Underground

399 species found in this habitat

Lepidoptera

Abbott's Sphinx Moth

Sphecodina abbottii

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

Hemiptera

Acanaloniid Planthopper

Acanalonia conica

A small bright green planthopper with broad leaf-shaped wings that provide excellent camouflage among foliage. Its round...

Lepidoptera

Acraea Butterfly

Acraea acerata

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

Mantodea

African Mantis

Sphodromantis viridis

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

Lepidoptera

African Migrant Butterfly

Catopsilia florella

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

Hymenoptera

African Mud Dauber

Sceliphron spirifex

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

Hymenoptera

African Paper Wasp

Belonogaster juncea

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

Mantodea

African Pink Flower Mantis

Chloroharpax modesta

A delicate green mantis from tropical Africa that develops pink highlights when near flowers. It is small and slender wi...

Hymenoptera

African Spider Wasp

Hemipepsis capensis

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

Lepidoptera

Amazon Sphinx Moth

Cocytius antaeus

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

Coleoptera

Amazonian Net-Winged Beetle

Calopteron brasiliense

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

Strepsiptera

Ant Strepsipteran

Myrmecolax incautus

A remarkable strepsipteran that parasitizes ants. Males parasitize ants while females parasitize crickets or grasshopper...

Hemiptera

Aphid

Myzus persicae

Tiny sap-sucking insects with extraordinary reproduction. Can reproduce without mating (parthenogenesis) and give birth ...

Hymenoptera

Aphid Mummy Wasp

Aphidius ervi

A tiny parasitoid wasp widely used in biological control of pea aphids and other large aphid species. It turns parasitiz...

Hymenoptera

Aphidius Wasp

Aphidius colemani

A minute parasitoid wasp widely used in greenhouses to control aphid pests. A single female can parasitize over 300 aphi...

Mantodea

Apical Flower Mantis

Creobroter apicalis

A small flower mantis from Southeast Asia with distinctive markings at the tips of its forewings. It is commonly found o...

Coleoptera

Army Ant Rove Beetle

Ecitomorpha arachnoides

An extraordinary myrmecophilous rove beetle whose body remarkably mimics the shape of its host army ants. It lives exclu...

Hymenoptera

Ashy Mining Bee

Andrena cineraria

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

Hymenoptera

Asian Army Ant

Aenictus laeviceps

A small, pale yellow army ant widespread across tropical Asia. Colonies raid nests of other ants and termites in organiz...

Blattodea

Asian Cockroach

Blattella asahinai

Nearly identical in appearance to the German cockroach but with very different behavior, as it lives outdoors and is str...

Hymenoptera

Asian Mud Dauber

Sceliphron curvatum

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

Coleoptera

Asian Multicolored Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis

A highly variable ladybird ranging from orange with many spots to solid black. Originally released for biocontrol, it is...

Hymenoptera

Asian Needle Ant

Brachyponera chinensis

An invasive East Asian ant spreading through the southeastern US. Its sting causes anaphylaxis more frequently than nati...

Blattodea

Australian Cockroach

Periplaneta australasiae

A large tropical cockroach similar to the American cockroach but with distinctive yellow markings on the pronotum and wi...

Hemiptera

Australian Harlequin Bug

Dindymus versicolor

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

Lepidoptera

Australian Magpie Moth

Nyctemera amica

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

Lepidoptera

Australian Painted Lady

Vanessa kershawi

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

Hemiptera

Azalea Lace Bug

Stephanitis pyrioides

A tiny lace bug with beautifully ornate, net-veined wings that is a major pest of azaleas and rhododendrons. Native to E...

Siphonaptera

Badger Flea

Paraceras melis

A large flea specialized to parasitize European badgers. It is found in badger setts and is one of the largest flea spec...

Archaeognatha

Banks' Jumping Bristletail

Machiloides banksi

A North American bristletail found in leaf litter and under stones. It has a cylindrical body covered in tiny scales....

Lepidoptera

Bath White

Pontia daplidice

A white butterfly with bold green marbling on the underside of its hindwings. It is a rare migrant to northern Europe, a...

Diptera

Batman Hoverfly

Myathropa florea

A wasp-mimicking hoverfly with a distinctive bat-shaped marking on its thorax, earning it the nickname 'batman hoverfly....

Hemiptera

Bed Bug

Cimex lectularius

Obligate blood-feeding parasites of humans. Can survive up to a year without feeding. Have made a dramatic worldwide res...

Hemiptera

Bed Bug Hunter

Reduvius personatus

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

Hemiptera

Bee Assassin Bug

Apiomerus flaviventris

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

Coleoptera

Bee Beetle

Trichius fasciatus

A fuzzy, yellow-and-black banded beetle that closely resembles a bumblebee. Adults visit flowers and feed on pollen....

Diptera

Bee Fly

Bombylius major

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

Coleoptera

Big-eyed Ground Beetle

Notiophilus biguttatus

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

Hemiptera

Big-legged Bug

Acanthocephala terminalis

A large, dark coreid bug found in eastern North America with prominently expanded hind tibiae. The hind femora of males ...

