Forests

940 species found in this habitat

Hymenoptera

Abbott's Pine Sawfly

Neodiprion abbotii

A pine sawfly whose distinctively marked larvae have black heads and grayish-green bodies with dark stripes. It feeds on...

Lepidoptera

Abisara echerius

Abisara echerius

Dark brown butterfly with purple sheen and a short tail on each hindwing. One of the few Asian riodinids, commonly calle...

Lepidoptera

Achilles Morpho

Morpho achilles

A medium-sized morpho with a bright blue band across dark brown-black wings. It flies rapidly through the forest underst...

Coleoptera

Actaeon Beetle

Megasoma actaeon

Contender for the worlds heaviest beetle — a male larva bred in Japan weighed 228 grams, about the weight of a brown rat...

Mantodea

African Devil Mantis

Idolomantis lobiceps

A large, lobed mantis from the dry forests of central East Africa. It has pronounced lobes on its head and legs that cre...

Hymenoptera

African Driver Ant

Dorylus wilverthi

A notorious army ant species that forms massive raiding columns through the forest floor. Colonies can contain over 20 m...

Lepidoptera

African Giant Swallowtail

Papilio antimachus

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

Coleoptera

African Goliath Beetle

Goliathus cacicus

A large cetoniine beetle with cream and dark brown patterning across its wing cases. It is found in lowland forests of W...

Blattodea

African Nasute Mound Termite

Nasutitermes latifrons

A mound-building nasute termite found in West and Central African forests. Colonies construct carton mounds at ground le...

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...

Hymenoptera

African Scoliid Wasp

Megascolia vittata

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

Coleoptera

African Stag Beetle

Prosopocoilus savagei

A dark reddish-brown stag beetle with impressive mandibles in males. It inhabits forests where larvae develop in rotting...

Hymenoptera

African Stingless Bee

Meliponula bocandei

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

Coleoptera

African Striped Flower Beetle

Stephanorrhina guttata

A medium-sized flower beetle with dark green elytra covered in cream-colored spots and stripes. It is commonly found at ...

Hymenoptera

African Weaver Ant

Oecophylla longinoda

An arboreal ant that constructs leaf nests by weaving living leaves together using larval silk. Colonies can span multip...

Protura

Alpine Acerentomid

Acerentomon alpestre

A minute proturan found in alpine and subalpine forest soils in the European mountains. It tolerates cold conditions at ...

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...

Siphonaptera

Amami Rabbit Flea

Ctenocephalides nakagawai

A flea species associated with the endangered Amami rabbit on Amami-Oshima Island, Japan. Part of the unique fauna of th...

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...

Mantodea

Amazonian Bark Mantis

Liturgusa amazonica

A cryptic bark mantis found in the Amazon basin that is almost invisible on tree bark. Its mottled brown and gray colori...

Hemiptera

Amazonian Cicada

Fidicina mannifera

A large green and brown cicada with a powerful buzzing call that echoes through the Amazonian canopy. Males produce soun...

Lepidoptera

Amazonian Dagger Moth

Lophocampa citrina

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

Coleoptera

Amazonian Giant Centipede-Mimicking Beetle

Phileurus didymus

A robust dark brown rhinoceros beetle with two horn-like projections on its head. It breeds in decaying palm trunks and ...

Phasmatodea

Amazonian Giant Stick Insect

Bacteria ferula

A very long stick insect reaching over 200 mm, with an extremely thin body that closely mimics dead twigs. Females are l...

Coleoptera

Amazonian Ground Beetle

Agra sasquatch

A slender, elongated carabid beetle with an unusually hairy body for its genus. It was described from tropical lowland f...

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 Scarab

Phanaeus chalcomelas

A strikingly colorful dung beetle with metallic green, copper, and blue hues. Males have a prominent curved horn on the ...

Coleoptera

Amazonian Stag Beetle

Sphaenognathus feisthameli

A striking metallic green stag beetle from South American cloud forests. Males have elongated mandibles with tooth-like ...

Lepidoptera

Amazonian Uranid Moth

Urania leilus

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

Lepidoptera

Amber Phantom

Haetera piera

Largely transparent wings with small amber patches and pink-ringed eyespots. Floats through dark forest understory like ...

Coleoptera

Amber Rove Beetle

Mycetoporus lepidus

A tiny, elongate rove beetle with an amber-brown coloration and fine pubescence. It lives in the humus layer of forests ...

Lepidoptera

Ambulyx Hawk Moth

Ambulyx substrigilis

A large tropical hawk moth with brown and buff-patterned forewings that resemble dead leaves. It is found in the forests...

Lepidoptera

American Moth-Butterfly

Macrosoma heliconiaria

Pale greenish-gray moth-like butterfly with rounded wings and nocturnal habits. Represents the evolutionary link between...

Phasmatodea

Anangu Leaf Insect

Pulchriphyllium anangu

A leaf insect from southwestern India, one of the few Phylliidae known from the Indian subcontinent. It has broad, leaf-...

Coleoptera

Anax Elephant Beetle

Megasoma anubis

A robust scarab beetle found in Amazonian forests with a distinctive dark brown coloration. Males possess a stout forwar...

Lepidoptera

Anaxibia Morpho

Morpho anaxibia

An Atlantic Forest endemic Morpho butterfly with blue upperwings bordered by broad black margins containing white spots....

Coleoptera

Andean Cerambycid Beetle

Psalidognathus friendii

A large and impressive longhorn beetle from the high Andes, with a brilliant metallic green, blue, or copper exoskeleton...

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...

Orthoptera

Andean Giant Weta Relative

Cratomelus armatus

A large, heavily built cricket relative found in Andean forests and grasslands. It has a robust body, strong legs, and l...

Coleoptera

Annulated Longhorn

Chloridolum annulare

A slender metallic green longhorn with distinctive dark rings on the antennae, giving it its common name. Found in subtr...

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...

Blattodea

Apicotermes Nest-builder

Apicotermes arquieri

A subterranean soil-feeding termite found in African forests, renowned for building the most architecturally complex nes...

Hymenoptera

Arctic Ant

Leptothorax acervorum

A tiny, reddish-brown ant that forms small colonies under stones and in wood crevices in boreal and subarctic regions. C...

Lepidoptera

Arctic Tussock Moth

Dicallomera fascelina

A medium-sized moth with pale grayish-white wings in males and larger, more robust females. The caterpillar is strikingl...

Hymenoptera

Army Ant

Eciton burchellii

Nomadic ants that do not build permanent nests. Raids of up to 200,000 workers sweep through the forest floor consuming ...

Odonata

Arrowhead Spiketail

Cordulegaster obliqua

A large spiketail dragonfly with arrowhead-shaped yellow markings along its dark abdomen. It is found along seepage-fed ...

Coleoptera

Asian Atlas Dung Beetle

Catharsius pithecius

A large black tunneling dung beetle from Southeast Asia with two stout pronotal horns in males. It rapidly constructs de...

Hymenoptera

Asian Giant Hornet

Vespa mandarinia

The worlds largest hornet. A single colony can kill an entire hive of 30,000 honey bees in just a few hours. Their venom...

Hymenoptera

Asian Horntail

Urocerus antennatus

A large wood wasp from East Asia with a dark body and distinctively long antennae. It attacks various coniferous trees, ...

Coleoptera

Asian Lady Beetle (Harlequin)

Harmonia yedoensis

A large ladybug native to Japan, closely related to the invasive Asian lady beetle. Found in forest canopies where it fe...

Hymenoptera

Asian Marauder Army Ant

Dorylus laevigatus

A subterranean army ant of Southeast Asian forests that raids termite nests through underground tunnels. It is one of th...

Hymenoptera

Asian Proceratium

Proceratium japonicum

A small cryptic ant found in Japanese and East Asian forests with the characteristic forward-curving gaster. It is rarel...

Hymenoptera

Asian Trap-jaw Ant

Odontomachus rixosus

A Southeast Asian trap-jaw ant found in forest leaf litter with distinctive elongated mandibles. It is a specialist pred...

Diplura

Aspinose Campodeid

Metriocampa aspinosa

A soil-dwelling dipluran lacking the typical dorsal spines found in related species. It inhabits deep soil layers in tem...

Coleoptera

Atlas Beetle

Chalcosoma atlas

Named after Atlas from Greek mythology for its incredible strength. Males have three prominent horns. Known for their ag...

Lepidoptera

Atlas Blue Butterfly

Polyommatus atlanticus

A small blue butterfly restricted to high-altitude cedar forests in Morocco....

Lepidoptera

Atlas Moth

Attacus atlas

One of the largest moths in the world by wing area. Adults have no mouths and do not eat, living only 1-2 weeks on store...

Coleoptera

Aulacopus Prionine

Aulacopus reticulatus

A flattened, reddish-brown prionine beetle with strongly reticulated elytra found in tropical Africa. It breeds in large...

Lepidoptera

Aurora Morpho

Morpho aurora

A relatively small Morpho butterfly with a distinctive reddish-orange band across its dark brown wings, quite unlike the...

Hymenoptera

Australian Army Ant

Leptogenys falcigera

An Australian ponerine ant that exhibits army ant-like group raiding behavior despite belonging to a different subfamily...

Trichoptera

Australian Caddisfly

Triplectides australis

A distinctive Australian caddisfly whose larvae inhabit hollowed-out twigs as portable cases. It is common in forested s...

Megaloptera

Australian Dobsonfly

Archichauliodes diversus

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

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...

Orthoptera

Australian King Cricket

Australostylus montanus

A large, robust cricket found in the cool mountain forests of southeastern Australia. It is flightless and nocturnal wit...

Coleoptera

Australian Rove Beetle

Heterothops dissimilis

A medium-sized, dark rove beetle found under bark and in leaf litter in Australian forests. It is part of the diverse bu...

Phasmatodea

Austrocarausius Stick Insect

Austrocarausius mercurius

A small, cryptic stick insect found in remnant rainforest patches of Queensland. It is part of a genus with several rece...

Lepidoptera

Autumnal Moth

Epirrita autumnata

A grayish-brown moth with faint wavy crosslines on the forewings. It flies in autumn in subarctic birch forests. Periodi...

Odonata

Balkan Goldenring

Cordulegaster heros

The largest dragonfly in Europe, reaching nearly 100 mm in length. It is restricted to clean forest streams in southeast...

Hymenoptera

Balsam Fir Sawfly

Neodiprion abietis

A boreal sawfly whose dark green larvae with lighter stripes feed on balsam fir needles. Periodic outbreaks can cause si...

Hemiptera

Balsam Woolly Adelgid

Adelges piceae

An invasive European adelgid that kills fir trees in North America. Its feeding causes abnormal wood formation called ro...

Coleoptera

Bamboo Longhorn

Chloridolum alcmene

A vivid metallic green longhorn beetle with a slender body and long antennae. It breeds exclusively in bamboo stems....

Diptera

Banana Stalk Fly

Telostylinus angusticollis

A slender long-legged fly from Australia whose body size depends on larval nutrition. Larger males pass on a size advant...

Coleoptera

Banded Aridaeus

Aridaeus thoracicus

A medium-sized Australian cerambycid with a bright orange pronotum contrasting with dark brown elytra. It is found in eu...

Mantodea

Banded Flower Mantis

Theopropus elegans

A striking Southeast Asian mantis with bands of green, white, and dark markings across its body. It rests among flowers ...

Coleoptera

Banded Jewel Beetle

Chrysochroa buqueti

A large, spectacularly iridescent beetle with red, green, and blue metallic bands. It is native to the tropical forests ...

Lepidoptera

Banded Treebrown

Lethe confusa

A shade-loving brown butterfly with a distinctive pale band across the forewing and a series of small eyespots on the un...

Zoraptera

Barberi's Angel Insect

Zorotypus barberi

A tiny colonial insect living in decomposing wood in tropical forests. It exhibits dimorphism, with blind apterous and e...

Orthoptera

Bark Mimic Grasshopper

Chorotypus gallinaceus

A Southeast Asian grasshopper with a broad, flattened body shaped like a piece of bark. Its mottled brown wings provide ...

Lepidoptera

Baronia Swallowtail

Baronia brevicornis

The most primitive living swallowtail butterfly, restricted to a small area of southwestern Mexico. A true living fossil...

Lepidoptera

Barred Red Moth

Hylaea fasciaria

A reddish-brown moth with a broad darker band across the forewings. It is closely associated with coniferous forests thr...

Coleoptera

Bates' Rosalia

Rosalia batesi

A rare and beautiful longhorn beetle with pale lavender-grey elytra and contrasting black spots, found in the temperate ...

Mantodea

Bearded Stick Mantis

Toxodera beieri

A rare stick mantis from Borneo with small lobes along its body resembling bark fragments. It was named after the famous...

Lepidoptera

Bee-fly Hawk Moth

Macroglossum bombylans

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

Hemiptera

Beech Scale

Cryptococcus fagisuga

A tiny scale insect that feeds on beech bark, creating wounds that allow the Neonectria fungus to enter. Together they c...

Coleoptera

Berger's Flat-face

Anoplophora beryllina

A stunning metallic blue-green longhorn found in the subtropical forests of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in China. Its v...

Hymenoptera

Bicolored Pennant Ant

Tetraponera rufonigra

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

Hymenoptera

Bicolored Trailing Ant

Monacis bispinosa

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

Blattodea

Bilobatus Soil Termite

Cubitermes bilobatodes

An African soil-feeding termite found in moist forests and forest-savanna transitional zones. Mounds are small and may h...

Blattodea

Bioluminescent Cockroach

Lucihormetica verrucosa

A cockroach with two glowing spots on its pronotum that mimic toxic click beetles....

Coleoptera

Birch Bark Beetle

Scolytus ratzeburgi

A small, dark brown bark beetle that infests birch trees in boreal and subarctic forests. Adults bore through bark to cr...

Hymenoptera

Birch Leafminer

Fenusa pusilla

An invasive European sawfly that mines inside birch leaves in North America. Heavy infestations cause extensive browning...

Lepidoptera

Birdwing Butterfly

Ornithoptera alexandrae

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

Lepidoptera

Black Arches

Lymantria monacha

A striking moth with white wings boldly marked with black zigzag lines and a pink-flushed abdomen. It can occasionally e...

Hymenoptera

Black Horntail

Xeris spectrum

A slender black horntail wasp that breeds in dead conifer wood across the Northern Hemisphere. It is frequently found in...

Lepidoptera

Black Jungle Queen

Stichophthalma howqua

A large, powerful butterfly with dark brown to black upper wings and elaborately patterned undersides featuring ocelli a...

Hymenoptera

Black-Headed Ash Sawfly

Tethida barda

A small sawfly whose larvae have distinctive black heads and whitish-green bodies. They feed on the underside of ash lea...

Coleoptera

Black-tailed Click Beetle

Ampedus nigrinus

A dark-bodied click beetle with subtly reddish-brown elytra and a shiny black pronotum. It inhabits old-growth forests a...

Odonata

Blackburn's Damselfly

Megalagrion blackburni

A Hawaiian endemic damselfly historically found on multiple islands but now restricted to a few locations. It breeds in ...

Coleoptera

Blackburnia Hawaiian Ground Beetle

Blackburnia hawaiiensis

An endemic Hawaiian ground beetle found in montane forests on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is a nocturnal predator that ...

Lepidoptera

Blood-red Cymothoe

Cymothoe sangaris

A strikingly sexually dimorphic butterfly where males are vivid blood-red and females are brown with white bands. It is ...

Coleoptera

Blood-red Longhorn

Callidium coriaceum

A flat-bodied cerambycid with a rich reddish-brown color and a leathery texture to its elytra. It is found in conifer fo...

Coleoptera

Blue Ghost Firefly

Phausis reticulata

A firefly producing a steady pale blue-white glow rather than flashing. Females are larviform and wingless, glowing soft...

Hymenoptera

Blue Horntail

Sirex juvencus

A metallic blue-black horntail wasp found across the Northern Hemisphere. It breeds in recently dead or dying spruce and...

Lepidoptera

Blue Metalmark

Lasaia sula

A tiny butterfly with vivid metallic blue upper wings that flash brilliantly in sunlight. It perches on rocks and gravel...

Lepidoptera

Blue Morpho

Morpho menelaus

Renowned for its brilliant iridescent blue wings. The color is not from pigment but from microscopic scales that reflect...

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...

Diptera

Blue Mountains Glowworm

Arachnocampa richardsae

An Australian bioluminescent fungus gnat closely related to the New Zealand glowworm. Its larvae hang from cave ceilings...

Lepidoptera

Blue Nawab

Polyura schreiber

A powerful and fast-flying butterfly with a pale bluish-white upper surface and intricate brown and orange undersides. I...

Coleoptera

Blue Net-Winged Beetle

Metriorrhynchus rhipidius

An Australian net-winged beetle with dark blue-black elytra and elaborate feathery antennae in males. It is commonly fou...

Lepidoptera

Blue-frosted Banner

Catonephele numilia

A sexually dimorphic butterfly where males are velvety black with bright orange bands and females are dark brown with ye...

Lepidoptera

Blue-spotted Charaxes

Charaxes ameliae

A stunning forest butterfly with deep black wings adorned with brilliant blue spots. The underside features elaborate pa...

Hemiptera

Blue-Winged Lanternfly

Pyrops intricatus

A colorful lanternfly from Borneo with blue-green iridescent markings on its wings and an elongated reddish head project...

Mantodea

Bolivian Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops boliviana

A dead leaf mantis from Bolivia's Yungas forests with exceptionally convincing leaf mimicry. Its wings show veins and sp...

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 ...

Lepidoptera

Bordered White

Bupalus piniaria

A sexually dimorphic moth where males are white with brown borders and females are orange-brown. It is one of the most i...

Hemiptera

Bornean Green Cicada

Dundubia vaginata

A large, bright green cicada with translucent wings and a powerful, resonant call. Males produce a continuous buzzing dr...

