Beaches & Coastal
141 species found in this habitat
African Sand Wasp
Bembix capensis
A fast-flying sand wasp with black and yellow banding that nests in sandy ground. Females provision nests with captured ...
African Velvet Ant
Dasylabris maura
A large black and white velvet ant found across North Africa and the Mediterranean. Females are densely covered in silve...
Anthricinan Yellow-Faced Bee
Hylaeus anthracinus
One of seven Hawaiian yellow-faced bees federally listed as endangered. These small native bees are critical pollinators...
Arctic Bumblebee
Bombus polaris
A large, densely furred bumblebee with yellow and black banding adapted to extreme cold. Its thick pile of hair provides...
Australian Antlion
Myrmeleon acer
A medium-sized antlion common in sandy habitats across Australia. Its larvae construct classic conical pit traps in shel...
Australian Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles farauti
A pale-winged Anopheles mosquito that is the dominant malaria vector in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanua...
Banded Antlion
Glenurus gratus
A North American antlion with distinctive banded wing patterns. Commonly attracted to porch lights on warm summer evenin...
Bella Moth
Utetheisa ornatrix
A brightly colored moth with pink-orange forewings covered in white and black spots. It sequesters toxic pyrrolizidine a...
Bitter Blue
Theclinesthes miskini
Small blue and brown butterfly with spotted gray undersides. Commonly found around its host plant in Australian coastal ...
Black Carrion Beetle
Necrodes littoralis
A large, dark carrion beetle with ridged elytra and a distinctive lumpy thorax. It is associated with larger carcasses w...
Bladder Cicada
Cystosoma saundersii
An Australian cicada with a remarkably inflated translucent green abdomen in males. The hollow abdomen acts as a resonat...
Bladder Grasshopper
Bullacris membracioides
A grasshopper with an inflated balloon-like abdomen used as a resonating chamber....
Blue Triangle
Graphium sarpedon
A swift-flying black swallowtail with a band of translucent blue-green spots across both wings. It is common along the e...
Botany Bay Diamond Weevil
Chrysolopus spectabilis
A large weevil covered in brilliant pale green scales with black diamond-shaped patches. It was one of the first Austral...
Brevipalpis Tsetse Fly
Glossina brevipalpis
The largest species of tsetse fly, with a robust body and short palps from which its name derives. It inhabits thicket a...
Broad-footed Colletes
Colletes halophilus
A rare coastal specialist plasterer bee that forages on sea aster in saltmarsh habitats. It is restricted to a narrow ba...
Brown Argus
Aricia agestis
A small chocolate-brown butterfly with a row of bright orange crescent-shaped spots around the wing margins. Despite its...
Brown-tail Moth
Euproctis chrysorrhoea
A white moth with a conspicuous brown tuft of hairs at the tip of its abdomen, used to cover its eggs. The caterpillar's...
Canary Islands Darkling Beetle
Pimelia laevigata
A rounded, shiny black darkling beetle endemic to the Canary Islands. It is commonly seen walking across sandy and volca...
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...
Cape Honey Bee
Apis mellifera capensis
A unique honey bee subspecies where workers can lay diploid female eggs without mating. It is restricted to the winter r...
Cinnabar Moth
Tyria jacobaeae
A day-flying moth with charcoal-black wings marked with crimson-red stripes and spots. It has been deliberately introduc...
Cinnamon Bug
Corizus hyoscyami
A bright red-and-black scentless plant bug that mimics fire bugs and other aposematic insects. Despite its warning color...
Clanger Cicada
Psaltoda claripennis
A medium-sized cicada known for its sharp, metallic clapping call that distinguishes it from other Australian cicadas. I...
Cloudless Sulphur
Phoebis sennae
Large unmarked lemon-yellow butterfly; females may have faint spots. Common and conspicuous across the southern United S...
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...
Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia
Brown butterfly with prominent eyespots on all four wings. Eyespots deter predators by mimicking the eyes of larger anim...
Common Jumping Bristletail
Petrobius maritimus
A coastal bristletail found on rocky shores throughout Europe. It has a distinctive arched body shape and large compound...