Hemiptera

Birch Shieldbug

Elasmostethus interstinctus

A bright green and copper shield bug found on birch trees. It has distinctive dark shoulder patches....

Diptera

Biting Midge (No-See-Um)

Culicoides imicola

A tiny biting midge that is the primary Old World vector of bluetongue virus and African horse sickness virus. It breeds...

Coleoptera

Black and Yellow Longhorn

Rutpela maculata

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

Odonata

Black Darter

Sympetrum danae

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

Coleoptera

Black Sexton Beetle

Necrophorus vespilloides

A remarkable burying beetle that locates small animal carcasses using acute sense of smell. Pairs work together to bury ...

Hymenoptera

Black Slip Wasp

Pimpla instigator

A medium-sized black ichneumon wasp that parasitizes butterfly and moth pupae. Uses its ovipositor to penetrate through ...

Diptera

Black Soldier Fly

Hermetia illucens

A large, wasp-like fly with a shiny black body and translucent areas on the abdomen. Its larvae are extraordinarily effi...

Hymenoptera

Blackberry Leaf Miner

Metallus pumilus

A tiny, dark metallic sawfly whose larvae create blotch mines in blackberry and raspberry leaves. Mined areas turn brown...

Hymenoptera

Blue Ant

Diamma bicolor

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

Hymenoptera

Blue Morpho Caterpillar Parasite Wasp

Conura acuta

A metallic-colored parasitoid wasp that attacks the pupae of various Lepidoptera, including Morpho butterflies. The fema...

Lepidoptera

Blue Striped Nettle Grub

Parasa lepida

A small moth with vivid green forewings edged in dark chocolate brown. The caterpillar is bright green with blue longitu...

Orthoptera

Blue-winged Grasshopper

Oedipoda caerulescens

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

Hymenoptera

Blue-winged Scoliid Wasp

Scolia dubia

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

Hymenoptera

Blunthorn Bee

Melitta haemorrhoidalis

A late-summer specialist bee that collects pollen almost exclusively from bellflowers. It has a distinctively short tong...

Odonata

Bog Hawker

Aeshna subarctica

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

Coleoptera

Bog Jet Beetle

Stenus juno

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

Lepidoptera

Bolas Spider Moth Mimic

Celaenia excavata

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

Hymenoptera

Bordered Rose Sawfly

Arge cyanocrocea

A compact sawfly with a striking combination of an orange body and metallic blue-black wings. Larvae are green with oran...

Coleoptera

Bornean Peacock Beetle

Lamprosoma bicolor

A small, dome-shaped leaf beetle with spectacular iridescent elytra that shift from purple to green to gold. The body is...

Hemiptera

Boxelder Bug

Boisea trivittata

A black and red bug that forms large aggregations on and around boxelder trees in autumn. It is commonly seen warming it...

Lepidoptera

Brimstone Moth

Opisthograptis luteolata

A bright yellow moth with chestnut-brown blotches along the leading edge of each wing. It is a common and cheerful visit...

Diptera

Bristly Tachinid Fly

Nowickia ferox

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

Diptera

Broad Centurion Soldier Fly

Chloromyia formosa

A beautiful metallic green soldier fly with a broad, flattened abdomen and coppery reflections. Males are more blue-gree...

Lepidoptera

Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth

Hemaris fuciformis

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

Blattodea

Brown Cockroach

Periplaneta brunnea

A glossy reddish-brown cockroach often confused with the American cockroach. It is slightly smaller with a more uniform ...

Blattodea

Brown-Banded Cockroach

Supella longipalpa

A small cockroach with two distinctive light brown bands across its wings and abdomen. Unlike most cockroach pests, it p...

Lepidoptera

Buff Arches

Habrosyne pyritoides

A moth with intricate grey, white, and buff patterns creating a complex marbled effect on its forewings. It is closely r...

Lepidoptera

Buff-tip

Phalera bucephala

A moth that mimics a broken birch twig with remarkable precision when at rest. Its silvery-grey wings end in a buff-colo...

Hymenoptera

Buffish Mining Bee

Andrena nigroaenea

A large mining bee with a dark metallic body and buff-brown thoracic fur. It is one of the main hosts of the early-flyin...

Lepidoptera

Cabbage Tree Emperor Moth

Bunaea alcinoe

A large emperor moth with reddish-brown wings bearing prominent eyespots. Larvae are gregarious and covered in branching...

Lepidoptera

Cairns Birdwing

Ornithoptera euphorion

Australias largest endemic butterfly with males displaying vivid green and black wings. Females are larger and brown wit...

Lepidoptera

Canary-shouldered Thorn

Ennomos alniaria

An autumn moth with bright canary-yellow fur on its thorax and warm orange-yellow wings. When at rest with wings raised,...

Lepidoptera

Casemaking Clothes Moth

Tinea pellionella

A small silvery-brown moth whose larva constructs a portable silken case that it drags along as it feeds. It is a signif...

Siphonaptera

Cat Flea

Ctenocephalides felis

The most common flea on both cats and dogs worldwide. Can jump up to 150 times its body length. A single female can prod...