Orthoptera

Bornean Monkey Grasshopper

Erianthus versicolor

A vividly multicolored monkey grasshopper from Borneo's montane forests with blue, green, red, and yellow markings. It m...

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...

Mantodea

Borneo Leaf Mantis

Amorphoscelis borneana

A small leaf-mimicking mantis from the forests of Borneo. It rests on dead leaves in the understory where its brown colo...

Mantodea

Borneo Stick Mantis

Toxodera integrifolia

A large stick mantis endemic to Borneo with leaf-like wing expansions. Its wings resemble dried leaves and add to its tw...

Coleoptera

Borneo Three-horned Beetle

Chalcosoma caucasus

Among the longest beetles in Asia, with three powerful horns and a metallic green-black sheen. Males engage in fierce co...

Diptera

Bot Fly

Dermatobia hominis

Parasitic fly whose larvae develop under the skin of mammals including humans. Female captures a mosquito and glues eggs...

Zoraptera

Brazilian Angel Insect

Zorotypus brasiliensis

A zorapteran from the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil. It forms colonies of up to 120 individuals under the bark of fal...

Coleoptera

Brazilian Arboreal Tiger Beetle

Oxycheila tristis

A large, dark brown tiger beetle found in the forests of South America. Unlike most tiger beetles it is partly arboreal,...

Protura

Brazilian Eosentomid

Eosentomon braziliense

A tropical proturan from Brazilian forest soils representing one of the few South American species described. It inhabit...

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 Pleasing Fungus Beetle

Erotylus incomparabilis

A strikingly patterned beetle with bold black and orange spots on a glossy body. It is commonly found on bracket fungi i...

Coleoptera

Brazilian Rhinoceros Beetle

Enema pan

A large, glossy black dynastine beetle with a prominent upward-curving cephalic horn and a smaller pronotal horn. It is ...

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...

Hymenoptera

Brazilian Stingless Bee

Melipona quadrifasciata

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

Lepidoptera

Brazilian Thorn Moth

Cyanopepla huillensis

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

Hemiptera

Brazilian Treehopper

Bocydium globulare

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

Coleoptera

Bright Green Canthon

Canthon virens

A small, vivid metallic green roller dung beetle found in Brazil and neighboring countries. Its bright coloring is unusu...

Orthoptera

Broad-backed Grouse Locust

Nomotettix cristatus

A pygmy grasshopper with a high crested pronotum that gives it a broad-backed appearance. It inhabits dry forest floors ...

Coleoptera

Bronze Birch Borer

Agrilus anxius

A native North American jewel beetle that is the most serious pest of birch trees. Larvae create winding galleries benea...

Coleoptera

Brown-and-yellow Fruit Chafer

Pachnoda marginata

A colorful chafer beetle with bright yellow margins on dark brown elytra. It is commonly kept in captivity and bred as a...

Lepidoptera

Brutus Charaxes

Charaxes brutus

A large and powerful butterfly with black and white banding on the upper wings and intricate reddish-brown patterns bene...

Coleoptera

Budding Purpuricenus

Purpuricenus budensis

A colorful cerambycid with a red pronotum adorned with two black spots and entirely black elytra. It is found in thermop...

Hymenoptera

Bullet Ant

Paraponera clavata

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

Odonata

Bush Giant Dragonfly

Uropetala carovei

New Zealand's largest dragonfly and one of the most ancient dragonfly lineages in the world. Its larvae live in burrows ...

Lepidoptera

Caenis Glider

Cymothoe caenis

A widespread West African forest butterfly with orange-tawny males and brownish females with white markings. It is commo...

Phasmatodea

Cambridge's Striped Stick Insect

Pseudophasma cambridgei

A Brazilian stick insect only recently redescribed with its female and egg first identified. It has a slender, brown bod...

Coleoptera

Cameroon Stag Beetle

Prosopocoilus camerunensis

A medium-sized African stag beetle with dark brown body and long, curved mandibles bearing multiple teeth. Males are sig...

Lepidoptera

Canary Islands Brimstone Butterfly

Gonepteryx cleobule

A bright yellow butterfly endemic to the Canary Islands, larger than its European relatives. It is found in laurel fores...

Lepidoptera

Canary Islands Large White Butterfly

Pieris cheiranthi

A large white butterfly endemic to the Canary Islands with prominent dark wing markings. It is found in laurel forests o...

Orthoptera

Canterbury Tree Weta

Hemideina femorata

A medium-sized tree weta found in the eastern South Island of New Zealand. It has dark brown banding on the abdomen and ...

Lepidoptera

Cantor's Hawk Moth

Ambulyx cantorii

A large leaf-mimicking hawk moth with intricately patterned brown and cream forewings. Named after the zoologist Theodor...

Coleoptera

Caribbean Hercules Beetle

Dynastes hercules hercules

The nominate subspecies of the Hercules beetle, found in the Lesser Antilles. Males bear an enormous horn used in combat...

Phasmatodea

Carmelae's Thorny Stick Insect

Trachyaretaon carmelae

A robust, thorny stick insect from the Philippines reaching up to 13.5 cm. It has rough, bark-like texture on its body s...

Lepidoptera

Carpenterworm Moth

Prionoxystus robiniae

A large North American moth whose larvae bore into the heartwood of oaks, elms, and other hardwoods. It is the most dest...

Hemiptera

Cascade Cicada

Platypedia areolata

A small western North American cicada that produces sound by wing-flicking rather than typical tymbals. It is found in m...

Odonata

Cascade Damselfly

Thaumatoneura inopinata

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

Mantodea

Cat-Eye Mantis

Pseudempusa pinnapavonis

A rare Southeast Asian mantis with striking peacock-like eyespots on its inner forearms. It uses these markings in drama...

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

Celebes Longhorn

Batocera celebiana

A large cerambycid endemic to the island of Sulawesi with olive-grey elytra bearing scattered pale spots. It inhabits pr...

Mantodea

Central African Mantis

Sphodromantis centralis

A robust mantis native to Central African forests with green or brownish coloration. Females are noticeably bulkier than...

Blattodea

Centurion Cockroach

Gyna centurio

A colorful African cockroach with orange and brown markings on its pronotum. It is named for the helmet-like appearance ...

Zoraptera

Ceylon Angel Insect

Zorotypus ceylonicus

An Asian zorapteran discovered in Sri Lanka inhabiting rotting wood in humid forests. Wingless individuals lack eyes and...

Zoraptera

Ceylonese Angel Insect

Zorotypus ceylanicus

A rare tropical zorapteran found in the forests of Sri Lanka. Colonies live beneath bark and in rotting timber in humid ...

Diptera

Chagasi Sandfly

Lutzomyia evansi

A small sandfly found in northern Colombia and Venezuela that is an important vector of Leishmania infantum chagasi, cau...

Coleoptera

Chalcolepidius Click Beetle

Chalcolepidius limbatus

A large, robust click beetle covered in dense scales giving it a velvety appearance. Found in tropical American forests....

Phasmatodea

Chans Megastick

Phobaeticus chani

The longest insect in the world at 567 mm (with legs extended). Discovered in Borneo in 1989. Only six specimens have ev...

Coleoptera

Chilean Stag Beetle

Chiasognathus granti

A spectacular stag beetle with extremely long curved mandibles and metallic green coloration. Found in southern beech fo...

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 ...

Coleoptera

Chinese Ground Beetle

Carabus lafossei

A striking ground beetle with deeply sculpted elytra and purple-bronze colouring. It inhabits mountainous forests of sou...

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...

Phasmatodea

Chinese Stick Insect

Ramulus irregulariterdentatus

A long, slender stick insect with subtle irregular teeth along the edges of its body. It inhabits subtropical forests of...

Lepidoptera

Chinese Windmill Butterfly

Byasa alcinous

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

Diptera

Christmas Island Blue Crab Fly

Paramyia nitens

A tiny fly found on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean associated with red crab migrations. It lays eggs on injured or...

Blattodea

Chrome Cockroach

Gyna caffrorum

A small cockroach with a uniquely translucent, chrome-like pronotum. Nymphs are dark and burrowing while adults are agil...

Hemiptera

Clapping Cicada

Amphipsalta cingulata

An endemic New Zealand cicada named for the sharp clapping sound it produces, distinct from the continuous drone of the ...

Lepidoptera

Claudina Metalmark

Mesosemia claudia

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

Coleoptera

Cloudforest Jewel Scarab

Chrysina chrysargyrea

A stunning scarab beetle with a body that appears to be made of burnished silver and gold. It is found only in Central A...

Coleoptera

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...

Lepidoptera

Coccinata Glider

Cymothoe coccinata

A medium-sized butterfly with brilliant scarlet-red males and mottled brown females. It glides gracefully through forest...

Mantodea

Colombian Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops soukana

A dead leaf mantis described from the Colombian Andes region. Its dark coloring and compact body shape provide camouflag...

Phasmatodea

Colorful Stick Insect

Achrioptera maroloko

A newly described giant stick insect with brilliantly colored males showing iridescent blue bodies and orange-red limbs....

Lepidoptera

Comet Moth

Argema mittrei

One of the worlds largest silk moths, with brilliant yellow wings and tail spans reaching 20 cm. Endemic to Madagascar. ...

Protura

Common Acerentomid

Acerentomon doderoi

A tiny eyeless proturan found in forest soils across Europe. It walks on only four legs, holding its forelegs forward as...

Lepidoptera

Common Blue Morpho

Morpho peleides

Vivid iridescent blue upper wings with brown, spotted undersides. Commonly featured in butterfly houses worldwide....

Lepidoptera

Common Euphaedra

Euphaedra medon

A forest-dwelling butterfly with deep orange-brown wings and distinctive blue-purple iridescent bands. It is one of the ...

Lepidoptera

Common Graphium

Graphium leonidas

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

Lepidoptera

Common Nawab

Polyura athamas

A large butterfly with pale green-white wings edged in black with two prominent hindwing tails. It has a powerful fast f...

Hymenoptera

Common Pine Sawfly

Diprion pini

One of the most important pine defoliators in European forestry. Outbreaks cause growth losses and predispose trees to b...

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....

Lepidoptera

Common Tree Nymph

Idea stolli

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

Orthoptera

Cone-Head Katydid

Copiphora rhinoceros

A Neotropical katydid with a long horn-like projection from its head. It is an omnivorous species active at night in tro...

Orthoptera

Congo Basin Katydid

Enyaliopsis petersi

A large, armored katydid with a heavily spined pronotum and legs. It produces loud stridulating calls at night. Despite ...

Diptera

Congo Floor Maggot Fly

Auchmeromyia senegalensis

A yellowish-brown blow fly whose larvae are unique among Diptera in being temporary ectoparasites that feed on sleeping ...

Lepidoptera

Congo Moth

Dactyloceras lucina

A large brown emperor moth with distinctive serrated wing margins and large eyespots. Males have broadly feathered anten...

Hemiptera

Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid

Adelges cooleyi

A gall-forming adelgid that alternates between spruce and Douglas-fir. Cone-shaped galls on spruce tips are its most rec...

Lepidoptera

Coppery Dysphania

Dysphania cuprina

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

Mantodea

Costa Rican Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops centralis

The only Acanthops species found in Central America, extending the genus's range northward. It inhabits lowland wet fore...

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

Cream-Streaked Ladybird

Harmonia quadripunctata

A European ladybird associated primarily with conifer trees. It has cream or pale yellow elytra with variable dark marki...

Phasmatodea

Creoxylus Stick Insect

Creoxylus spinosus

A spiny neotropical stick insect with bright warning coloration. It has short, colorful wings used for startle displays....

Lepidoptera

Crockeri Euphaedra

Euphaedra crockeri

A rare and beautifully patterned forest butterfly with green and orange wing markings. It is restricted to primary fores...

Phasmatodea

Crowned Stick Insect

Onchestus rentzi

An Australian stick insect with distinctive crown-like structures on its head. It inhabits rainforests in tropical Queen...

Lepidoptera

Cypris Morpho

Morpho cypris

A striking white and blue Morpho butterfly found in Central and northern South American cloud forests. It has broad whit...

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...

Blattodea

Dampwood Termite

Zootermopsis angusticollis

A large termite species that infests damp and decaying wood in forests of western North America. Its soldiers have large...

Mantodea

Dead Leaf Mantis

Deroplatys desiccata

Extraordinary camouflage that makes it look exactly like a dried, curled leaf — complete with brown coloring, leaf veins...

Diptera

Deer Fly (Chrysops)

Chrysops silacea

A medium-sized fly with striking patterned wings and bright green eyes. It is the primary vector of Loa loa, the African...

Phasmatodea

Delisle's Leaf Insect

Pulchriphyllium delislei

A leaf insect from Borneo described in recent taxonomic revisions. Females display rich green coloration with subtle bro...

Coleoptera

Delta Dung Beetle

Deltochilum orbiculare

A matte black roller dung beetle with a rounded body and distinctively flattened outer edges of the elytra. It rolls dun...

Odonata

Delta-spotted Spiketail

Cordulegaster diastatops

A large spiketail of eastern North America with distinctive triangular yellow spots along its dark abdomen. It patrols f...

Lepidoptera

Demon Charaxes

Charaxes lucretius

A large forest Charaxes with deep black upperside marked with blue iridescence in males. Females are larger and browner....

Orthoptera

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...

Neuroptera

Dicromantispa Mantidfly

Dicromantispa sayi

A brown mantidfly found across eastern North America in forested habitats. Named after the eminent entomologist Thomas S...

Lepidoptera

Didius Blue Morpho

Morpho didius

One of the largest Morpho butterflies, with a wingspan reaching up to 150 mm. The males display brilliant metallic blue ...

Diptera

Dimidiata Deer Fly

Chrysops dimidiata

A medium-sized deer fly with distinctly banded wings, found in West African rainforests. It serves as a secondary vector...

Hymenoptera

Dinoponera Giant Ant

Dinoponera gigantea

One of the largest ants in the world with workers reaching over 30 mm. It forms queenless colonies where the dominant wo...

Hemiptera

Dirt-colored Seed Bug

Ozophora picturata

A tiny, cryptically colored seed bug found in leaf litter and soil surfaces across the eastern United States. Its brown ...

Hymenoptera

Disc-Headed Turtle Ant

Cephalotes varians

A small arboreal turtle ant in which soldiers have perfectly circular, flat heads that serve as living nest entrance plu...

Lepidoptera

Dominican Clearwing Butterfly

Greta diaphanus

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

Lepidoptera

Doris Longwing

Heliconius doris

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

Phasmatodea

Douglas-fir Timema

Timema douglasi

A parthenogenetic timema that feeds on old-growth Douglas fir. All-female populations can occasionally cause noticeable ...

Lepidoptera

Douglas-fir Tussock Moth

Orgyia pseudotsugata

A defoliator of Douglas-fir and true firs in western North America. Outbreaks cause severe defoliation and tree mortalit...

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...

Mantodea

Dragon Mantis

Toxodera denticulata

A rare and bizarre-looking mantis from pristine Southeast Asian rainforests. Its elongated body and twig-like limbs make...

Orthoptera

Dragon-Headed Katydid

Lesina intermedia

A Southeast Asian katydid with elaborate head projections resembling a dragon. Its bizarre head shape helps break up its...

Blattodea

Dusky Cockroach

Periplaneta nigra

A dark-colored cockroach closely related to the American cockroach. It inhabits tropical forests across Africa....

Blattodea

Dwarf Hisser

Elliptorhina javanica

A smaller hissing cockroach species with a smooth pronotum. It is a popular species in the pet trade....

Phasmatodea

Dwarf Thorny Stick Insect

Haaniella parva

The smallest member of the genus Haaniella, with males reaching only about 3 cm. Despite its small size, it retains the ...

Mecoptera

Earwig Scorpionfly

Merope tuber

An extremely rare and primitive scorpionfly with forcep-like cerci reminiscent of earwigs. It is nocturnal and found in ...

Coleoptera

Eastern Hercules Flower Beetle

Mecynorrhina polyphemus

A large African flower beetle with variable coloration from green to brown. Males have a short forked horn on the head....

Diptera

Eastern Tree Hole Mosquito

Aedes triseriatus

A forest mosquito that breeds in water-filled tree holes and discarded tires. It is the primary vector of La Crosse ence...

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

Ecuadorian Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops elegans

An elegant dead leaf mantis from the western Amazon basin of Ecuador. It has refined leaf mimicry with smooth, curved wi...

Lepidoptera

Edwards' Atlas Moth

Attacus edwardsii

A massive Himalayan silk moth rivaling the atlas moth in size, with rich brown wings and large translucent fenestrae. It...

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...

Lepidoptera

Eighty-eight Butterfly

Diaethria clymena

A small butterfly with striking black and white markings on its underwings that clearly spell out the number 88 or 89....

Mantodea

Elegant Bark Mantis

Amorphoscelis elegans

A delicate bark mantis from West Africa with fine, elegant body proportions. It is one of the more gracefully built spec...

Coleoptera

Elephant Beetle

Megasoma elephas

One of the heaviest beetles, weighing up to 50 grams. Males have prominent horns on the head and prothorax. Larvae take ...

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 ...

Diptera

Elephant Stomach Bot Fly

Cobboldia elephantis

A rare bot fly whose larvae develop in the stomachs of Asian elephants. Females lay eggs around the mouth of the elephan...

Coleoptera

Emerald Ash Borer

Agrilus planipennis

One of the most destructive invasive insects in North America. Native to Asia, it has killed hundreds of millions of ash...

Blattodea

Emerald Cockroach

Pseudoglomeris magnifica

A stunning cockroach with brilliant metallic emerald-green coloring. It is one of the most beautiful cockroach species i...

Hymenoptera

Emerald Cockroach Wasp

Ampulex compressa

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

Hymenoptera

Emerald Driver Ant

Dorylus emeryi

A medium-sized driver ant with dark brown to black coloration found in West African forests. Colonies conduct raiding pa...