Cook Strait Giant Weta
Deinacrida rugosa
One of the heaviest insects in the world, endemic to New Zealand. It is a nocturnal insect that hides in crevices and un...
Cooloola Monster
Cooloola propator
A bizarre blind burrowing cricket found only in sandy soils of Queensland....
Cotton Harlequin Bug
Tectocoris diophthalmus
One of Australia's most colourful insects, with a brilliant metallic orange and iridescent blue-black shield-shaped body...
Cream-spot Tiger Moth
Arctia villica
A striking black moth with cream-white spots and orange hindwings with dark patches....
Crimson Saltflat Tiger Beetle
Cicindela theatina
A rare tiger beetle endemic to the salt flats of southern Colorado. It has a distinctive dark reddish-brown coloration w...
Crimson Speckled Moth
Utetheisa pulchella
A small stunning moth with white forewings densely spotted with black and red marks. It is a strong migrant found across...
Cuban Pygmy Blue Butterfly
Brephidium exilis thompsoni
One of the smallest butterflies in the world, found in Cuba and the Caribbean. Its wingspan barely exceeds 15 mm....
Delhi Sands Flower-loving Fly
Rhaphiomidas terminatus abdominalis
A large flower fly endemic to the Delhi Sands area of San Bernardino County, California. It was the first fly to be list...
Dotted Bee Fly
Bombylius discolor
A spring-flying bee fly distinguished from its commoner relative by spotted wings and a darker fur coat. Its larvae para...
Dune Spoonwing
Halter halteratus
A small nemopterid with spoon-tipped hindwings found in coastal Mediterranean habitats. Commonly seen fluttering over sa...
Emperor Swallowtail
Papilio ophidicephalus
South Africa's largest butterfly with bold black and yellow-green markings. Its caterpillar mimics a bird dropping in ea...
European Antlion
Euroleon nostras
A large neuropteran whose larvae build conical sand pits to trap ants and other small insects. Adults resemble damselfli...
European Beewolf
Philanthus triangulum
A large, striking yellow-and-black solitary wasp that specialises in hunting honeybees. Females paralyse bees in flight ...
European Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles atroparvus
A medium-sized Anopheles mosquito that was the principal malaria vector in northern Europe before the disease was elimin...
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...
False Blister Beetle
Ischnomera cyanea
A metallic blue beetle that develops inside rotting wood near coastal areas....
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...
Fox Moth
Macrothylacia rubi
A richly colored russet-brown moth. The large hairy black caterpillar is commonly seen crossing paths in autumn....
Foxy Charaxes
Charaxes jasius saturnus
A powerful butterfly with rich orange-brown wings edged in dark brown with blue spots. The underside is intricately patt...
Frangipani Hawk Moth
Pseudosphinx tetrio
A large gray hawk moth whose larvae are among the most spectacular caterpillars in the world, with bold black and yellow...
Fringed Leafcutter Bee
Megachile fidelis
A western North American leafcutter bee recognized by the dense fringe of golden hairs on its hind legs used for pollen ...
Gall-forming Thrips
Klambothrips myopori
A tiny Australian thrips that induces galls on Myoporum plants. It was introduced to California as a biocontrol agent....
Giant African Mantis
Sphodromantis gastrica
One of Africa's largest mantis species with a robust green or brown body. It can catch prey as large as small lizards an...
Giant Grey Hawk Moth
Agrius cingulata
A massive hawk moth with gray-streaked forewings and a pink and black banded abdomen. It is one of the largest and faste...
Giant Scarites
Scarites gigas
One of the largest burrowing ground beetles, entirely shiny black with a massive head and powerful toothed mandibles. It...
Glanville Fritillary
Melitaea cinxia
An orange and black chequered butterfly confined in Britain to the Isle of Wight's coastal cliffs. It was named after La...
Gold-fringed Mason Bee
Osmia aurulenta
A distinctive solitary bee that nests inside empty snail shells on warm hillsides. Females cover the shell with grass an...
