrewsi
A metallic golden-green scarab beetle found only on desert sand dunes. Adults emerge briefly after rains to feed and mat...
Sand Gropper
Cylindraustralia kochii
A bizarre cylindrical cricket adapted for burrowing in sandy soils in Australia....
Saw-toothed Prionine
Dorysthenes buquetii
A large prionine beetle with strongly serrated antennae and a dark reddish-brown body, found across mainland Southeast A...
Short-winged Spondylid
Spondylis buprestoides
A cylindrical, entirely black cerambycid that resembles a buprestid beetle more than a typical longhorn. Its antennae ar...
Shuttle-shaped Dart Moth
Agrotis puta
A small, pale greyish-brown moth with a shuttle-shaped claviform stigma. Males and females show different color tones, w...
Silver-spotted Ghost Moth
Sthenopis argenteomaculatus
A large ghost moth from North America with silver-spotted wings. Caterpillars bore into the roots of alder trees, taking...
Snapping Termite
Termes hospes
An African soil-feeding termite common in forest and savanna soils. Soldiers possess powerful snapping mandibles that ca...
Southern Mole Cricket
Neoscapteriscus borellii
A South American mole cricket that has become an invasive turf pest in the southern United States and Australia. It tunn...
Spotted Cucumber Beetle
Diabrotica undecimpunctata
A yellowish-green beetle with eleven black spots on its elytra. It is a significant agricultural pest of cucurbits, corn...
Square-spot Rustic
Xestia xanthographa
An extremely common autumn-flying moth with a diagnostic square stigma on the forewing. One of the most abundant moths i...
St Mark's Fly
Bibio johannis
A small black fly that swarms in May. Males have large heads with huge eyes that almost meet on top....
Stag-jawed Longhorn
Dorysthenes buqueti
A large dark brown longhorn beetle with massive toothed mandibles in males resembling those of stag beetles. It is attra...
Steppe Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa stepposa
A mole cricket of the Eurasian steppe belt distinguished from other European species by its song and chromosome number. ...
Sugarcane Longhorn
Dorysthenes granulosus
A large reddish-brown prionine beetle with granulated elytra, found in South and Southeast Asia. It is an important pest...
Summer Chafer
Amphimallon solstitiale
A medium-sized golden-brown chafer that swarms at dusk around midsummer. It crashes clumsily into people and walls....
Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly
Xanthogramma pedissequum
A striking yellow-and-black hoverfly that mimics a wasp. Larvae develop inside ant nests where they feed on root aphids ...
Surinam Cockroach
Pycnoscelus surinamensis
A burrowing cockroach that reproduces entirely through parthenogenesis, with virtually all individuals being female. It ...
Tanner Beetle
Prionus coriarius
A large, robust, dark brown longhorn beetle that flies noisily at dusk. Its powerful larvae bore into the roots of decid...
Tawny Mole Cricket
Neoscapteriscus vicinus
An invasive burrowing cricket with tan coloring and powerful digging forelegs. It is a major turf pest in the southeaste...
Temognatha Jewel Beetle
Temognatha alternata
A large Australian jewel beetle with bold yellow and black striped elytra. Found in eucalyptus forests and woodlands....
Turnip Moth
Agrotis segetum
A drab brown moth whose fat cutworm larvae sever the stems and roots of root vegetables and seedlings. It is one of the ...
Valley Jerusalem Cricket
Stenopelmatus pictus
A boldly banded Jerusalem cricket found in the arid valleys of California. Its large jaws can deliver a painful but harm...
Vineyard Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa vineae
A European mole cricket very similar to G. gryllotalpa but distinguished by its song frequency. It was only recognized a...
Wartclub Lacewing
Ithone fulva
A rare moth-like lacewing from southeastern Australia. Adults are short-lived and larvae burrow underground to feed on p...
Washerwoman Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus porosus
A large tan to brown Christmas beetle with a rough, pitted elytra surface. It is one of the most widespread species in t...
Western Corn Rootworm
Diabrotica virgifera
One of the most economically damaging corn pests in North America. Larvae feed on corn roots, causing plants to lodge an...
Witchetty Grub
Endoxyla leucomochla
The larva of a cossid moth and the most important insect food of Australian Aboriginal desert peoples. Rich in protein a...
Yellow Meadow Ant
Lasius flavus
A yellow subterranean ant that builds earth mounds in grasslands across Europe. Workers rarely come to the surface, spen...
Yellow Soil Springtail
Protaphorura armata
A blind white springtail that lives entirely in soil and lacks the ability to jump. It is extremely abundant in agricult...
Yellow-shouldered Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus chloropyrus
A medium-sized Christmas beetle recognisable by its yellowish-green pronotum contrasting with darker brown elytra. It is...
Yucca Giant-Skipper
Megathymus yuccae
One of North America's largest skippers with dark wings spotted in yellow-orange. Its massive caterpillar bores into yuc...