Coleoptera

Emerald Eupholus Weevil

Eupholus cuvieri

A spectacular weevil with brilliant turquoise and black bands across its elytra. It is found only in the rainforests of ...

Coleoptera

Emerald Long-Horned Beetle

Callichroma velutinum

A beautiful velvety green longhorn beetle found in tropical African forests. It has a downy texture unlike the glossy fi...

Lepidoptera

Emerald Swallowtail

Papilio palinurus

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

Hemiptera

Empress Cicada

Pomponia imperatoria

The largest cicada species in the world with a wingspan up to 200 mm. Found in the rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia. I...

Coleoptera

End Band Net-Winged Beetle

Calopteron terminale

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

Mantodea

Erosion Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops erosula

A small dead leaf mantis with eroded-looking wing edges from the forests of the Guiana Shield. Its ragged outline mimics...

Protura

European Eosentomid

Eosentomon transitorium

A well-known European proturan found in various soil types from forests to grasslands. It is one of the most frequently ...

Hemiptera

European Fruit Scale

Parthenolecanium corni

A polyphagous soft scale insect that infests fruit trees, ornamentals, and forest trees across Europe. Heavy infestation...

Coleoptera

European Ground Beetle

Carabus nemoralis

A common bronze-colored ground beetle that thrives in forests and gardens across Europe. It has become established in No...

Hymenoptera

European Red Wood Ant

Formica rufa

A large mound-building ant found across European forests. Workers are reddish-brown with a darker abdomen and aggressive...

Coleoptera

European Spruce Bark Beetle

Ips typographus

A major pest of spruce forests across Europe and Asia. Adults bore through bark to create characteristic gallery pattern...

Coleoptera

Euthalia Flower Beetle

Eudicella euthalia

A beautifully iridescent flower beetle with emerald green elytra and yellow-orange head markings. It frequents forest cl...

Hymenoptera

Exploding Ant

Colobopsis explodens

Minor workers can deliberately rupture their own bodies in an act of self-sacrifice, releasing a toxic sticky yellow sec...

Coleoptera

Fifteen-Spotted Lady Beetle

Anatis labiculata

One of the largest North American ladybirds with white or grey elytra bearing fifteen dark spots. It is a canopy-dwellin...

Hymenoptera

Fig Wasp

Ceratosolen fusciceps

A tiny wasp that pollinates a single species of fig in an obligate mutualism....

Coleoptera

Figueroa's Longhorn

Taeniotes scalaris

A large Neotropical lamiin with ladder-like dark markings on pale brownish-grey elytra. Found in lowland tropical forest...

Lepidoptera

Fiji Moth

Heterallactis baibakoua

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

Lepidoptera

Fiji Swallowtail

Papilio schmeltzi

A swallowtail butterfly endemic to the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific. It inhabits native forest edges and clearings ...

Hymenoptera

Fiji Tree Ant

Paraparatrechina oceanica

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

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...

Mantodea

Filigreed Stick Mantis

Toxodera fimbriata

A stick mantis from Southeast Asia with fringed edges along its thorax and legs. The fringes break up its body outline a...

Neuroptera

Fimble Brown Lacewing

Hemerobius fenestratus

A small brown lacewing with fenestrate wing markings found in boreal forests. Associated with spruce and birch in northe...

Coleoptera

Fire Beetle

Pyrophorus divergens

A bioluminescent click beetle from Central American forests. Its glowing thoracic spots are visible from several meters ...

Coleoptera

Flamboyant Flower Beetle

Eudicella gralli

A vividly green flower beetle with yellow or red stripes on its elytra. Males have a small forked horn on the head....

Coleoptera

Flat Bark Beetle

Cucujus cinnaberinus

A bright red, extremely flat beetle that lives beneath the bark of dead trees. It is an indicator species of old-growth ...

Coleoptera

Flat Bark Beetle of Madeira

Tarphius rufonodulosus

A small flattened beetle endemic to the laurel forests of Madeira. It lives under the bark of dead Laurus and Ocotea tre...

Blattodea

Flat-horned Hissing Cockroach

Aeluropoda insignis

A Madagascan cockroach with broad, flattened horns on the pronotum. It lives under bark and in rotting wood on the fores...

Coleoptera

Flavolined Longhorn

Macrodontia flavipennis

A large prionine beetle with yellowish elytra and dark veined patterns, found in the Amazon basin. It is less well known...

Hymenoptera

Florida Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex ejectus

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

Coleoptera

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 ...

Odonata

Flying Earwig Hawaiian Damselfly

Megalagrion nesiotes

An endemic Hawaiian damselfly found in wet forests, notable for breeding in water-filled leaf axils of native plants rat...

Archaeognatha

Forest Bristletail

Machilis hrabei

A central European bristletail inhabiting forest leaf litter and mossy rocks. It is one of many Machilis species found i...

Odonata

Forest Darner

Austroaeschna pulchra

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

Lepidoptera

Forest Giant Owl Moth

Erebus walkeri

A massive dark brown moth with intricate bark-like patterning and subtle eyespots. It rests during the day on tree trunk...

Lepidoptera

Forest Queen Butterfly

Euxanthe wakefieldi

A large, striking butterfly with dark brown wings marked by broad bands of apple green. It is a powerful flier that glid...

Coleoptera

Forest Roller

Canthon quinquemaculatus

A small, dark roller dung beetle with five pale spots on the elytra. Found in South American forests, it is diurnal and ...

Lepidoptera

Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth

Malacosoma disstria

A widespread North American moth whose caterpillars defoliate vast areas of hardwood forest. Despite the name, they form...

Plecoptera

Forestfly

Nemoura cambrica

A small brown stonefly associated with forested Welsh and British streams. Nymphs have distinctive cervical gills and fe...

Orthoptera

Formidable Pygmy Grasshopper

Notocerus formidabilis

An extremely rare Madagascan grasshopper not observed since its original description in 1974. Its true coloration was on...

Coleoptera

Formosa Long-armed Scarab

Cheirotonus formosanus

A rare Taiwanese scarab with elongated forelimbs and a dark chestnut-brown body. It is found only in old-growth mountain...

Coleoptera

Formosa Stag Beetle

Neolucanus swinhoei

A large Taiwanese stag beetle with smooth rounded mandibles and a reddish-brown body. Found in mountain forests....

Coleoptera

Formosan Rosalia

Rosalia formosa

A stunning cerambycid endemic to Taiwan with turquoise-blue elytra and black markings. It inhabits montane hardwood fore...

Lepidoptera

Four-barred Swordtail

Protographium leosthenes

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

Coleoptera

Four-ribbed Jewel Beetle

Polybothris quadricollis

A moderately sized jewel beetle with four distinct ridges on the pronotum, which gives it its name. The elytra shimmer w...

Coleoptera

Four-spotted Flat-face

Anoplophora macularia

A glossy black longhorn with four large white spots on its elytra, found in montane forests of central China. It is less...

Mantodea

Freyi Dead Leaf Mantis

Brancsikia freyi

A recently described dead leaf mantis closely related to B. aeroplana but distinguished by subtle differences in wing ve...

Coleoptera

Frog-legged Leaf Beetle

Sagra femorata

A large, metallic beetle with spectacular iridescent coloring ranging from deep blue to green, red, and purple. Males po...

Blattodea

Fulvous Wood Cockroach

Parcoblatta fulvescens

A small tawny-colored wood cockroach from the southeastern United States. It is typically found in pine forests and sand...

Diptera

Fusca Tsetse Fly

Glossina fusca

A large, dark-colored tsetse fly that inhabits dense forest environments. It feeds primarily on wild forest animals and ...

Coleoptera

Gaboon Ebony Longhorn Beetle

Ceroplesis militaris

A large longhorn beetle with striking black and yellow banding on its elytra. Its antennae are longer than its body in m...

Lepidoptera

Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth

Lobobunaea phaedusa

A large saturniid moth with rich brown and reddish-purple wings bearing prominent eye-spots. The caterpillars are specta...

Mantodea

Ghost Mantis

Phyllocrania paradoxa

A small mantis with elaborate leaf-like extensions on its head, body, and legs. Sways gently to mimic a leaf in the bree...

Coleoptera

Giant African Longhorn Beetle

Petrognatha gigas

One of Africa's largest longhorn beetles with mottled grey-brown bark-like camouflage. Its antennae can be longer than i...

Coleoptera

Giant African Prionine

Tithoes confinis

One of Africa's largest cerambycids, with powerful mandibles and a dark brown, heavily sculptured body. It is found in t...

Orthoptera

Giant Amazonian Katydid

Stilpnochlora couloniana

A very large bright green katydid with wings shaped like a broad tropical leaf. It is one of the largest katydids in Sou...

Coleoptera

Giant Amazonian Longhorn

Macrodontia cervicornis

One of the longest beetles in the world with enormous serrated mandibles resembling antlers. The elytra feature a marble...

Lepidoptera

Giant Blue Swallowtail

Papilio zalmoxis

One of the largest and most spectacular butterflies in Africa, with a wingspan exceeding 150 mm. The wings are brilliant...

Hemiptera

Giant Bornean Lanternfly

Pyrops whiteheadi

A spectacular lanternfly from Borneo with an elongated horn-like head process and vivid coloring. The function of the sn...

Phasmatodea

Giant Bornean Walking Stick

Tirachoidea jianfenglingensis

A very large, robust stick insect with a heavily textured green or brown body covered in small tubercles. Females are bu...

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 ...

Coleoptera

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 ...

Hymenoptera

Giant Bull Ant

Myrmecia brevinoda

Among the largest bull ants in Australia, workers can exceed 30 mm in length. They are solitary foragers with remarkably...

Blattodea

Giant Cave Cockroach

Blaberus giganteus

One of the world's largest cockroach species, with a wingspan reaching 15 cm. It inhabits caves and dark forest environm...

Coleoptera

Giant Click Beetle

Oxynopterus mucronatus

One of the largest click beetles in Asia with dramatic pectinate antennae in males. It can launch itself into the air wi...

Mantodea

Giant Devil's Flower Mantis

Idolomantis serrula

A close relative of the devil's flower mantis found in the dry forests of East Africa. It has serrated leg lobes that en...

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...

Coleoptera

Giant Fijian Long-horned Beetle

Xixuthrus terribilis

An extremely large longhorn beetle from Fiji, among the biggest cerambycids in the Pacific. It develops in large fallen ...

Coleoptera

Giant Fijian Longhorn

Xixuthrus heros

One of the largest living insects endemic to Fiji with a massive dark brown body. It is extremely rare and seldom encoun...

Coleoptera

Giant Flower Beetle

Mecynorrhina torquata

One of the largest flower beetles in Africa, with males reaching impressive sizes. They display vivid green and yellow c...

Hymenoptera

Giant Forest Ant

Dinomyrmex gigas

One of the largest ant species in the world, with workers reaching 20 mm and queens exceeding 30 mm. It inhabits Southea...

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...

Hymenoptera

Giant Honey Bee

Apis dorsata

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

Hymenoptera

Giant Ichneumon Wasp

Dolichomitus imperator

A parasitoid wasp with an ovipositor longer than its body used to drill into wood....

Coleoptera

Giant Jawed Longhorn

Macrodontia dejeanii

A large prionine with impressive curved mandibles from the tropical forests of South America. While smaller than the fam...

Coleoptera

Giant Ladybird

Anatis ocellata

The largest European ladybird, with orange elytra bearing black spots each encircled by a pale ring. It is a conifer spe...

Blattodea

Giant Lobster Cockroach

Henschoutedenia flexivitta

A large African cockroach with a broad, flattened body. It has distinctive banded markings across its wings....

Orthoptera

Giant Long-Legged Katydid

Macrolyristes corporalis

One of the largest katydids in the world with a leg span exceeding 25 cm. Found in the rainforests of Malaysia, it is no...

Hemiptera

Giant Malaysian Cicada

Megapomponia merula

A massive cicada from Southeast Asian rainforests, rivaling the empress cicada in size. Its deep, resonant call carries ...

Orthoptera

Giant Malaysian Katydid

Arachnacris corporalis

Among the heaviest katydids in the world with females weighing over 30 grams. Found in lowland Bornean rainforest. The l...

Mantodea

Giant Malaysian Leaf Mantis

Deroplatys truncata

The largest dead leaf mantis species with a broad, flat body that mimics a curled brown leaf. Its enormous thoracic shie...

Coleoptera

Giant Neotropical Ball Roller

Canthon aequinoctialis

A medium-sized, matte black roller dung beetle common in Central and South American forests. It is one of the most abund...

Blattodea

Giant Northern Termite

Mastotermes darwiniensis

The most primitive living termite and the only surviving member of its family. It retains many cockroach-like features i...

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...

Hymenoptera

Giant Scoliid Wasp

Megascolia procer

One of the largest wasps in the world, reaching over 5 cm in length, found in Southeast Asian forests. It parasitizes at...

Phasmatodea

Giant Spiny Stick Insect

Haaniella dehaanii

A massive dark brown stick insect with prominent spines and a thick cylindrical body. Females are exceptionally heavy-bo...

Collembola

Giant Springtail

Tetrodontophora bielanensis

One of the largest springtails in the world, with a metallic blue body. It lives in forest soil and leaf litter in Centr...

Coleoptera

Giant Stag Beetle of Chile

Chiasognathus grantii

A spectacular stag beetle with enormous mandibles found in temperate Valdivian forests. Males use their long jaws to wre...

Phasmatodea

Giant Stick Insect

Phobaeticus kirbyi

A very large stick insect from Borneo with extremely elongated legs. Males are slender and capable of flight with their ...

Hymenoptera

Giant Trap-jaw Ant

Odontomachus hastatus

One of the largest trap-jaw ant species, building arboreal carton nests in tropical forests. Its elongated mandibles are...

Coleoptera

Giant Tropical Click Beetle

Chalcolepidius porcatus

A spectacular large click beetle covered in iridescent green or blue-green scales with deeply grooved elytra. It is one ...

Hymenoptera

Giant Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex spinicola

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

Diptera

Giant Western Crane Fly

Holorusia hespera

North America's largest crane fly with a wingspan approaching 80 mm. It inhabits mossy stream banks in western mountain ...

Diptera

Giant Wood Hoverfly

Temnostoma vespiforme

A large, wasp-mimicking hoverfly with yellow and black banding and a slender waist. Its larvae develop in decaying wood ...

Coleoptera

Gibbicollis Dung Beetle

Deltochilum gibbosum

A dark, convex roller dung beetle with a pronounced hump on the pronotum. It is a flightless species that rolls dung bal...

Coleoptera

Giraffe Stag Beetle

Prosopocoilus giraffa

The largest stag beetle species in the world, with males reaching 120 mm including their enormous mandibles. Found in So...

Coleoptera

Giraffe Weevil

Trachelophorus giraffa

Named for its extraordinary elongated neck, which is 2-3 times longer in males. Found only in Madagascar. Males use thei...

Lepidoptera

Glasswing Butterfly

Greta oto

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

Blattodea

Globe-nosed Nasute Termite

Nasutitermes nigriceps

A tree-nesting nasute termite from Central and South America that builds dark carton nests high in trees. Soldiers have ...

Diptera

Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly

Glossina austeni

A small, dark-colored tsetse fly found in coastal forests and thickets of East Africa. It is a vector of both human and ...

Blattodea

Glowspot Cockroach

Lucihormetica subcincta

A large dark cockroach with two glowing yellow-green spots on its pronotum produced by bioluminescent bacteria. The glow...

Hymenoptera

Gnamptogenys Ant

Gnamptogenys striatula

A small predatory ectatomminine ant with strongly striate sculpturing covering its body. It hunts in leaf litter and rot...

Mantodea

Goblin Mantis

Amorphoscelis pulchella

A tiny, cryptic mantis found on tree bark in West African forests. Its mottled brown coloring makes it virtually invisib...

Lepidoptera

Gold-banded Forester

Euphaedra neophron

A striking forest butterfly with dark wings marked by a bold golden-orange band. It feeds on the forest floor on fallen ...

Hymenoptera

Golden Carpenter Ant

Camponotus sericeiventris

A striking large ant with dense golden or silvery pubescence covering its gaster, giving it a metallic sheen. Workers ar...

Coleoptera

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...

Coleoptera

Golden Jewel Beetle

Chrysochroa fulminans

A brilliantly iridescent beetle with metallic green and gold coloring. The structural coloration of its elytra has inspi...

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...

Hymenoptera

Golden Orchid Bee

Eufriesea surinamensis

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

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....

Coleoptera

Goliath Beetle

Goliathus goliatus

One of the heaviest insects on Earth. Males have a Y-shaped horn on the head. Larvae can weigh up to 100 grams and requi...

Lepidoptera

Goliath Birdwing

Ornithoptera goliath

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

Blattodea

Grallatotermes Bark Termite

Grallatotermes africanus

An African arboreal termite that builds thin sheeting galleries over tree bark surfaces. Workers forage beneath these pr...

Hemiptera

Grandidier's Cicada

Yanga grandidieri

A large, robust cicada with opaque brownish wings marked with darker infuscations and a broad pronotal collar. Males pro...

Phasmatodea

Gray's Thorny Stick Insect

Haaniella grayii

A large thorny stick insect named after the zoologist John Edward Gray. It inhabits the dense rainforests of Borneo....

Coleoptera

Graybeal's Longhorn

Anoplophora graafi

A large and stout longhorn beetle from the forests of Sulawesi, with a dark body covered in dense greyish-blue pubescenc...

Lepidoptera

Great Orange Tip

Hebomoia glaucippe

The largest pierid butterfly in the world with white wings bearing brilliant orange tips. It has a fast powerful flight....

Coleoptera

Great Spruce Bark Beetle

Dendroctonus micans

The largest European bark beetle, attacking living spruce trees. Unlike most bark beetles, it does not use aggregation p...