Great Yellow Bumblebee
Bombus distinguendus
A large strikingly yellow bumblebee with a band of darker hair. One of the rarest bumblebees in Britain....
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...
Greenhead Horse Fly
Tabanus nigrovittatus
A coastal salt marsh horse fly with bright green eyes. It is the most abundant biting fly along the Atlantic coast of No...
Grey-patched Mining Bee
Andrena nitida
A glossy black bee with patches of grey hair on the thorax. It is one of the earliest spring-flying solitary bees in Eur...
Hawaiian Assimulans Yellow-faced Bee
Hylaeus assimulans
A rare endemic bee from the Hawaiian Islands, once found on several islands but now severely reduced in range. It nests ...
Hawaiian Tree Snail Predator Beetle
Oodemas laysanensis
A small leaf beetle endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It feeds on native vegetation in dry shrubland habitats....
Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee
Hylaeus longiceps
An endemic Hawaiian bee with distinctive yellow facial markings, found in dry coastal and lowland habitats. It nests in ...
Heath Bee Fly
Bombylius minor
A small, late-summer bee fly with greyish fur and clear wings. Its larvae parasitize solitary wasps in sandy habitats....
Indonesian Antlion
Myrmeleon bore
A tropical antlion found across Southeast Asia and the Indo-Malayan archipelago. Its larvae create pit traps in sandy so...
Island Marble Butterfly
Euchloe ausonides insulanus
A small white butterfly with green marbled undersides found only on San Juan Island, Washington. It was presumed extinct...
Jersey Tiger
Euplagia quadripunctaria
A day-flying moth with striking black and white striped forewings and bright orange hindwings. It gathers in massive agg...
Lange's Metalmark Butterfly
Apodemia mormo langei
A small metalmark butterfly found only at Antioch Dunes in California. Its larvae feed exclusively on naked-stemmed buck...
Large Shaggy Bee
Panurgus banksianus
A densely hairy black bee that specializes on composite flowers, particularly hawkbits and dandelions. Males have distin...
Lichen-mimicking Stick Insect
Pseudodiacantha macklottii
A large stick insect with a rough textured body covered in small outgrowths that mimic lichen. Its greenish-gray colorin...
Long-horned Antlion
Distoleon tetragrammicus
A large antlion with intricately patterned wings and long clubbed antennae. Unlike most antlions, the larvae do not buil...
Longhorned Coconut Beetle
Olethrius tyrannus
A large prionine beetle from the Indo-Pacific region that attacks coconut palms and other palms. Adults are dark brown w...
Lotis Blue Butterfly
Lycaeides argyrognomon lotis
A small blue butterfly historically found in sphagnum bog habitats in coastal Mendocino County, California. It has not b...
Margined Colletes
Colletes marginatus
A small, pale plasterer bee found in sandy coastal habitats across Europe. It nests in loose sand and forages on wild mi...
Maritime Earwig
Anisolabis maritima
A wingless earwig found in coastal habitats, living under driftwood and seaweed on beaches. It is dark brown to black wi...
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...
Meadow Argus
Junonia villida
A medium-sized brown butterfly with prominent eyespots on each wing. It is one of Australia's most common and widespread...
Melas Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles melas
The West African saltwater-breeding member of the Anopheles gambiae complex, breeding in mangrove swamps and brackish la...
Mercury Islands Tusked Weta
Motuweta isolata
One of New Zealands rarest insects, found only on Middle Mercury Island. Males have curved tusks on their mandibles used...
Merus Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles merus
A saltwater-breeding member of the Anopheles gambiae complex found along the East African coast. It breeds in brackish p...
Miami Blue
Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri
A small blue butterfly once common throughout coastal South Florida. It is now restricted to a few islands in the Florid...
Mottled Grasshopper
Myrmeleotettix maculatus
A small variable grasshopper with distinctively clubbed antennae in males. Colors range from green to brown to purple....
Mount Hermon June Beetle
Polyphylla barbata
A scarab beetle endemic to sandhills in Santa Cruz County, California. Adults emerge in summer and are attracted to ligh...
Nettle Pug
Eupithecia venosata
A small pug moth associated with bladder campion, not nettles despite its name. Larvae feed inside the inflated seed cap...
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...
Ocean Strider
Halobates micans
A remarkable open-ocean water strider that spends its entire life on the surface of tropical seas. It is one of the very...
Oceanic Field Cricket
Teleogryllus oceanicus
A widespread Pacific cricket found from Australia to Hawaii with a loud, clear chirp. Some Hawaiian populations have rap...
Oil Beetle
Meloe proscarabaeus
A large, flightless beetle with shortened elytra and a swollen abdomen. It secretes an oily, blistering compound called ...
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...
Pacific Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla sackenii
A medium-sized velvet ant with orange and black coloring found along the Pacific coast of North America. It parasitizes ...
Painted Dark Sweat Bee
Lasioglossum pictum
A small dark furrow bee with fine punctation on its thorax found in western Europe. It nests in sparsely vegetated groun...
Palmetto Leaf Beetle
Colaspis calosa
A small, oblong beetle with a bronze to golden-green metallic sheen and regular rows of punctures on the elytra. It feed...
Palmetto Tortoise Beetle
Hemisphaerota cyanea
A round, blue-black tortoise beetle found on palm fronds in the southeastern United States. It can grip surfaces with ex...
Palmetto Weevil
Rhynchophorus cruentatus
The largest weevil in North America, with variable black and red coloring. It attacks stressed cabbage palms and other p...
Palos Verdes Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis
A tiny blue butterfly endemic to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County. It was thought extinct in 1983 before...
Panda Ant
Euspinolia militaris
Not actually an ant but a wingless wasp. Named for its black and white panda-like coloring. Females have an extremely pa...
Pantaloon Bee
Dasypoda hirtipes
A distinctive solitary bee where females have enormously long pollen-collecting hairs on their hind legs. It digs deep b...
Parnopes Cuckoo Wasp
Parnopes grandior
A large and robust cuckoo wasp with a metallic green thorax and brilliant red abdomen. It exclusively parasitizes beewol...
Pepe Para Riki (Common Copper)
Lycaena salustius
New Zealand's most common endemic butterfly, a small copper-coloured species found in open habitats throughout the count...
Pine Chafer
Polyphylla fullo
A large brown chafer beetle with white marbled markings on its elytra. Males have enormous fan-shaped antennae with seve...
Plasterer Bee
Colletes hederae
A solitary bee discovered in 1993 that is a specialist pollinator of ivy flowers....
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...
Ribbon-winged Lacewing
Nemoptera coa
A graceful Aegean lacewing with long ribbon-like hindwings and patterned forewings. Found on dry, flower-rich hillsides ...
Robust Large-headed Bee
Stenotritus pubescens
A heavily built bee covered in dense pale pubescence found in southern Australia. It is one of the fastest-flying bee sp...
Rock Bristletail
Petrobius brevistylis
A coastal bristletail found on rocky shores from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. It has shorter cerci than the related...
Rugged Oil Beetle
Meloe rugosus
A rare, dark and heavily wrinkled oil beetle that appears in autumn unlike its spring-emerging relatives. It is one of B...
Sal Borer
Hoplocerambyx spinicornis
A large, dark brown longhorn beetle that is the most destructive pest of sal trees, India's most important timber specie...
Saltmarsh Mosquito
Aedes sollicitans
A golden-brown mosquito that breeds in enormous numbers in coastal salt marshes. It is a strong flier capable of traveli...
Sand Field Cricket
Gryllus firmus
A large cricket occurring in two wing forms: long-winged fliers and short-winged non-fliers. This wing dimorphism involv...
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 ...
Sand Wasp
Bembix rostrata
A robust wasp that digs burrows in sandy soil and provisions them with flies. It progressively feeds its larvae fresh pr...
Sand Wasp Strepsipteran
Paraxenos lugubris
A strepsipteran parasite of sand wasps in the genus Bembix. It is found in sandy coastal areas where its host wasps nest...
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 ...
Sandpit Mining Bee
Andrena barbilabris
A pale, sandy-colored mining bee that specializes in nesting in loose sandy soils. It is commonly found in sand pits, co...