Lepidoptera

Green Baron

Euthalia adonia

A forest butterfly with vivid iridescent green upperside in males, while females are brownish with white markings. It ha...

Coleoptera

Green Castiarina Jewel Beetle

Castiarina viridissima

A brilliant emerald-green jewel beetle found in Australian heathlands and forests. Adults are avid flower visitors and a...

Blattodea

Green Cockroach

Panchlora viridis

A small, bright green cockroach found in tropical forests of northern Australia and the Pacific. Its vivid coloring prov...

Coleoptera

Green Grooved Dung Beetle

Phanaeus difformis

A metallic green and copper tunneling dung beetle with a prominent male horn that is slightly offset to one side. The pr...

Coleoptera

Green Grooved Longhorn

Prosopocera lactator

A pale green longhorn beetle with long, elegantly banded antennae. It is found on fig and other broadleaf trees in Afric...

Coleoptera

Green Protea Beetle

Smaragdesthes oertzeni

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

Mantodea

Green Shield Mantis

Chlidonoptera lestoni

A flat-bodied mantis from West Africa with a wide, shield-shaped pronotum. Its flattened body helps it press tightly aga...

Coleoptera

Green Tiger Longhorn

Chelidonium argentatum

A medium-sized Neotropical cerambycid with silvery-green pubescent patches on a dark body, found in the Atlantic Forest ...

Hymenoptera

Green Tree Ant

Oecophylla smaragdina subnitida

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

Lepidoptera

Green-veined Charaxes

Charaxes candiope

A large charaxes with orange upperwings and distinctive green-veined underwings. It is common along forested rivers and ...

Coleoptera

Grey Longhorn

Acanthocinus griseus

A small, cryptically colored longhorn beetle with grey pubescence and faint darker markings on the elytra. It inhabits c...

Mantodea

Guiana Bark Mantis

Liturgusa guianensis

A small, flattened bark mantis from the Guiana Shield region of South America. It inhabits primary rainforest and is rar...

Orthoptera

Gumleaf Grasshopper

Goniaea australasiae

A well-camouflaged grasshopper whose flattened body and brown coloring perfectly mimic a dead eucalyptus leaf. It remain...

Zoraptera

Gurney Angel Insect

Zorotypus gurneyi

A Neotropical zorapteran discovered in South American forests. It exhibits complex dominance hierarchies within its smal...

Coleoptera

Gyas Beetle

Dynastes gyas

A large South American relative of the Hercules beetle with shorter, thicker horns. Body is dark brown to black....

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...

Phasmatodea

Hainan Stick Insect

Ramulus hainanense

A slender green stick insect found on Hainan Island in southern China. It feeds on tropical broadleaf vegetation....

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...

Hymenoptera

Hairy Panther Ant

Neoponera obscuricornis

A medium-sized ponerine ant with dense body pubescence and a powerful sting. Workers are solitary predators that hunt on...

Hymenoptera

Hairy Wood Ant

Formica lugubris

A large mound-building ant of upland coniferous forests with noticeably hairy body surfaces. It forms polydomous colonie...

Blattodea

Halloween Hisser

Elliptorhina laevigata

A striking cockroach with dark brown and orange-black coloring. Its smooth pronotum and contrasting colors make it visua...

Coleoptera

Handsome Fungus Beetle

Stenotarsus rotundus

A small rounded beetle that aggregates in enormous numbers during dry seasons....

Coleoptera

Harlequin Beetle

Acrocinus longimanus

A spectacular longhorn beetle from the Amazon with intricate red, black, and yellow patterns. Males have enormously elon...

Coleoptera

Harlequin Bug Leaf Beetle

Platyphora ligata

A striking Neotropical leaf beetle with metallic blue-black elytra bordered with bright orange-red markings. It is found...

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 Damselfly

Megalagrion hawaiiense

An endemic Hawaiian damselfly with red or orange coloring found near streams. It breeds in flowing water in native fores...

Araneae

Hawaiian Happy-face Spider

Theridion grallator

A tiny Hawaiian spider with markings on its abdomen that resemble a smiling face. It is endemic to the rainforests of fo...

Diptera

Hawaiian Picture-wing Fly (Heteroneura)

Drosophila heteroneura

A remarkable Hawaiian picture-wing fly famous for its hammer-shaped head, found only on Hawaii Island. Males use their b...

Diptera

Hawaiian Picture-wing Fly (Silvestris)

Drosophila silvestris

A Hawaiian picture-wing fly closely related to D. heteroneura but with a normally shaped head. It is found in wet forest...

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...

Lepidoptera

Helena Brown Butterfly

Tisiphone helena

A dark brown butterfly with orange-ringed eyespots found in shaded forest environments. It has a weak, bobbing flight cl...

Lepidoptera

Helena Gum Moth

Opodiphthera helena

A beautiful saturniid moth with pinkish-brown wings marked with bold eyespots. It is found in eucalyptus forests of sout...

Coleoptera

Helena Olive Wireworm Beetle

Tarphius wollastoni

A small beetle endemic to St. Helena in the South Atlantic. It is associated with decaying endemic gumwood trees....

Lepidoptera

Heliconius Hewitsoni

Heliconius hewitsoni

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

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....

Lepidoptera

Helicopter Metalmark

Chorinea octauius

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

Coleoptera

Helm's Stag Beetle

Geodorcus helmsi

An endemic New Zealand stag beetle found in the forests of the South Island. Males have enlarged mandibles used in fight...

Hemiptera

Helmet Treehopper

Membracis foliatia

A Neotropical treehopper with a large, laterally compressed pronotal crest shaped like a leaf. Its black body with white...

Hemiptera

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Adelges tsugae

A devastating invasive pest of eastern hemlock in North America, originally from East Asia. It feeds at the base of need...

Hymenoptera

Hercules Ant

Camponotus herculeanus

A large black carpenter ant of boreal and montane forests across the Northern Hemisphere. Major workers have massive hea...

Coleoptera

Hercules Beetle

Dynastes hercules

One of the largest beetles in the world. Males sport enormous horns used in combat for mates. The elytra can change colo...

Coleoptera

Hercules Flower Beetle

Mecynorrhina harrisi

A large cetoniine beetle with dark greenish-black coloration and yellow markings on the pronotum. Males possess a forked...

Lepidoptera

Hercules Moth

Coscinocera hercules

Has the largest wing area of any moth — up to 300 square centimeters. Named after Hercules for its great size. Adults li...

Lepidoptera

Hercules Moth of South America

Copaxa multifenestrata

A large silk moth with brown wings bearing multiple translucent windows that give it its species name. The wing margins ...

Coleoptera

High-altitude Longhorn Beetle

Evodinus borealis

A flower-visiting longhorn beetle of boreal and montane conifer forests. Its larvae develop in decaying conifer wood at ...

Hemiptera

Highclere Treehopper

Heteronotus trinodosus

A Neotropical treehopper with three distinct knobs on its elongated pronotum. It is an ant-attended species found in low...

Odonata

Hildebrand's Dragonfly

Neodythemis hildebrandti

A forest-dwelling dragonfly with a dark metallic body and hyaline wings. Males have distinctive blue pruinescence on the...

Lepidoptera

Hispaniolan Swallowtail

Papilio aristodemus

A large swallowtail butterfly found in the Caribbean with yellow and dark brown wings. Several subspecies are endemic to...

Coleoptera

Hispine Rolled-leaf Beetle

Cephaloleia vagelineata

A flattened, elongate beetle adapted to living inside rolled-up young leaves of Heliconia plants. Its body is dorsoventr...

Blattodea

Hooded Cockroach

Diploptera punctata

The only known cockroach that is truly viviparous and produces a protein-rich milk....

Orthoptera

Hooded Leaf Katydid

Phyllophorella queenslandica

An Australian katydid with a dramatically expanded pronotum that covers its head like a hood. The entire body mimics a c...

Mantodea

Hooded Mantis

Choeradodis rhombicollis

A Central American mantis with an enormously expanded, leaf-shaped prothorax. Its green, shield-like hood provides excel...

Hymenoptera

Hooked Army Ant

Eciton hamatum

A column-raiding army ant that forms narrow trails rather than broad swarm fronts. It specializes in raiding the nests o...

Hemiptera

Horned Aphid

Tuberaphis styraci

A social aphid from East Asia that forms colonies defended by sterile soldier nymphs with horned heads. They live on sty...

Hymenoptera

Horntail Wasp

Urocerus gigas

A large wood wasp that injects symbiotic fungus into trees along with its eggs....

Coleoptera

Horsfield's Longhorn

Batocera horsfieldi

A large flat-faced longhorn beetle found in tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Adults are mottled grey-brown with disti...

Coleoptera

Huhu Beetle

Prionoplus reticularis

New Zealand's largest endemic beetle, the huhu beetle is a longhorn beetle whose larvae bore into dead and decaying wood...

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...

Phasmatodea

Hujiayao's Stick Insect

Neohirasea hujiayaoi

A small stick insect from the subtropical forests of China. It is distinguished from related species by subtle differenc...

Coleoptera

Humpbacked Mite-hunter

Scydmaenus hellwigii

A diminutive scydmaenine rove beetle with a distinctly humped profile and long, clubbed antennae. It specializes in hunt...

Coleoptera

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...

Coleoptera

Igneus Rainbow Scarab

Phanaeus igneus

A brilliantly metallic green, blue, and red tunneling dung beetle of the southeastern United States. Males have a long, ...

Mantodea

Indian Bark Mantis

Amorphoscelis annulicornis

A small bark mantis from India with banded antennae unique in the genus. It is found in the tropical forests of the West...

Odonata

Indian Jewelwing

Vestalis gracilis

A large, shimmering emerald-green damselfly found in the rainforests of South and Southeast Asia. Both sexes have irides...

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...

Coleoptera

Indian Moon Beetle

Dicranocephalus wallichii

A spectacular stag beetle relative with males bearing two long, curved, crescent-shaped horns on the head. The body is r...

Lepidoptera

Indian Moon Moth

Actias selene

A large, elegant moth with pale green wings, long hindwing tails, and maroon-bordered eyespots. It is closely related to...

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...

Coleoptera

Indian Stag Beetle

Lucanus lunifer

A large, dark brown stag beetle with impressive curved mandibles in males that resemble deer antlers. It is found in mon...

Mantodea

Indian Stick Mantis

Toxodera maculata

A spotted stick mantis found in the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. It has dark spots scattered along its body ...

Blattodea

Indian White Termite

Odontotermes horni

A fungus-cultivating termite common in the forests and agricultural areas of the Indian subcontinent. Colonies build sub...

Diptera

Intermedia Sandfly

Lutzomyia intermedia

A tiny sandfly found in southeastern Brazil that is a major vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Atlantic Forest regions...

Diplura

Isabella's Dipluran

Parajapyx isabellae

A soil-dwelling japygid dipluran found in temperate forests. It has small but functional forceps used for prey capture....

Protura

Italian Acerentomid

Acerentomon italicum

A small proturan originally described from Italian soils. It is typical of Mediterranean forest floor environments....

Blattodea

Ivory Coast Fungus Termite

Macrotermes mülleri

A large fungus-growing species found in the humid forests of West and Central Africa. Colonies construct partially subte...

Coleoptera

Japanese Bark Beetle

Ips typographus japonicus

The Japanese subspecies of the European spruce bark beetle. A significant pest of coniferous forests in Japan, particula...

Coleoptera

Japanese Click Beetle

Campsosternus gemma

A spectacular metallic green and gold click beetle found in East Asian forests. It is one of the most brilliantly colour...

Protura

Japanese Eosentomid

Eosentomon sakura

A tiny proturan found in the soils of Japanese temperate forests. It possesses functional spiracles unlike acerentomid p...

Hymenoptera

Japanese Giant Hornet

Vespa mandarinia japonica

The largest hornet in the world, capable of destroying an entire honey bee colony in hours. A small group of 30 hornets ...

Hymenoptera

Japanese Giant Ichneumon

Megarhyssa praecellens

One of the largest ichneumon wasps in Asia with a remarkably long ovipositor. It parasitizes wood-boring horntail larvae...

Coleoptera

Japanese Ground Beetle

Carabus insulicola

A large, dark beetle with coppery-bronze elytra found in Japanese mountain forests. It is flightless and shows considera...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Luna Moth

Actias gnoma

A smaller Japanese moon moth known as 'o-mizuao-ga,' with elegant pale green wings and long tail streamers. Found in mou...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Moon Moth

Actias artemis

A delicate pale green moon moth with elegant hindwing tails found only in Japan. It flies during the brief early summer ...

Odonata

Japanese Narrow-Winged Damselfly

Mnais costalis

A beautiful damselfly endemic to Japan, known as 'niko-nico-kawatombou.' Males come in two forms: orange-winged territor...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Oakblue

Arhopala japonica

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

Coleoptera

Japanese Pine Sawyer

Monochamus alternatus

A large longhorn beetle known as 'matsu-no-madara-kamikiri,' responsible for transmitting pine wilt disease in Japan. Th...

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....

Mecoptera

Japanese Scorpionfly

Panorpa japonica

A scorpionfly common in Japanese forests with spotted wings and a distinctive reddish-brown body. It feeds on dead insec...

Diptera

Japanese Soldier Fly

Ptecticus tenebrifer

A slender soldier fly with a metallic greenish-black body and elongate antennae. It is commonly found near decaying orga...

Hemiptera

Japanese Subsocial Shield Bug

Parastrachia japonensis

A subsocial shield bug where mothers carry drupes of a specific tree to their underground nests to feed their nymphs. Th...

Coleoptera

Japanese Water Penny

Eubrianax granicollis

An East Asian water penny beetle found in swift forest streams of Japan. Adults are dark and robust with a granular pron...

Hemiptera

Javan Amber Cicada

Ambragaeana ambra

A large cicada with amber-tinted wings and a stout body. It inhabits dense tropical forests where its deep buzzing call ...

Coleoptera

Jewel Frog Beetle

Sagra longicollis

A spectacular metallic beetle with colors ranging from deep red to purple and green. Males have greatly enlarged hind fe...

Coleoptera

Jewel Ground Beetle

Carabus auronitens

A strikingly beautiful ground beetle with bright gold and green metallic coloring. It inhabits mountain forests across c...

Coleoptera

Jewel Longhorn Beetle

Sternotomis bohemani

A strikingly patterned longhorn beetle with green and black markings....

Coleoptera

Jewel Scarab

Chrysina resplendens

A beetle that appears to be made of polished gold, found in cloud forests of Central America. Its reflective shell is co...

Coleoptera

Jewelled Frog Beetle

Sagra buqueti

A brilliantly metallic leaf beetle with enlarged hind legs resembling a frog's. Males use their powerful legs in combat ...

Phasmatodea

Jungle Nymph

Heteropteryx dilatata

One of the heaviest stick insects, with females weighing up to 65 grams. Females are bright green with small wings; male...

Hemiptera

Jungle Nymph Spittlebug

Cosmoscarta bispecularis

A colorful Southeast Asian froghopper with metallic blue-black and orange markings. It feeds on tropical plants and is o...

Lepidoptera

Kaiseri-i-Hind Butterfly

Teinopalpus imperialis

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

Lepidoptera

Kamehameha Butterfly

Vanessa tameamea

Hawaii's state insect, a beautiful orange-and-black butterfly endemic to the islands. It is one of only two butterfly sp...

Lepidoptera

Kauri Moth

Agathiphaga vitiensis

An extremely primitive moth considered a living fossil, with larvae that feed inside the seeds of kauri pine trees. It r...

Orthoptera

King Cricket

Libanasidus vittatus

A large armored cricket that forages on forest floors and can bite through human skin....

Coleoptera

Knobbled Weevil

Karocolens pittospori

A large, knobbled weevil endemic to New Zealand, covered in rough tubercles that give it a bark-like appearance. It is n...

Hemiptera

Koa Bug

Coleotichus blackburniae

A colorful jewel bug endemic to Hawaii with metallic green, gold, and red coloring. It feeds on koa and other native tre...

Coleoptera

Korean Ground Beetle

Carabus jankowskii

A large, ornate ground beetle found in the forests of the Korean Peninsula and adjacent regions. Its elytra show vivid g...

Hymenoptera

Koschevnikov's Honey Bee

Apis koschevnikovi

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

Hemiptera

Lac Insect

Kerria lacca

Produces lac resin — the raw material for shellac, used in wood finishes, food glazing, and pharmaceutical coatings. One...

Blattodea

Lacessititermes Soldier Termite

Lacessititermes laborator

A Southeast Asian soil-feeding termite known for its highly aggressive soldiers that actively patrol around the nest. Co...

Blattodea

Lamani Spiral-nest Termite

Apicotermes lamani

A subterranean soil-feeding termite known for its remarkably structured underground nests in Central African forests. Th...

Coleoptera

Lameere's Longhorn

Chloridolum lameerei

A rare metallic blue-green cerambycid described from the forests of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is known from very f...

Odonata

Lancet Clubtail

Phanogomphus exilis

A small, slender clubtail dragonfly of eastern North America with greenish-yellow markings. It frequents small streams a...

Hemiptera

Lanternfly

Pyrops candelaria

Striking planthoppers with elongated snouts once believed to be luminous (hence lanternfly). The extended head process f...

Lepidoptera

Lapland Ringlet

Erebia embla

A dark brown butterfly with prominent yellow-ringed black eyespots on both wings. The flight is slow and bobbing close t...

Coleoptera

Larch Ladybird

Aphidecta obliterata

A small brown ladybird that specializes on larch-feeding aphids in European conifer forests. Its cryptic coloration help...

Hymenoptera

Larch Sawfly

Pristiphora erichsonii

The most important defoliator of larch in North America. Periodic outbreaks can last for years and cause significant gro...

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...

Hemiptera

Large Brown Cicada

Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata

A common Japanese cicada known as 'aburazemi' with opaque brownish wings, unusual among cicadas. It produces an oil-sizz...

Coleoptera

Large Brown Click Beetle

Hemirhipus fascicularis

One of the largest click beetles in South America with a robust dark brown body. Their clicking mechanism can launch the...

Hymenoptera

Large Larch Sawfly

Nematus erichsonii

A gregarious defoliator of larch in European forests. Larvae feed in groups and can rapidly strip branches of needles....

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...

Orthoptera

Leaf-rolling Cricket

Gryllacris sigillata

A large nocturnal cricket that silks together leaves to create a daytime retreat....

Diplura

Lepidocampa Dipluran

Lepidocampa weberi

A tropical dipluran found in forest soils across Southeast Asia. It has distinctive scale-covered body segments....

Trichoptera

Lepidostoma Caddisfly

Lepidostoma hirtum

A case-building caddisfly that constructs distinctive four-sided cases from leaf fragments. Larvae are important leaf-li...

Coleoptera

Lesser Pine Sawyer

Monochamus sutor

A mottled brown longhorn beetle found across the boreal forests of Eurasia. It breeds in recently dead or weakened conif...

Phasmatodea

Letiranti's Leaf Insect

Phyllium letiranti

A leaf insect found in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It has subtly serrated leaf margins on its abdominal lobes....

Mantodea

Lichen Mantis

Pogonogaster tristani

A small mantis covered in mossy-looking protuberances that mimic lichen....

Lepidoptera

Lichen Moth of New Zealand

Declana floccosa

A beautifully camouflaged moth endemic to New Zealand that resembles a patch of lichen when resting on bark. Both the wi...

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 ...

Blattodea

Little Kenyan Cockroach

Gyna lurida

A small, active cockroach from East Africa known for its climbing ability. Adults have translucent wings with a yellowis...

Coleoptera

Littoral Dung Beetle

Helictopleurus littoralis

A dung beetle adapted to coastal and lowland environments, distinguished from forest relatives by its slightly flatter b...

Lepidoptera

Liturata Hawk Moth

Ambulyx liturata

A large hawk moth with brownish-ochre forewings marked with dark streaks and patches. It is widespread in tropical Asian...

Blattodea

Lobster Cockroach

Nauphoeta cinerea

A small to medium cockroach with mottled grey-brown coloring that is widely used in scientific research and as feeder in...

Lepidoptera

Loepa Yellow Silk Moth

Loepa katinka

A vivid yellow silk moth with large lavender-centered eyespots on all four wings. It is one of the most striking saturni...

Hemiptera

Long-Nosed Lanternfly

Pyrops sultanus

A large Malaysian lanternfly with an extremely elongated head projection and colorful spotted wings. It feeds on sap fro...

Blattodea

Long-nosed Termite

Nasutitermes longinasus

A nasute termite from Central and South American rainforests that builds carton nests on trees. Soldiers have an excepti...

Mantodea

Long-winged Bark Mantis

Amorphoscelis longipennis

A bark mantis from West Africa with unusually long wings for its body size. Males are capable of sustained flight, unlik...

Blattodea

Longipes Termite

Longipeditermes longipes

A Southeast Asian soil-feeding termite notable for its exceptionally long legs relative to body size. Workers forage in ...

Phasmatodea

Lopaphus Stick Insect

Lopaphus sphalerus

A medium-sized stick insect from Southeast Asia with small wings. It has a smooth body and relatively long antennae....

Coleoptera

Lord Howe Island Beetle

Anoplognathus macleayi

A scarab beetle endemic to Lord Howe Island with metallic green coloring. It has suffered severe decline due to introduc...

Coleoptera

Luminous Click Beetle

Pyrearinus candelarius

A bioluminescent click beetle from South American tropical forests. Its larvae often inhabit termite mounds where their ...

Hymenoptera

Lunar Ichneumon Wasp

Megarhyssa lunator

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

Neuroptera

Lutescent Brown Lacewing

Hemerobius lutescens

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

Diptera

Lutzomyia Sand Fly (Whitmani)

Lutzomyia whitmani

A small sandfly that is the major vector of Leishmania braziliensis, which causes mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil....

Phasmatodea

Macleay's Spectre

Extatosoma popa

A large, leaf-mimicking phasmid closely related to the giant prickly stick insect. Its body is covered in lobed projecti...

Lepidoptera

Macrosoma conifera

Macrosoma conifera

Small grayish-white moth-butterfly with narrow pointed wings. Inhabits forest understory and is active only at night....

Lepidoptera

Macrosoma lucivittata

Macrosoma lucivittata

Moth-butterfly with pale wings bearing a translucent vitreous stripe. One of the more distinctive hedylid species....

Lepidoptera

Macrosoma tipulata

Macrosoma tipulata

Slender moth-butterfly with elongated brown-gray wings and long legs. Nocturnal and rarely encountered, attracted to lig...

Mantodea

Madagascan Bent-toed Gecko Mantis

Brancsikia aeroplana

A rare and unusual mantis endemic to Madagascar with flattened lobes on its legs. It closely mimics dried leaves on the ...

Lepidoptera

Madagascan Emperor Moth

Antherina suraka

A large silk moth with brownish wings and prominent eyespots. Endemic to Madagascar and commonly used in wild silk produ...

Coleoptera

Madagascan Flat Bark Beetle

Passandra boliti

An extremely flat beetle that lives under bark in Madagascan forests. Its compressed body allows it to navigate thin gap...

Hemiptera

Madagascan Flatid Leaf Bug

Phromnia rosea

Nymphs cluster together on stems to form structures resembling pink and white flower blossoms. Each nymph looks like a s...

Sphaerotheriida

Madagascan Giant Pill Bug

Zoosphaerium blandum

A giant pill millipede from Madagascar that rolls into a smooth, hard ball when disturbed. They play an important role i...

Lepidoptera

Madagascan Giant Swallowtail

Pharmacophagus antenor

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

Neuroptera

Madagascan Green Lacewing

Ankylopteryx octopunctata

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

Coleoptera

Madagascan Green Lynx Spider Beetle

Trachelophorus cornutus

A close relative of the giraffe weevil found in Madagascar with a shorter neck. Males use their elongated necks in comba...

Coleoptera

Madagascan Jewel Beetle

Polybothris sumptuosa

A metallic green jewel beetle endemic to Madagascar with a brilliant iridescent sheen. It is commonly collected for jewe...

Mantodea

Madagascan Marbled Mantis

Polyspilota griffinii

A large mantis with marbled green and brown wing covers. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its mottled coloring provides exce...

Sphaerotheriida

Madagascan Pill Millipede

Zoosphaerium neptunus

A giant pill millipede endemic to Madagascar that can roll into a perfect ball. It is one of the largest pill millipedes...

Lepidoptera

Madagascan Sphinx Moth

Xanthopan praedicta

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

Lepidoptera

Madagascan Sunset Moth

Chrysiridia rhipheus

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

Lepidoptera

Madagascan Tiger Moth

Radiarctia rhodesiana

A colorful tiger moth found in Madagascar with orange and black wing patterns. It advertises its toxicity through bright...

Mantodea

Madagascar Bark Mantis

Amorphoscelis madagassa

A small bark mantis endemic to Madagascar's eastern rainforests. It is part of the island's rich endemic insect fauna....

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...

Hemiptera

Madagascar Lantern Bug

Zanna madagascariensis

A large planthopper with a bulbous snout-like head projection and colorful spotted hindwings. The forewings are cryptica...

Orthoptera

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...

Mantodea

Madagascar Stick Mantis

Idolomorpha madagascariensis

A large, slender praying mantis reaching 7-9 cm with a body that closely resembles a twig. Adults have purplish-yellow w...

Lepidoptera

Madagascar Swordtail Butterfly

Graphium evombar

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

Coleoptera

Madagascar Tortoise Beetle

Aspidimorpha furcata

A rounded, dome-shaped beetle with transparent margins around the elytra that make it look like a tiny tortoise shell. T...

Lepidoptera

Madeiran Brimstone Butterfly

Gonepteryx maderensis

A yellow butterfly endemic to the island of Madeira in the Atlantic. It is closely related to Canary Island brimstones b...

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...

Lepidoptera

Madeiran Large White

Pieris brassicae wollastoni

A subspecies of the large white butterfly that was endemic to Madeira. It has not been reliably recorded since the 1970s...

Lepidoptera

Magellan Birdwing

Troides magellanus

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

Blattodea

Magnetic Termite

Amitermes meridionalis

Builds tall wedge-shaped mounds precisely oriented on a north-south axis to regulate internal temperature. The flat side...

Orthoptera

Mahoenui Giant Weta

Deinacrida mahoenui

A critically threatened giant weta originally surviving in a single patch of introduced gorse scrub. It is brown with li...

Lepidoptera

Malabar Large White

Pieris brassicae mahometana

A rare subspecies of the Large White butterfly endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Found only in high-altitude forest...

Orthoptera

Malabar Monkey Grasshopper

Eumastax nalandensis

A small, colorful grasshopper found in the Western Ghats of India, associated with monsoon forest habitats. It has chara...

Lepidoptera

Malabar Tree Nymph

Idea malabarica

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

Blattodea

Malaccensis Fungus Termite

Macrotermes malaccensis

A large mound-building fungus termite found in the rainforests of peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Colonies construct pro...

Phasmatodea

Malacomorpha Walkingstick

Malacomorpha cylindrica

A cylindrical, smooth-bodied walkingstick from the Caribbean and Central America. It has a distinctive elongated shape w...

Lepidoptera

Malagasy Atlas Moth

Epiphora bauhiniae

A large silk moth with rich chestnut and cream wings bearing translucent triangular windows. The wings have scalloped ma...

Mantodea

Malagasy Bark Mantis

Liturgusa malagassa

A flattened mantis that lives pressed against tree trunks, with mottled brown and gray coloring that perfectly matches b...

Lepidoptera

Malagasy Blue Butterfly

Leptomyrina phidias

A small butterfly with brilliant blue upperwings in males and more subdued brown in females. The underwing surface has f...

Coleoptera

Malagasy Dung Beetle

Helictopleurus neoamplicollis

A medium-sized, dark-bodied tunneling dung beetle endemic to Madagascar. Males have pronotal ridges. It processes lemur ...

Mantodea

Malagasy Ghost Mantis

Phyllocrania illudens

A small mantis with elaborate leaf-like extensions on its head, thorax, and legs that make it nearly invisible among dea...

Coleoptera

Malagasy Leaf Beetle

Chrysomela madagascariensis

A small, rounded beetle with a brilliant metallic green to golden body. It feeds on foliage and can be found in aggregat...

Orthoptera

Malagasy Litterhopper

Valalyllum folium

A recently described pygmy grasshopper from Madagascar known only from the Belanono forest. Its flattened body perfectly...

Hemiptera

Malagasy Mottled Cicada

Yanga argyrea

A silvery-gray cicada with mottled wing patterns that provide excellent camouflage against tree bark. Males produce a di...

Coleoptera

Malagasy Peyrieras's Dung Beetle

Helictopleurus peyrierasi

A small to medium forest dung beetle named after the Malagasy naturalist Andre Peyrieras. It has a dark, heavily sculptu...

Phasmatodea

Malagasy Praying Stick Insect

Achrioptera punctipes

A large stick insect with spotted legs and a green to brown body covered in small spiny tubercles. Females are considera...

Lepidoptera

Malagasy Processionary Moth

Anaphe madagascariensis

A pale silky white moth whose caterpillars march in long head-to-tail processions through the forest. The larvae are cov...

Lepidoptera

Malagasy Skipper Butterfly

Heteropsis narcissus

A small satyrinae butterfly with brown wings marked by subtle eyespots along the wing margins. It flies low through fore...

Phasmatodea

Malagasy Spiny Leaf Insect

Phyllium malagassum

A remarkable leaf insect with a broad, flat green body that exactly mimics a living leaf, complete with mid-ribs, veins,...

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...

Lepidoptera

Malagasy Tiger Moth

Grammodes stolida

A nocturnal moth with bold geometric patterns of orange, cream, and dark brown on its forewings. The hindwings are brigh...

Phasmatodea

Malagasy Walking Stick

Achrioptera impennis

A large, wingless stick insect with a robust green body covered in small tubercles and spiny projections. Females can re...

Lepidoptera

Malay Lacewing

Cethosia hypsea

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

Lepidoptera

Malay Leaf Butterfly

Kallima limborgii

A master of camouflage, with undersides that perfectly mimic a dead brown leaf complete with midrib, veins, and even fun...

Phasmatodea

Malayan Stick Insect

Phobaeticus serratipes

An extremely long stick insect with serrated legs that was once the longest known insect. Females can reach over 300 mm ...

Mantodea

Malayan Stick Mantis

Toxodera gracilis

A graceful, slender stick mantis from the Malay Peninsula. Its elongated prothorax and thin limbs create an exceptionall...

Mantodea

Malaysian Dead Leaf Mantis

Deroplatys lobata

A mantis with an extremely broad, shield-like prothorax that mimics a dead leaf. It remains motionless on the forest flo...

Coleoptera

Malaysian Giant Tiger Beetle

Thopeutica virginea

A striking metallic blue-green tiger beetle found in Southeast Asian rainforests. It hunts on forest floor leaf litter a...

Lepidoptera

Malaysian Moon Moth

Actias maenas

A large, pale green silk moth with long, twisted tails on the hindwings. The wings are adorned with translucent eyespots...

Mantodea

Malaysian Orchid Mantis

Helvia cardinalis

A vividly colored mantis found in Malaysian rainforests with red and green coloration. It blends in among tropical flowe...

Blattodea

Malaysian Tree Termite

Hospitalitermes hospitalis

A remarkable open-air foraging nasutitermine termite from Southeast Asian rainforests. Workers forage in exposed columns...

Coleoptera

Mandibularis Stag Beetle

Hexarthrius mandibularis

One of the largest stag beetles in the world with immense curved mandibles. Glossy black with powerful jaws....

Coleoptera

Mangrove Longhorn

Aeolesthes holosericeus

A velvety brown longhorn beetle found in tropical forests across South and Southeast Asia. Adults are attracted to light...

Hymenoptera

Marauder Ant

Carebara diversa

An Asian ant with the greatest size variation of any ant species, with major workers 500 times heavier than minor worker...

Lepidoptera

Mariana Eight-spot Butterfly

Hypolimnas octocula marianensis

A butterfly subspecies endemic to the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific. It has suffered from habitat destruction a...

Hymenoptera

Mars Leafcutter Ant

Atta colombica

A major leafcutter ant species found in Colombian and Panamanian tropical forests. It forms large colonies with millions...

Coleoptera

Marsyas Dung Beetle

Helictopleurus marsyas

A compact, dark-bodied dung beetle that has transitioned from forest to open habitats. It has a smooth, rounded pronotum...

Odonata

Mascarene Island Dragonfly

Thalassothemis marchali

A skimmer dragonfly endemic to Mauritius and Reunion in the Mascarene Islands. It patrols ponds and streams in remaining...

Orthoptera

Matchstick Grasshopper

Eumastax vittata

A tiny colorful grasshopper with an extremely slender body resembling a matchstick....

Coleoptera

Mauritius Blue Pigeon Beetle

Cratopus sumptuosus

A colorful weevil endemic to Mauritius covered in metallic green and blue scales. It feeds on the leaves of native and i...

Coleoptera

Mauritius Fody Beetle

Cratopus exquisitus

An ornately scaled weevil endemic to Mauritius with iridescent green and copper markings. It is found primarily in uplan...

Coleoptera

Metallic Wood-boring Beetle

Buprestis rustica

A robust bronze-green jewel beetle with subtle coppery reflections found in coniferous forests. Adults bask in strong su...

Phasmatodea

Metriophasma Stick Insect

Metriophasma diocles

A medium-sized neotropical stick insect studied for its neural locomotion systems. It has been a model organism in neuro...

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...

Phasmatodea

Mexican Striped Walkingstick

Anisomorpha paromalus

A striped walkingstick native to Mexico, closely related to the North American Anisomorpha species. It has faint longitu...

Zoraptera

Mexican Zorapteran

Zorotypus manni

A tiny colonial insect from Mexican tropical forests. It is found under bark in small family groups and like other zorap...

Trichoptera

Micro Caddisfly

Lepidostoma pluviale

A small western caddisfly that builds neat cases from leaf discs in rain-fed headwater streams. Larvae are significant l...

Blattodea

Microceratotermes Carton Termite

Microcerotermes crassus

A wood-feeding termite found across Southeast Asia and Australia that builds small arboreal carton nests on trees. Worke...

Coleoptera

Miles' Longhorn

Cerambyx miles

A large dark brown longhorn found in old oak forests around the Mediterranean basin, often confused with C. cerdo but di...

Phasmatodea

Mindanao Broken Stick Insect

Baculofractum philippinicum

A stick insect from the Philippines with a distinctive bent or 'broken' appearance. It was the first record of the genus...

Lepidoptera

Mitchell's Diurnal Moth

Pollanisus viridipulverulenta

A small, metallic blue-green day-flying moth with a slow, fluttery flight. It is common in heathlands and open forests w...

Coleoptera

Miyake Stag Beetle

Dorcus rectus

A medium-sized stag beetle found across Japan and Korea, known as 'ko-kuwagata.' More compact than other stag beetles wi...

Coleoptera

Miyama Sawtooth Stag Beetle

Prosopocoilus dissimilis

An elegant stag beetle found in southern Japan with distinctive serrated mandibles. The species occurs in the subtropica...

Coleoptera

Moellenkampi Beetle

Chalcosoma moellenkampi

A rare three-horned rhinoceros beetle from Borneo with a dark metallic sheen. Males are highly variable in horn length....

Orthoptera

Mole Cricket Hunter Cricket

Luzara dealata

A small, dark cricket native to tropical Asia often found in leaf litter and loose soil. It is wingless and nocturnal, f...