Scaly Cricket
Pseudomogoplistes vicentae
A tiny wingless cricket covered in iridescent scales. It lives on shingle beaches above the high-tide line. It is extrem...
Seashore Springtail
Anurida maritima
A dark blue-black springtail found in dense clusters on rocky seashores at low tide. It survives tidal submersion by tra...
Seaweed Fly
Coelopa frigida
A coastal fly whose larvae develop in rotting seaweed wrack on beaches. It forms massive swarms on strandlines that can ...
Sharp-tailed Bee
Coelioxys conoidea
A cleptoparasitic bee with a sharply pointed abdomen used to pierce the cell walls of leafcutter bee nests. Females lay ...
Shore Earwig
Anisolabis littorea
A large wingless earwig native to New Zealand, found under stones and driftwood on rocky coasts. It has a shiny black bo...
Short-Winged Blister Beetle
Meloe violaceus
A blue-violet oil beetle found across Europe, often seen walking on paths and open ground in spring. Like other oil beet...
Silvery Leafcutter Bee
Megachile leachella
A coastal specialist bee with silvery-white hair on the underside of the abdomen. It nests in sandy ground near the coas...
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...
South African Glowworm
Lamprigera boyei
A large firefly from southern Africa with larviform females that produce a steady bright greenish glow. Males are winged...
Southern Jumping Bristletail
Dilta hibernica
A bristletail found on rocky coasts of western Europe, from Ireland to Portugal. It has large eyes and a distinctively h...
Spider-hunting Wasp
Anoplius nigerrimus
A large all-black spider-hunting wasp that drags paralyzed wolf spiders back to its burrow....
Sulphur Beetle
Cteniopus sulphureus
A bright sulphur-yellow beetle that looks more like a flower beetle than a typical darkling beetle. It is common on coas...
Sundaicus Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles sundaicus
A coastal malaria vector that breeds in brackish water lagoons and fishponds across Southeast Asia. It is an important v...
Tawny Crazy Ant
Nylanderia fulva
A small reddish-brown ant that forms enormous supercolonies and is displacing fire ants in the southern United States. T...
Texan Walkingstick
Diapheromera texana
A walkingstick found in sandy habitats of western Texas and New Mexico. It is well adapted to arid, open environments....
Thread-waisted Wasp
Ammophila sabulosa
An elegant wasp with an extremely narrow petiole and red-banded abdomen. It hunts caterpillars and carries them clasped ...
Tiger Beetle
Cicindela hybrida
A fast-running bronze-green tiger beetle with cream markings. One of the fastest running insects relative to size....
Titan Stick Insect
Acrophylla titan
One of the longest stick insects in Australia and among the longest insects in the world. Females can reach over 250 mm ...
Tundra Robber Fly
Rhadiurgus variabilis
A medium-sized robber fly with a dark body and distinctive bristly face. It is an aerial predator that ambushes other fl...
Unarmed Stick Insect
Clitarchus tepaki
A smooth-bodied stick insect endemic to the far north of New Zealand. It is slimmer than its relative Clitarchus hookeri...
Viper's Bugloss Mining Bee
Andrena nasuta
A specialist mining bee with an elongated face adapted for feeding on tubular flowers, particularly viper's bugloss. It ...
Wall Brown
Lasiommata megera
An orange-brown butterfly with eyespots that basks with wings open on walls, rocks and bare ground....
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'...
Winged Stick Insect
Megacrania batesii
A large bright green stick insect with well-developed wings that can fly short distances. It feeds on pandanus palms alo...
Yellow Crazy Ant
Anoplolepis gracilipes
A long-legged, fast-moving invasive ant named for its erratic running pattern. They form supercolonies with multiple que...
Yellow Fly
Diachlorus ferrugatus
A medium-sized yellowish horse fly notorious for its aggressive biting. It is particularly abundant in the coastal south...
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...
Zanzibar Blue Butterfly
Uranothauma crawshayi
A delicate blue butterfly found on Zanzibar and coastal East Africa. Males have shimmering blue upperwings while females...