Orthoptera

Monkey Grasshopper

Paramastax nigra

A miniature grasshopper with bright metallic blue and orange coloration....

Diptera

Montane Crane Fly

Tipula montana

A common crane fly in mountain forests and adjacent meadows. Larvae develop in damp forest soils rich in decaying leaves...

Phasmatodea

Montieth's Leaf Insect

Phyllium monteithi

A leaf insect from the tropical forests of Queensland, Australia. It is one of only a few Phylliidae species found on th...

Coleoptera

Moon-Horned Dung Beetle

Oxysternon festivum

A large, dark metallic green or black tunneler with a distinctive crescent-shaped pronotal horn in males. The underside ...

Lepidoptera

Morpho Portis Butterfly

Morpho portis

An Atlantic Forest endemic Morpho butterfly with dark brown wings marked by a violet-blue iridescent band. It is restric...

Hemiptera

Moss Bug

Peloridium hammoniorum

A tiny, flattened, living fossil found only in moist moss and liverwort beds in the Southern Hemisphere. The family date...

Lepidoptera

Mother-of-Pearl Butterfly

Protogoniomorpha parhassus

A large butterfly with shimmering pearly white wings that reflect iridescent blue and pink. It inhabits deep forest wher...

Coleoptera

Mottled Goliath Beetle

Goliathus albosignatus

A southern African goliath beetle with white mottled markings on dark brown elytra. It is smaller than its West African ...

Archaeognatha

Mountain Bristletail

Trigoniophthalmus alternatus

A large bristletail found in forests and rocky habitats across central Europe. It has distinctive triangular compound ey...

Diptera

Mountain Fungus Gnat

Boletina alpina

A delicate, long-legged gnat found in damp montane forests. Larvae develop in fungi and decaying wood at high elevations...

Coleoptera

Mountain Pine Beetle

Dendroctonus ponderosae

A small dark brown bark beetle that bores into pine trees to lay eggs beneath the bark. Massive outbreaks have devastate...

Diptera

Mydas Fly

Gauromydas heros

The largest fly in the world at up to 60 mm long with a 100 mm wingspan. A wasp mimic with black body and orange-red mar...

Lepidoptera

Naga Nawab Butterfly

Polyura nepenthes

A powerful fast-flying butterfly with green-washed wings and short tails on the hindwings. It is drawn to rotting fruit ...

Mantodea

Narrow-Winged Mantis

Tenodera angustipennis

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

Lepidoptera

Natterer's Longhorn Beetle

Heliconius nattereri

A rare heliconiine butterfly endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. One of the most threatened butterflies in the Ame...

Diptera

Neavei Black Fly

Simulium neavei

A small black fly whose larvae uniquely attach to freshwater crabs rather than rocks or vegetation. It is a vector of ri...

Phasmatodea

Neohirasea Stick Insect

Neohirasea maerens

A small to medium winged stick insect commonly found across Vietnam. It has dark coloring with contrasting pale leg band...

Hymenoptera

Neon Trap-jaw Ant

Odontomachus coquereli

A large Malagasy trap-jaw ant with a distinctive reddish coloration found in Madagascar's dry forests. It has the charac...

Lepidoptera

Neotropical Atlas Moth

Arsenura armida

A large silkmoth with wavy brown and grey wings and distinctive scalloped wing margins. Its caterpillars are gregarious ...

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...

Coleoptera

Neotropical Metallic Wood Borer

Euchroma gigantea

The largest jewel beetle in the Americas with iridescent green, red, and purple elytra. It is commonly found on dead or ...

Hymenoptera

Neotropical Pergid Sawfly

Acordulecera dorsalis

A small, dark pergid sawfly found across Central and South America. Adults have compact bodies with relatively short ant...

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 Scarab Beetle

Coprophanaeus lancifer

The largest dung beetle in the Americas with a striking metallic blue-black body. Males bear a long curved horn on the h...

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...

Coleoptera

New Caledonian Longhorn Beetle

Agrianome fairmairei

A large longhorn beetle endemic to New Caledonia, where its larvae develop in dead and decaying wood of native trees. It...

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...

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

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...

Coleoptera

Nigidius Stag Beetle

Nigidius laticornis

A small, robust, dark brown to black stag beetle from sub-Saharan Africa. Males have short, broad mandibles. The body is...

Hymenoptera

Nocturnal Sweat Bee

Megalopta genalis

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

Protura

North American Eosentomid

Eosentomon vermiforme

A worm-like proturan found in forest soils of eastern North America. It has a slender elongate body and no trace of eyes...

Diptera

Northern Black Fly

Simulium venustum

A common biting black fly of northern forests and boreal streams. Larvae form dense colonies on submerged rocks in cold ...

Coleoptera

Northern Flower Longhorn

Pachyta lamed

A robust flower longhorn with black elytra bearing variable yellow-orange markings, found in boreal and montane conifer ...

Mecoptera

Northern Snow Scorpionfly

Boreus westwoodi

A small, dark, flightless scorpionfly that appears on snow in late autumn and early winter. It is glossy black-brown wit...

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...

Phasmatodea

Northern Two-striped Walkingstick

Anisomorpha ferruginea

A tan to brown walkingstick found in the south-central United States. It is sometimes called the 'musk mare' for its che...

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...

Hymenoptera

Northern Wood Ant

Formica aquilonia

A medium-sized red and black ant that builds large thatch mounds in boreal forests. Colonies can contain hundreds of tho...

Protura

Nosek's Eosentomid

Eosentomon noseki

A small proturan described from central European soils named after prominent proturologist Josef Nosek. It prefers moist...

Coleoptera

Notch-Tipped Flower Longhorn

Typocerus sinuatus

A yellow longhorn beetle with wavy dark bands across its elytra. It is a common flower visitor in eastern North American...

Lepidoptera

Numata Longwing

Heliconius numata

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

Lepidoptera

Nymphidium mantus

Nymphidium mantus

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

Coleoptera

Oahu Tree Snail Predator Beetle

Mecyclothorax oahuensis

A tiny ground beetle endemic to the montane forests of Oahu, Hawaii. It inhabits leaf litter and mossy substrates in nat...

Lepidoptera

Oberthur's Loepa Moth

Loepa oberthuri

A bright golden-yellow silk moth with distinctive violet-centered eyespots surrounded by rings of yellow and brown. It i...

Phasmatodea

Ocnophiloidea Walking Stick

Ocnophiloidea regularis

A small, robust walkingstick from Central and South America. It has a slightly roughened body surface for bark mimicry....

Phasmatodea

Okinawa Rail Stick Insect

Phraortes illepidus

A slender stick insect endemic to the subtropical forests of Okinawa, Japan. It feeds on native broadleaf trees in the Y...

Diptera

Old World Screwworm

Chrysomya bezziana

An obligate wound parasite of mammals found across Africa and Asia. Larvae invade wounds and feed on living tissue causi...

Phasmatodea

Oncotophasma Stick Insect

Oncotophasma martini

A medium-sized stick insect with distinctive tubercles along its thorax. It is found in montane forests of Central Ameri...

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...

Lepidoptera

Orange Oakleaf Butterfly

Kallima inachus

A butterfly with bright orange upperwings but underwings that perfectly mimic a dead leaf....

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...

Blattodea

Orange-spotted Cockroach

Eublaberus distanti

A large cockroach with distinctive orange spots on a dark body. It inhabits caves and forest floors in South America....

Hymenoptera

Orchid Bee

Euglossa imperialis

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

Mantodea

Orchid Mantis

Hymenopus coronatus

A stunning flower mimic with petal-shaped legs and pink-white coloring. Does not just hide among flowers — it is actuall...

Lepidoptera

Orizaba Silk Moth

Rothschildia orizaba

A magnificent New World silk moth with large reddish-brown wings bearing conspicuous triangular clear windows. It was hi...

Coleoptera

Ornate Click Beetle

Semiotus distinctus

A brightly colored tropical click beetle with yellow elytra marked with bold black stripes or spots. It is frequently en...

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

Pacific Brown Lacewing

Hemerobius pacificus

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

Blattodea

Pacific Dampwood Termite

Zootermopsis laticeps

A large termite with soldiers that have broad flattened heads and strong mandibles. It inhabits damp rotting wood in for...

Odonata

Pacific Spiketail

Cordulegaster dorsalis

The only spiketail dragonfly on the Pacific coast of North America. It has a dark brown body with yellow dorsal spots an...

Lepidoptera

Painted Bat Moth

Alcidis zodiaca

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

Lepidoptera

Painted Jezebel

Delias hyparete

A brightly colored butterfly with white uppersides and strikingly colorful undersides featuring red, yellow, and black p...

Lepidoptera

Palamedes Swallowtail

Papilio palamedes

A large dark swallowtail of southern swamp forests with yellow bands and a distinctive yellow postmedial stripe on the h...

Coleoptera

Palawan Stag Beetle

Dorcus titanus palawanicus

The largest subspecies of Dorcus titanus, endemic to Palawan Island. Males can reach exceptional sizes with massive mand...

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...

Mantodea

Pale Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops paraensis

A light-colored dead leaf mantis from the Para state of Brazil. Its paler coloring mimics sun-bleached dry leaves on the...

Psocoptera

Pale-winged Barklouse

Peripsocus phaeopterus

A common European bark louse with smoky brown wings. It lives on tree trunks where it scrapes algae and lichen from the ...

Mecoptera

Pallid Emperor Scorpionfly

Panorpa pallida

A delicate insect with a long beak-like rostrum and mottled wings. Males have a distinctive curved abdomen tip resemblin...

Coleoptera

Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle

Chrysochroa mniszechii

A spectacularly colourful jewel beetle found in Papua New Guinea, with an iridescent metallic body that shifts between g...

Coleoptera

Papuan Firefly

Luciola papuana

A tropical firefly found in New Guinea's lowland forests and coastal areas. It produces rapid green flashes in dense tro...

Lepidoptera

Paradise Birdwing

Ornithoptera paradisea

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

Phasmatodea

Parasipyloidea Stick Insect

Parasipyloidea sipylus

A slender winged stick insect closely related to Sipyloidea. It has translucent wings with faintly pink or yellowish tin...

Hymenoptera

Parasitic Acacia Ant

Pseudomyrmex nigropilosus

A cheater species that occupies acacia thorns but provides little defensive benefit to the host tree. Unlike mutualist a...

Lepidoptera

Paris Peacock

Papilio paris

A magnificent large swallowtail with velvety black wings bearing a large iridescent blue-green patch on each hindwing th...

Coleoptera

Paroecus Flat-faced Longhorn

Batocera paroeca

A moderately large longhorn from the forests of New Guinea with cryptic bark-like patterning. Males have exceptionally l...

Coleoptera

Paropsine Leaf Beetle

Paropsis atomaria

A moderately large, dome-shaped beetle with pale brown elytra covered with small dark spots. It is one of the most impor...

Coleoptera

Passalid Beetle

Pharochilus dilatatus

A large, glossy black beetle that lives in family groups inside rotting logs. Adults and larvae communicate using squeak...

Orthoptera

Peacock Katydid

Pterochroza ocellata

A large katydid that mimics dead leaves at rest but reveals huge eyespots on its hind wings when threatened. The eyespot...

Hemiptera

Peanut-Head Bug

Fulgora laternaria

A large planthopper with a bizarre inflated head capsule resembling a peanut or an alligator. When threatened, it flashe...

Hemiptera

Penthicodes Lanternfly

Penthicodes pulchella

A strikingly beautiful Southeast Asian lanternfly with iridescent blue-green forewings and contrasting red-orange hindwi...

Lepidoptera

Peppered Moth of New Zealand

Cleora scriptaria

An endemic New Zealand geometrid moth known as the kawakawa looper, whose caterpillars feed on kawakawa and other native...

Phasmatodea

Peruphasma Stick Insect

Peruphasma marmoratum

A marbled-looking stick insect from the high montane forests of the Venezuelan Andes. Its mottled coloring camouflages i...

Mantodea

Peruvian Bark Mantis

Liturgusa manausensis

A bark mantis originally described from the Manaus region of Brazil but also found in Peru. It has a dark brown body wit...

Mantodea

Peruvian Leaf Mantis

Pseudacanthops lobipes

A mantis that perfectly mimics a green leaf complete with a leaf-shaped abdomen and wing covers with vein patterns. Its ...

Neuroptera

Peruvian Mantidfly

Anchieta fumosella

A South American mantidfly found in Andean cloud forests and tropical lowlands. A secretive species rarely encountered b...

Coleoptera

Peruvian Net-winged Beetle

Calopteron bifasciatum

A medium-sized neotropical net-winged beetle with orange elytra bearing two broad dark transverse bands. The reticulated...

Hymenoptera

Peruvian Parasitoid Wasp

Capitojoppa amazonica

Described in 2023 as a new genus from the hyperdiverse Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve in Peru. Part of a wave of ne...

Lepidoptera

Philippine Birdwing

Troides rhadamantus

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

Mantodea

Philippine Stick Mantis

Toxodera philippina

A slender stick mantis endemic to the Philippines found in primary forest habitats. It is rarely encountered and poorly ...

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

Pindarus Christmas Beetle

Anoplognathus pindarus

A medium-sized brown Christmas beetle with a distinctly punctured thorax. It is found in coastal and hinterland forests ...

Coleoptera

Pine Bark Longhorn

Asemum striatum

A flat, dark grey-brown spondylidine beetle with longitudinal ridges on the elytra. Common in conifer forests across the...

Lepidoptera

Pine Processionary

Thaumetopoea pityocampa

A grey moth whose caterpillars march in long nose-to-tail processions between their silk nests and feeding sites. The la...

Coleoptera

Pine Sawyer Beetle

Monochamus galloprovincialis

A large brown longhorn beetle that breeds in dying or recently dead pine trees. It is a vector of the devastating pine w...

Lepidoptera

Pine-tree Lappet

Dendrolimus pini

A large moth that can be a devastating forest pest, with caterpillars capable of completely defoliating pine forests acr...

Lepidoptera

Pink Glasswing

Cithaerias pireta

A forest-floor butterfly with mostly transparent wings and delicate pink-tinted hind wing patches. It has a weak, flutte...

Phasmatodea

Pink-Winged Flying Stick Insect

Marmessoidea rosea

A slender winged stick insect with vivid pink hindwings used in flight. Males are strong fliers while females are heavie...

Hymenoptera

Platter Ant

Cataulacus intrudens

An arboreal African ant with a heavily armored, flattened body and sculptured cuticle. Workers have a broad, shield-like...

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...

Orthoptera

PNG Giant Katydid

Siliquofera grandis

A very large katydid found in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, with a body resembling a green leaf. Its leaf mimicry...

Lepidoptera

Police Car Swallowtail

Graphium policenes

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

Coleoptera

Polka-dot Fruit Chafer

Cyprolais hornimani

A vivid green chafer beetle covered with small white spots across the elytra. It is found feeding on flowers and ripe fr...

Coleoptera

Ponderosa Pine Bark Borer

Acanthocinus princeps

A grey-brown longhorn beetle with extremely long antennae that can be four times its body length. Males antennae are lon...

Lepidoptera

Poplar Admiral

Limenitis populi

Europe's largest nymphalid butterfly with broad dark wings bearing white bands and orange submarginal crescents. It is s...

Lepidoptera

Postman Butterfly

Heliconius melpomene

A slender long-winged butterfly with black wings and a bold red band across the forewings. It is a classic example of Mu...

Coleoptera

Powdered Fungus Beetle of Azores

Tarphius floresensis

A tiny beetle endemic to Flores Island in the Azores. It inhabits decaying wood in remnant laurel forests....

Phasmatodea

Prairie Walkingstick

Diapheromera velii

A grassland-dwelling walkingstick found in the central United States. Unlike forest species, it lives among grasses and ...

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...

Zygentoma

Primitive Silverfish

Tricholepidion gertschi

The most primitive living silverfish, restricted to old-growth forests of northern California. It retains compound eyes ...

Coleoptera

Princely Flower Beetle

Stephanorrhina princeps

A large and robust flower beetle with deep metallic green coloration and pale yellow markings. Males have a small horn o...

Hymenoptera

Prionopelta Ant

Prionopelta amabilis

A tiny pale amblyoponine ant found in tropical forest soils across the Americas. Workers are essentially blind and rely ...

Blattodea

Processional Termite

Hospitalitermes medioflavus

An open-trail foraging termite found in Borneo's rainforests that travels in long exposed columns through the forest. Wo...

Phasmatodea

Pseudoparamenexenus Stick Insect

Pseudoparamenexenus guangxiensis

A small stick insect from Guangxi Province in China. It belongs to a genus whose phylogenetic relationships were recentl...

Lepidoptera

Puerto Rican Harlequin Butterfly

Atlantea tulita

A small endangered butterfly endemic to Puerto Rico with orange and black checkered wings. It inhabits moist limestone f...

Lepidoptera

Punched Metalmark

Adelotypa annulifera

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

Coleoptera

Rainbow Stag Beetle

Phalacrognathus muelleri

Australias most spectacularly colored beetle, with iridescent green, red, gold, and purple metallic coloring. Males have...

Hemiptera

Razor Grinder Cicada

Henicopsaltria eydouxii

A large cicada known for its distinctive high-pitched grinding call that sounds like metal being sharpened on a grindsto...

Lepidoptera

Red Helen

Papilio helenus

A large, elegant swallowtail butterfly with black wings marked by large creamy-white patches on the hindwings and red cr...

Coleoptera

Red Tiger Beetle

Pogonostoma chalybaeum

A medium-sized tiger beetle with a deep steely blue body and reddish reflections. It has large prominent eyes and long, ...

Coleoptera

Red Turpentine Beetle

Dendroctonus valens

The largest North American Dendroctonus species, it attacks the base of pine trees. It became highly invasive in China a...

Lepidoptera

Red-banded Jezebel

Delias mysis

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

Coleoptera

Red-shouldered Rove Beetle

Tachinus rufipes

A robust, medium-sized rove beetle with reddish-brown legs and a shiny dark body. It is one of the most ubiquitous Tachy...

Coleoptera

Red-tipped Flower Longhorn

Stictoleptura rubra

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

Coleoptera

Redbay Ambrosia Beetle

Xyleborus glabratus

An invasive beetle from Southeast Asia that vectors laurel wilt disease in the Americas. It bores into healthy trees of ...

Coleoptera

Reddish-Brown Stag Rove Beetle

Platydracus cinnamopterus

A robust rove beetle with cinnamon-brown elytra and a black head. It is commonly found under bark and in forest leaf lit...

Lepidoptera

Regent Skipper

Euschemon rafflesia

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

Coleoptera

Reunion Flightless Weevil

Cratopus ovalis

A flightless weevil with fused elytra endemic to the island of Reunion. Its inability to fly has made it vulnerable to h...

Psocoptera

Reuterella Barklouse

Reuterella helvimacula

A small barklouse with distinctive pale spots on dark wings found on tree bark. It is common in mixed forests throughout...

Lepidoptera

Rhetenor Blue Morpho

Morpho rhetenor

A strikingly vivid Morpho species known for its intensely saturated metallic blue coloring, considered by many to be the...

Coleoptera

Rhinoceros Beetle

Dynastes neptunus

Males have enormous horns used in wrestling matches for territory and mates. Despite their fearsome appearance, they are...

Coleoptera

Rhinoceros Dung Beetle

Heliocopris dominus

A large nocturnal dung beetle found in the forests of Southeast Asia. It constructs enormous brood balls from elephant d...

Coleoptera

Rhinoceros Stag Beetle

Odontolabis gazella

A medium to large stag beetle with orange-brown elytra and a black head and thorax. Males exist in three distinct forms:...

Coleoptera

Ribbed Pine Borer

Rhagium inquisitor

A longhorn beetle found across northern forests that develops under the bark of dead conifers. Adults are active in spri...

Lepidoptera

Richmond Birdwing

Ornithoptera richmondia

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

Coleoptera

Rodrigues Giant Weevil

Cratopus adspersus

A large weevil endemic to Rodrigues Island in the Mascarene archipelago. It is one of the most threatened beetles in the...

Mantodea

Roeder's Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops roederiana

A dark brown dead leaf mantis from the Amazon basin named after entomologist Roeder. Its serrated pronotum edges mimic a...

Coleoptera

Rolled-wing Beetle

Derodontus maculatus

A tiny beetle that feeds on slime molds on decaying logs in cool forests....

Diptera

Rothschild's Achias

Achias rothschildi

A remarkable Papua New Guinean fly where males have enormously elongated eye stalks. Males use their extended eyes to si...

Coleoptera

Rothschild's Jewel Beetle

Madecassia rothschildi

A magnificent jewel beetle with metallic green and copper elytra adorned with intricate patterns. It is one of the most ...

Lepidoptera

Rothschildia Silk Moth

Rothschildia lebeau

A spectacular large moth with rich brown wings featuring prominent triangular translucent windows. The wing shape and pa...

Hymenoptera

Rough Leafcutter Ant

Acromyrmex rugosus

A medium-sized leafcutter ant with a distinctly rugose (wrinkled) exoskeleton covered in short spines. It builds relativ...

Coleoptera

Rough-collared Dung Beetle

Helictopleurus rudicollis

An exclusively forest-dwelling dung beetle with a rough, heavily punctured pronotum that gives it its name. It is dark b...

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

Round-Necked Burying Beetle

Nicrophorus orbicollis

A medium-sized burying beetle with orange-red markings and a distinctly rounded thorax. It is one of the most common Nic...

Lepidoptera

Rounded Metalmark

Calephelis perditalis

A small reddish-brown metalmark with distinctly rounded wing margins and two rows of metallic silvery spots. It is found...

Coleoptera

Royal Goliath Beetle

Goliathus regius

A massive scarab beetle with bold white and brown markings on its elytra. Males have a forked horn used in combat with r...

Lepidoptera

Royal Walnut Moth

Citheronia sepulcralis

A rich brown moth with orange veins and small yellow spots. It is closely related to the regal moth but smaller and dark...

Psocoptera

Ruddy Barklouse

Elipsocus hyalinus

A delicate bark louse with translucent wings found in European forests. It lives on lichens and algae growing on tree tr...

Mantodea

Rufous Bark Mantis

Amorphoscelis rufula

A reddish-brown bark mantis from Central Africa that blends with red-barked tropical trees. Its rufous coloring is disti...

Coleoptera

Rustic Longhorn

Xylotrechus rusticus

A grey-brown cerambycid with wavy pale transverse bands on the elytra, found across Eurasia in birch and poplar forests....

Phasmatodea

Sabah Stick Insect

Aschiphasma annulipes

A unique stick insect that mimics a centipede rather than a twig. Its body is segmented and flattened with banded legs. ...

Phasmatodea

Samar Leaf Insect

Phyllium samarense

A leaf insect found on Samar Island in the eastern Philippines. It was described as part of ongoing surveys of Philippin...

Lepidoptera

Samoan Swallowtail

Papilio godeffroyi

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

Blattodea

Sankurensis Soil Termite

Cubitermes sankurensis

A soil-feeding termite found in the Congo Basin rainforests, building small mounds on the forest floor. Colonies are mod...

Coleoptera

Saphirinus Dung Beetle

Coprophanaeus saphirinus

A stunning metallic sapphire-blue tunneling dung beetle with brilliant iridescence. Males have a prominent horn. It is o...

Lepidoptera

Sara Longwing

Heliconius sara

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

Coleoptera

Sardinian Rosalia Longhorn

Rosalia alpina ssp.

A stunning blue-gray longhorn beetle with black spots found in old beech forests. Mediterranean island populations are g...

Coleoptera

Satanas Dung Beetle

Dichotomius satanas

A large, pitch-black tunneling dung beetle with a deeply forked cephalic horn in males that gives it a devilish appearan...

Orthoptera

Saw-backed Grouse Locust

Acridopeza reticulata

An Australian pygmy grasshopper with a distinctly serrated or saw-toothed pronotal keel. It is found in moist forest flo...

Coleoptera

Scarlet Longhorn Beetle

Mastododera coccinea

A visually striking longhorn beetle with bright red elytra and a dark head and thorax. Its long, curved antennae often e...

Coleoptera

Scarlet Net-Winged Beetle

Plateros brasiliensis

A bright red lycid beetle found in the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil. Its vivid coloration is part of a large mimicry...

Lepidoptera

Schaus Swallowtail

Heraclides aristodemus ponceanus

A dark swallowtail with yellow bands and rusty-brown hindwing patches restricted to hardwood hammocks of the Florida Key...

Diptera

Screwworm Fly

Cochliomyia hominivorax

A devastating parasitic fly whose larvae feed on living tissue of warm-blooded animals. It was eradicated from North Ame...

Coleoptera

Sculptured Pine Borer

Chalcophora virginiensis

A large North American jewel beetle with deeply sculptured elytra giving a textured appearance. Dark metallic bronze col...

Coleoptera

Serrate-Winged Beetle

Ptilodactyla serricollis

A small, oval beetle with serrate antennae found in Japan's forested mountain areas. Larvae are semi-aquatic and develop...

Spirostreptida

Seychelles Giant Millipede

Seychelleptus seychellarum

The largest millipede in the Seychelles reaching up to 25 cm long. It is a slow-moving detritivore found in native fores...

Coleoptera

Seychelles Stag Beetle

Didimus seychellensis

A stag beetle endemic to the granitic islands of the Seychelles. It lives in decaying wood in native palm forests....

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

Shining Flea Beetle

Asphaera lustrans

A relatively large, metallic blue-green flea beetle with reddish-orange femora. It is one of the larger and more colorfu...

Mecoptera

Short-Faced Scorpionfly

Panorpodes paradoxus

An unusual scorpionfly with a shorter rostrum than typical Panorpa species, found in East Asian forests. It feeds primar...

Coleoptera

Short-winged Spondylid

Spondylis buprestoides

A cylindrical, entirely black cerambycid that resembles a buprestid beetle more than a typical longhorn. Its antennae ar...

Lepidoptera

Siam Crown Moth

Attacus taprobanis

A large silk moth closely related to the Atlas moth with warm cinnamon-brown wings and distinctive angular wing tips. Th...

Coleoptera

Sicardi's Dung Beetle

Helictopleurus sicardi

A compact forest dung beetle with a glossy black body and strongly punctured elytra. Males have a small but distinct cep...

Coleoptera

Silenus Oxysternon

Oxysternon silenus

A large, robust dark green to black tunneling dung beetle with a broad thorax and powerful forelegs. Males bear a cephal...

Lepidoptera

Silk Moth

Bombyx mori

The fully domesticated moth used in sericulture for over 5,000 years. Completely dependent on humans — adults cannot fly...

Neuroptera

Silky Lacewing

Psychopsis illidgei

A beautiful Australian lacewing with large, rounded wings covered in intricate patterns resembling tree bark. It rests w...

Zoraptera

Silvestri Angel Insect

Zorotypus silvestrii

A tropical zorapteran found in Central American forests. It lives in small colonies under loose bark and feeds on fungal...

Protura

Silvestri's Acerentomid

Acerentomon affine

A minute proturan found across central European forest soils. It is among the earliest described proturan species....

Diptera

Silvius Horse Fly

Silvius alpinus

A small brownish horse fly found in mountain forests and alpine meadows. It is one of the few horse flies adapted to hig...

Coleoptera

Six-spined Engraver Beetle

Ips calligraphus

A pine-infesting bark beetle found across eastern North America. It is named for the six spine-like teeth on its rear wi...

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...

Lepidoptera

Small Postman

Heliconius erato

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

Odonata

Smoky Rubyspot

Hetaerina titia

A damselfly with dark smoky wings and amber-red basal patches in males. It is found along forested streams in the easter...

Coleoptera

Snail Hunter Beetle

Cychrus caraboides

A specialized forest beetle with a narrow elongated head adapted for reaching into snail shells. It is strictly nocturna...

Hymenoptera

Snapping Amblyopone

Stigmatomma oregonense

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

Blattodea

Snapping Termite

Termes hospes

An African soil-feeding termite common in forest and savanna soils. Soldiers possess powerful snapping mandibles that ca...

Lepidoptera

Snout Moth

Vitessa suradeva

A large pyralid moth from Southeast Asia and New Guinea whose caterpillars spin webs on young leaves of poisonous shrubs...

Diptera

Snow Pool Mosquito

Aedes communis

A cold-adapted mosquito of boreal forests that breeds in snowmelt pools and flooded stream margins. Larvae hatch synchro...

Mecoptera

Snow Scorpionfly

Boreus hyemalis

A tiny wingless scorpionfly active in winter, walking on snow near mossy habitats. Its vestigial wings are reduced to ho...

Blattodea

Soil-feeding Cubitermes Termite

Cubitermes fungifaber

A soil-feeding termite that builds distinctive mushroom-shaped mounds. It processes large volumes of soil to extract org...

Blattodea

Soldier-heavy Termite

Pericapritermes nitobei

A soil-feeding termite found across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, notable for its snapping-mandible soldiers. Workers ...

Mantodea

South American Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops falcataria

A spectacular dead leaf mimic from South American forests with crumpled, leaf-shaped wings. Its brown, withered appearan...

Coleoptera

South American Dung Beetle

Oxysternon conspicillatum

A metallic green and copper dung beetle common in Amazonian forests. Males have a distinctive curved horn on the head....

Coleoptera

South American Flower Weevil

Cholus cinctus

A large, strikingly patterned weevil with a black body covered in brilliant turquoise and gold scale patterns. Its long,...

Diptera

South American Horned Treefrog Fly

Richardia telescopica

A colorful signal fly with patterned wings that it displays in elaborate courtship rituals. Males wave their ornate wing...

Hemiptera

South American Lanternfly

Enchophora sanguinea

A bright red and black fulgorid planthopper with a moderately elongated head process. It feeds on tree sap in tropical f...

Coleoptera

South American Leaf Beetle

Doryphora reticulata

A colorful leaf beetle with a reticulated pattern of black lines over yellow-orange elytra. It feeds on nightshade famil...

Diptera

South American Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles darlingi

A medium-sized mosquito that is the most important malaria vector in the Amazon Basin and Central America. It is highly ...

Coleoptera

South American Tortoise Beetle

Stolas coalita

A moderately large tortoise beetle with a distinctive pattern of dark markings on a lighter background, with broadly exp...

Blattodea

South American Tree Termite

Nasutitermes similis

A common Neotropical nasute termite building carton nests on trees throughout South American forests. Colonies are moder...

Phasmatodea

South American Walking Stick

Ctenomorpha gargantua

An extremely long stick insect that can reach over 250 mm in body length, making it one of the longest insects in South ...

Phasmatodea

South American Walkingstick

Ocnophiloidea longipes

A long-legged tropical walkingstick from the forests of South America. Its elongated legs help it bridge gaps between br...

Diptera

Southeast Asian Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles dirus

A forest-dwelling mosquito with dark wings and a strong preference for biting humans. It is the primary malaria vector i...

Lepidoptera

Southern Birdwing

Troides minos

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

Orthoptera

Southern Oak Bush-Cricket

Meconema meridionale

A small, wingless relative of the oak bush-cricket that has rapidly spread northward across Europe, likely aided by acci...

Coleoptera

Southern Pine Beetle

Dendroctonus frontalis

A tiny dark brown bark beetle that is the most destructive insect pest of southern pine forests. Infestations can kill t...

Coleoptera

Spanish Copper

Carabus hispanus

A spectacular ground beetle with vivid coppery-red and green metallic colouring. It inhabits southern French and Iberian...

Blattodea

Speckled Cockroach

Periplaneta picea

A dark cockroach with a finely speckled pattern on its wings. It is found in tropical forests of Southeast Asia....

Lepidoptera

Speckled Wood

Pararge aegeria

Brown butterfly with cream or orange spots and small eyespots on hindwings. Males defend sunlit patches on the forest fl...

Blattodea

Sphaerotermes Mushroom-comb Termite

Sphaerotermes sphaerothorax

An African fungus-growing termite with a unique fungus cultivation strategy. Unlike other fungiculturists that grow Term...

Coleoptera

Spined Bark Longhorn

Acanthocinus reticulatus

A small flattened longhorn with reticulate patterning on its elytra and long lateral spines on the pronotum. Found acros...

Hymenoptera

Spiny Ant

Polyrhachis dives

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

Mantodea

Spiny Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops tuberculata

A heavily textured dead leaf mantis covered in bumps and tubercles from northern South America. The rough texture adds t...

Phasmatodea

Spiny Leaf Insect

Phyllium westwoodii

A large leaf insect with a bright green flat body edged with small teeth-like spines. The female body is virtually ident...

Odonata

Splendid Clubtail

Gomphidia abbotti

A large, impressive Asian clubtail with bold yellow and black markings. It inhabits forested rivers in Southeast Asia an...

Lepidoptera

Splendid Ghost Moth

Aenetus ligniveren

A large, primitive moth with bright green and white patterned wings. Its larvae bore into tree trunks and live inside ga...

Coleoptera

Splendid Jewel Beetle

Buprestis splendens

A spectacularly metallic green and gold jewel beetle found only in old-growth forests. Develops in ancient pine trees. O...

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...

Hemiptera

Spotted Lanternfly

Lycorma delicatula

A colorful invasive planthopper from China threatening vineyards, orchards, and hardwood forests in North America. Adult...

Collembola

Spotted Springtail

Orchesella cincta

A large banded springtail found in leaf litter and under bark in European forests. It has distinctive dark and yellow ba...

Neuroptera

Spotted-Winged Antlion

Dendroleon pantherinus

A large antlion with distinctive spotted wings found in old-growth forests. Its larvae hide in tree-hole detritus rather...

Coleoptera

Spruce Beetle

Dendroctonus rufipennis

A dark brown to black bark beetle that is the primary killer of mature spruce trees in North America. Outbreaks are trig...

Lepidoptera

Spruce Budworm

Choristoneura fumiferana

A small mottled grey-brown moth that is the most destructive forest pest in North America. Outbreaks can kill millions o...

Hymenoptera

Spruce Budworm Parasite

Meteorus trachynotus

A small brown braconid wasp that is a key natural enemy of the spruce budworm in North American boreal forests. It suspe...

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...

Hymenoptera

Sri Lankan Relict Ant

Aneuretus simoni

The sole surviving member of its entire subfamily, known only from a few localities in Sri Lanka's rainforests. A true l...

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...

Coleoptera

Stag Beetle of Rhodes

Dorcus rhodensis

A stag beetle endemic to the Greek island of Rhodes. Males have large mandibles used in combat over mates....

Coleoptera

Stag-Horned Dung Beetle

Onthophagus rangifer

A small, dark brown tunneling dung beetle with spectacularly branched antler-like horns in major males. The branching ho...

Coleoptera

Steelblue Jewel Beetle

Phaenops cyanea

A compact dark metallic blue-green beetle that attacks stressed pine trees. It has infrared sensors that detect forest f...

Neuroptera

Stigmate Brown Lacewing

Hemerobius stigma

A brown lacewing with a distinctive dark spot on each forewing. Widespread in conifer-dominated forests of the Northern ...

Diptera

Stilt-legged Fly

Rainieria antennaepes

A slender fly with banded legs that it waves to mimic parasitoid wasp antennae....

Phasmatodea

Stratocles Walkingstick

Stratocles multilineatus

A multi-lined walkingstick from South America with several faint longitudinal stripes. It is found in tropical forests o...

Mantodea

Stripe-winged Bark Mantis

Liturgusa algorei

A bark mantis named after Al Gore, found in the Amazonian forests of South America. It has distinctive striped wing patt...

Coleoptera

Striped Click Beetle

Chalcolepidius striatus

A large neotropical click beetle with dark elytra bearing distinct white-scaled longitudinal stripes. The robust body an...

Coleoptera

Striped Ladybird

Myzia oblongoguttata

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

Coleoptera

Striped Love Beetle

Eudicella smithi

A colorful African flower scarab with bold longitudinal stripes on the elytra. Commonly bred in captivity....

Coleoptera

Stripey Longhorn Beetle

Zographus niveisparsus

A boldly patterned longhorn with white bands and patches on a dark background. It is found in tropical forests of Centra...

Phasmatodea

Strong Stick Insect

Anchiale briareus

One of the longest insects in Australia, with a slender body that can exceed 270 mm. Females are significantly larger th...

Coleoptera

Subustus Longhorn Beetle

Toxitiades subustus

A dark-bodied longhorn beetle with singed-looking brownish elytra and moderately long antennae. It is endemic to Madagas...

Mantodea

Sulawesi Stick Mantis

Toxodera celebensis

A stick mantis endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is part of the island's unique fauna shaped by million...

Lepidoptera

Sulkowsky's Morpho

Morpho sulkowskyi

A high-altitude Morpho butterfly with translucent, pearly-white wings that display a subtle blue iridescence. Unlike mos...

Coleoptera

Sumatran Neon Jewel Beetle

Chrysochroa rajah

An extraordinarily vibrant jewel beetle with iridescent green elytra bearing a wide metallic golden-red stripe down each...

Mantodea

Sumatran Stick Mantis

Toxodera hauseri

A slender stick mantis found in the montane forests of Sumatra. It is one of the few Toxodera species adapted to cooler ...

Lepidoptera

Sunbeam Butterfly

Curetis thetis

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

Coleoptera

Sunda Longhorn

Apriona swainsoni

A large olive-grey lamiin with a dense covering of fine pubescence, found in the islands of Indonesia and the Philippine...

Lepidoptera

Sunset Morpho

Morpho hecuba

The largest species in the morpho butterfly genus, with brownish-orange wings rather than the typical blue. Found in low...

Hemiptera

Surinam Lanternfly

Fulgora surinamensis

A large Neotropical lanternfly with a broad head process and cryptically patterned forewings that reveal startling eyesp...

Hymenoptera

Swaine Jack Pine Sawfly

Neodiprion swainei

A pine sawfly with strongly pectinate male antennae and sawfly females that are stouter and paler. Larvae are olive gree...

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...

Hymenoptera

Swollen-thorn Acacia Ant

Pseudomyrmex peperi

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

Phasmatodea

Tahoe Timema

Timema tahoe

A small timema found near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It inhabits coniferous forests at moderate to high ...

Mantodea

Tanzanian Flower Mantis

Pseudocreobotra gratiosus

A graceful flower mantis from East African coastal forests. It has a predominantly white body with subtle green and pink...

Orthoptera

Tasmanian Cave Cricket

Micropathus ditto

A recently described cave cricket from wet forests of Tasmania, Australia. It is a short-range endemic threatened by hab...

Coleoptera

Taveuni Beetle

Mausoleopsis amicta

An impressive flightless weevil endemic to the island of Taveuni in Fiji. It is one of the larger weevils in the Pacific...

Lepidoptera

Tenerife Speckled Wood Butterfly

Pararge xiphioides

A brown butterfly with orange eyespot patches endemic to the western Canary Islands. It flies in shaded laurel forest cl...

Mantodea

Tessellated Bark Mantis

Liturgusa tessellata

A bark mantis with a tessellated mosaic-like pattern on its wings from the Amazon basin. The intricate pattern provides ...

Phasmatodea

Tessellated Stick Insect

Tessulata tessulata

A brown patterned stick insect covered in tessellated scale-like markings that resemble rough bark. Its legs are flatten...

Lepidoptera

Teucer Giant Owl

Caligo teucer

One of the largest owl butterflies with a prominent blue-purple sheen on the upper wings. Its underside displays a large...

Coleoptera

Thalassine Green Longhorn

Chloridolum thalassinum

A beautiful sea-green longhorn beetle found in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra. Its coloration closely mimics lichen-c...

Coleoptera

Thomson's Longhorn

Batocera thomsonii

A large and robust cerambycid from the Philippines with chocolate-brown elytra marked by irregular cream-colored patches...

Phasmatodea

Thorn-legged Stick Insect

Aretaon asperrimus

A heavily armored stick insect covered in sharp thorns and spines across its entire body. Its brown coloring and spiny t...

Odonata

Three-veined Dragonfly

Neodythemis trinervulata

A small forest dragonfly with a characteristic three-veined wing pattern that distinguishes it from related species. Mal...

Lepidoptera

Tiger Moth of the Amazon

Idalus herois

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

Coleoptera

Timberman Beetle

Acanthocinus aedilis

A mottled grey-brown longhorn beetle with antennae up to five times its body length in males. It breeds in recently dead...

Lepidoptera

Tiridates Charaxes

Charaxes tiridates

A spectacular large forest butterfly with vivid blue and black upperside and ornate brown and white underside markings. ...

Coleoptera

Titan Beetle

Titanus giganteus

The largest beetle by body length in the world. Adults do not feed, surviving on fat reserves from the larval stage. The...

Coleoptera

Titan Longhorn Beetle

Phoracantha tricuspis

A large longhorn beetle with brown coloring and three-pronged elytral spines at the tips. It attacks drought-stressed eu...

Phasmatodea

Tobelo Leaf Insect

Phyllium tobeloense

A leaf insect named after the Tobelo region of Halmahera Island in Indonesia. It closely mimics the local broadleaf vege...

Coleoptera

Toe-winged Beetle

Ptilodactyla exotica

A soft-bodied beetle whose larvae are aquatic and breathe through anal gills....

Coleoptera

Tongan Ground Beetle

Mecyclothorax tonganus

A small ground beetle endemic to Tonga found in native forest leaf litter. It is a fast-running nocturnal predator of sm...

Dermaptera

Toothed Earwig

Spongovostox ghilianii

A large earwig with heavily toothed forceps found in southern European forests....

Phasmatodea

Trachyaretaon Stick Insect

Phryganistria heusii

A very large stick insect discovered in Vietnam, with females exceeding 30 cm in body length. It has rough, bark-like te...

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...

Hymenoptera

Trap-Jaw Ant

Odontomachus bauri

Has the fastest-closing jaws in the animal kingdom — mandibles snap shut at 64 m/s (230 km/h) with force 300 times the a...

Blattodea

Tree-Nesting Nasute Termite

Nasutitermes corniger

A common arboreal termite in the Americas that builds large dark carton nests in trees. Covered foraging trails extend f...

Mantodea

Trinidad Bark Mantis

Liturgusa trinidadensis

A rare bark mantis known only from the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. It is one of the few bark mantis species fou...

Lepidoptera

Trinidad Morpho Butterfly

Morpho achilles trinidadensis

A subspecies of morpho butterfly found in Trinidad with bright blue iridescent wings. It flies in forest clearings and a...

Hemiptera

Tropical Bed Bug

Cimex hemipterus

A tropical relative of the common bed bug that also feeds on human blood. It is the dominant bed bug species in many par...

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 Mantidfly

Entanoneura gratiosa

A striking tropical mantidfly with patterned wings found in Asian rainforests. Its ornate wing markings are unusual amon...

Coleoptera

Tropical Toed-Winged Beetle

Anchytarsus bicolor

A two-toned brown ptilodactylid beetle found in Central and South American cloud forests. Its larvae are riparian and de...

Orthoptera

True Leaf Katydid

Pseudophyllus titan

A large katydid with broad green forewings that precisely mimic living leaves. The wing venation pattern is nearly ident...

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...

Coleoptera

Tsivoka Longhorn Beetle

Tsivoka villiersi

A member of an endemic Malagasy longhorn beetle genus recently revised taxonomically. It has a slender body with finely ...

Lepidoptera

Tulip-tree Silk Moth

Callosamia angulifera

A large silk moth similar to the promethea but with more angular wing shapes and richer coloring. It is closely associat...

Blattodea

Turneri Carton Termite

Microcerotermes turneri

An Australian arboreal termite that builds small, round carton nests on the trunks of eucalyptus trees. Colonies are sma...

Hymenoptera

Turtle Ant

Cephalotes atratus

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

Lepidoptera

Tussar Moth

Antheraea mylitta

A large Indian silk moth with deep golden-brown wings and prominent eyespots bordered in black. It is one of the most co...

Coleoptera

Twenty-spotted Leaf Beetle

Chrysomela vigintipunctata

A distinctive leaf beetle with reddish-brown elytra marked with twenty black spots arranged in rows. It feeds on willow ...

Hymenoptera

Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex gracilis

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

Coleoptera

Two-banded Longhorn

Rhagium bifasciatum

A robust, short-antennated flower longhorn with two yellowish bands on dark elytra. Common across European forests, adul...

Coleoptera

Two-colored Quedius

Quedius cruentus

A medium-sized rove beetle with a metallic dark head and pronotum contrasting with blood-red elytra. It inhabits montane...

Coleoptera

Two-Horned Oxysternon

Oxysternon durum

A large, dark metallic green tunneling dung beetle with two prominent pronotal projections in males. The clypeus has a d...

Coleoptera

Two-lined Chestnut Borer Leaf Beetle

Chrysomela mainensis

A convex beetle with metallic dark greenish-black elytra and fine punctation. It is found on alder and willow in boreal ...

Coleoptera

Two-lined Leatherwing

Atalantycha bilineata

A slender soldier beetle with pale yellowish-brown elytra bearing two faint darker lines. It is an active predator found...

Coleoptera

Uganda Giant Flower Beetle

Mecynorrhina ugandensis

A large and colorful cetoniine beetle with metallic green and yellow coloration. Males have a prominent forked horn on t...

Hemiptera

Ugandan Frog Leafhopper

Batracomorphus ruthae

One of seven new frog-like leafhoppers discovered in Uganda's Kibale National Park in 2025. Named in honor of the descri...

Coleoptera

Urussov's Sawyer

Monochamus urussovii

A large dark brown longhorn beetle with greyish pubescence, distributed across the taiga forests of Russia. It primarily...

Coleoptera

Velvet Shore Rove Beetle

Heterothops praevius

A small, dark rove beetle found in leaf litter and decaying organic matter in European forests. It is a swift predator o...

Mantodea

Venezuelan Bark Mantis

Liturgusa fossetti

A small bark mantis from Venezuela described in the 2014 revision of the genus. It has subtle brown markings that match ...

Lepidoptera

Venezuelan Poodle Moth

Artace cribraria

A fuzzy white moth densely covered in hair-like scales giving it a woolly appearance. Its large black eyes and fluffy bo...

Lepidoptera

Verdant Hawk Moth

Tinostoma smaragditis

A vivid emerald-green hawk moth found in tropical Pacific islands....

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...

Phasmatodea

Vietnamese Walking Stick

Baculum extradentatum

A long, thin stick insect with small teeth along its middle legs. It is one of the most commonly kept pet phasmids world...

Coleoptera

Violet Longhorn

Callidium violaceum

A compact, flat cerambycid with a striking metallic violet coloration across its entire body. Widespread in conifer fore...

Coleoptera

Violet-legged Agapanthia

Agapanthia violacea

A slender longhorn beetle with a striking combination of violet-tinged legs and greenish-yellow pubescence on the body. ...

Coleoptera

Violin Beetle

Mormolyce phyllodes

An extraordinarily flat beetle shaped like a violin. Its paper-thin body allows it to squeeze between bracket fungi and ...

Hymenoptera

Virginia Pine Sawfly

Neodiprion pratti pratti

A pine sawfly whose larvae are greenish-yellow with prominent dark stripes. It preferentially attacks Virginia pine and ...

Mantodea

Wahlberg Mantis

Polyspilota aeruginosa

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

Blattodea

Walker's Nasute Termite

Nasutitermes walkeri

An arboreal termite that builds round carton nests on tree trunks in eastern Australia. Its nests are made from chewed w...

Phasmatodea

Walking Leaf

Phyllium philippinicum

Perhaps the most remarkable camouflage in the insect world — an entire insect that looks exactly like a green leaf, comp...

Coleoptera

Wallace's Longhorn

Batocera wallacei

A large longhorn beetle named after the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. Mottled brown and cream coloring provides exce...

Lepidoptera

Wallace's Longwing

Heliconius wallacei

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

Lepidoptera

Wallaces Golden Birdwing

Ornithoptera croesus

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

Hymenoptera

Warrior Wasp

Synoeca septentrionalis

Rated 4.0 on the Schmidt Pain Index alongside the bullet ant and tarantula hawk. Paper nest builders that drum their bod...

Coleoptera

Watanabe Dung Beetle

Onthophagus watanabei

A small, brown tunneling dung beetle from Southeast Asian forests with distinctively elongated curved horns in major mal...

Hymenoptera

Weaver Ant

Oecophylla smaragdina

Builds elaborate nests by weaving living leaves together using silk produced by their own larvae. Workers form living ch...

Psocoptera

Web-spinning Barklouse

Archipsocus nomas

A bark louse known for spinning communal silk webs over tree bark in tropical and subtropical regions. Large colonies ca...

Hymenoptera

West African Driver Ant

Dorylus molestus

A large East African driver ant known for its painful bites that are difficult to remove once clamped. Columns can stret...

Hemiptera

West African Lantern Bug

Zanna tenebrosa

A large planthopper with an elongated head process and colorful wings. The forewings are cryptically patterned while the...

Trichoptera

Western Bushtail Caddisfly

Gumaga nigricula

A western North American caddisfly that constructs smooth cylindrical cases from fine sand. Larvae are leaf-shredders in...

Coleoptera

Western Cedar Borer

Trachykele blondeli

A large, dark metallic jewel beetle that develops in western red cedar. Larvae create distinctive oval exit holes in tim...

Coleoptera

Western Eyed Click Beetle

Alaus melanops

The western counterpart to the eyed click beetle, with smaller, solid black eyespots. Found in old-growth forests....

Coleoptera

Western Pine Beetle

Dendroctonus brevicomis

A small dark brown bark beetle that attacks ponderosa pine trees. It is one of the most destructive bark beetles in west...

Phasmatodea

Westwood's Leaf Insect

Cryptophyllium westwoodii

A large leaf insect named after the entomologist John Obadiah Westwood. Females are broad and bright green, mimicking fr...

Orthoptera

Weta Piki (Jumping Weta)

Hemiandrus pallitarsis

A small ground weta endemic to New Zealand, found in forest leaf litter. It is nocturnal and burrows into the soil durin...

Hymenoptera

White Pine Sawfly

Neodiprion pinetum

A defoliator primarily attacking eastern white pine in North America. Larvae feed in clusters, consuming entire needles....

Lepidoptera

White Witch Moth

Thysania agrippina

Holds the record for the widest wingspan of any moth or butterfly at up to 310 mm. A nocturnal neotropical species with ...

Coleoptera

White-lined Goliath Beetle

Goliathus orientalis

A striking goliath beetle with bold white longitudinal stripes on a dark background. It inhabits forests of Central and ...

Coleoptera

White-spotted Sawyer

Monochamus scutellatus

A large black longhorn beetle with a distinctive white spot at the base of the elytra. Males have antennae twice their b...

Mantodea

Wide Dead Leaf Mantis

Acanthops platycephala

A broad-headed dead leaf mantis from the Amazon basin with a distinctively flattened head. Its wide head profile adds to...

Hymenoptera

Winnow Ant

Aphaenogaster senilis

A large, dark Mediterranean ant that is an important seed disperser in scrubland ecosystems. Workers carry seeds with at...

Diptera

Woodland Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles punctulatus

A major malaria vector in the southwest Pacific with spotted wings. It breeds in sunlit ground pools and temporary puddl...

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...

Coleoptera

Wrinkled Bark Beetle

Rhysodes sulcatus

An extremely rare and primitive beetle with deep longitudinal grooves on its elytra. Found only in virgin forests....

Hymenoptera

Xyelid Pine Bud Sawfly

Xyela minor

A tiny sawfly with the characteristic elongated third antennal segment of its ancient family. Adults emerge in early spr...

Lepidoptera

Xypete Euphaedra

Euphaedra xypete

A West African forest butterfly with striking green forewings and orange hindwings. The underside is paler with subtle s...

Coleoptera

Yanbaru Long-armed Scarab

Cheirotonus jambar

An extremely rare scarab beetle endemic to the Yanbaru forests of Okinawa. Males have greatly elongated forelegs used in...

Diptera

Yellow Fever Mosquito (Forest Form)

Aedes africanus

A dark forest mosquito that maintains the sylvatic cycle of yellow fever virus among monkeys in African tropical forests...

Lepidoptera

Yellow Glassy Tiger

Parantica aspasia

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

Hymenoptera

Yellow-faced Horntail

Sirex nitobei

A large woodwasp native to East Asia that occasionally appears as an invasive species. Females bore into larch and pine ...

Hymenoptera

Yellow-Horned Horntail

Urocerus flavicornis

A large wood wasp distinguished by its yellow antennae contrasting with a dark metallic blue-black body. Females bore in...

Hymenoptera

Yellow-Legged Horntail

Urocerus augur

A large, dark-bodied wood wasp with bright yellow legs that contrast sharply with its blue-black body. Found primarily i...

Coleoptera

Yellow-shouldered Christmas Beetle

Anoplognathus chloropyrus

A medium-sized Christmas beetle recognisable by its yellowish-green pronotum contrasting with darker brown elytra. It is...

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...

Hemiptera

Zanna Lanternfly

Zanna nobilis

An African lanternfly with a distinctive upturned snout-like head process and brown cryptic forewings. The hindwings are...

Lepidoptera

Zodiac Moth

Alcides metaurus

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