Hymenoptera

Cereal Leaf Miner Parasite

Dacnusa sibirica

A small dark braconid wasp used commercially to control leaf miner flies in greenhouses. It locates host larvae by detec...

Orthoptera

Changa Mole Cricket

Scapteriscus didactylus

A large mole cricket native to South America that became a severe pest in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It has only two...

Coleoptera

Checkered Beetle

Trichodes apiarius

A brightly colored red and blue beetle often found on flowers. Its larvae are parasites of solitary bee nests....

Mantodea

Chinese Mantis

Tenodera sinensis

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

Protura

Chinese Sinentomid

Sinentomon erythranum

A rare proturan discovered in Chinese soil that represents a unique family within the order. It has abdominal spiracles ...

Lepidoptera

Chinese Windmill

Atrophaneura alcinous

A dark swallowtail butterfly with crimson patches on the hindwings and a slow fluttering flight. The body is red indicat...

Hemiptera

Chorus Cicada

Amphipsalta zelandica

The most common and widespread cicada in New Zealand, producing the iconic summer chorus heard throughout the country. N...

Coleoptera

Chrysomeline Rove Beetle

Tachyporus chrysomelinus

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

Hemiptera

Cixiid Planthopper

Cixius nervosus

A small brownish planthopper with prominently veined transparent wings. Nymphs develop underground feeding on roots, whi...

Coleoptera

Clavigerite Ant Beetle

Claviger testaceus

A tiny, blind, wingless rove beetle that is an obligate guest of Lasius ant colonies. It has lost its eyes and developed...

Coleoptera

Click Beetle

Alaus oculatus

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

Lepidoptera

Clouded Skipper

Lerema accius

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

Diptera

Coffin Fly

Conicera tibialis

A tiny humpbacked fly capable of burrowing through soil to reach buried remains. It is of forensic importance as it can ...

Coleoptera

Colorado Soldier Beetle

Chauliognathus basalis

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

Hymenoptera

Colorful Ichneumon

Ichneumon sarcitorius

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

Coleoptera

Common Aleocharine

Atheta coriaria

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

Lepidoptera

Common Bagworm Moth

Psyche casta

A small moth whose larva builds a distinctive portable bag from silk and plant debris that it carries everywhere. Adult ...

Coleoptera

Common Burying Beetle

Nicrophorus vespillo

A large orange-and-black beetle that buries small animal carcasses for its larvae. Uses chemical cues to locate corpses ...

Hymenoptera

Common Carder Bee

Bombus pascuorum

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

Dermaptera

Common Earwig

Forficula auricularia

Nocturnal omnivore with distinctive forceps-shaped cerci. One of the few non-social insects to show maternal care — fema...

Hymenoptera

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Bombus impatiens

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

Lepidoptera

Common Footman Moth

Eilema lurideola

A narrow-winged grey moth with a distinctive yellow-orange leading edge on the forewing. It rests with wings wrapped tig...

Hemiptera

Common Froghopper

Philaenus spumarius form typicus

The classic form of the common froghopper with mottled brown coloring. Creates the familiar cuckoo-spit on plants....

Diptera

Common Fungus Gnat

Bradysia impatiens

A small, delicate dark fly with long legs and antennae that commonly infests houseplant soil. Adults are weak fliers tha...

Hymenoptera

Common Furrow Bee

Halictus rubicundus

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

Diptera

Common House Fly

Musca domestica

One of the most widely distributed insects on Earth. Can taste with their feet, which have chemoreceptors. Capable of ra...

Lepidoptera

Common Jezebel

Delias eucharis

A medium butterfly with white uppersides and brilliantly colored red and yellow patterned undersides visible in flight. ...

Hymenoptera

Common Potter Wasp

Eumenes fraternus

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

Mecoptera

Common Scorpionfly

Panorpa communis

Males have a bulbous upturned abdomen tip that resembles a scorpion stinger but is actually their genitalia and is compl...

Zygentoma

Common Silverfish

Lepisma saccharina

The most well-known silverfish species, found in homes and buildings worldwide. It has a silvery, torpedo-shaped body co...

Diptera

Common Thick-headed Fly

Sicus ferrugineus

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

Diptera

Conops Fly

Conops flavipes

A wasp-mimicking fly with yellow legs and a narrow waist. Females parasitize adult bumblebees....

Hemiptera

Corsair Assassin Bug

Rasahus hamatus

A nocturnal assassin bug found across the Americas that is attracted to lights. Its painful bite is often mistaken for a...

Lepidoptera

Coxcomb Prominent Moth

Ptilodon capucina

A variably colored prominent moth ranging from pale brown to deep chestnut. A raised crest of scales on the forewing tra...

Lepidoptera

Cranberry Blue

Plebejus optilete

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

Strepsiptera

Cricket Strepsipteran

Caenocholax fenyesi

An unusual strepsipteran whose males parasitize ants while females parasitize crickets. This dual-host system is unique ...

Lepidoptera

Cuban Clear-winged Moth

Carmenta bassiformis

A wasp-mimicking moth found in Cuba with transparent wings. Its narrow body and buzzing flight closely resemble a small ...

Hymenoptera

Cuckoo Wasp

Chrysis ignita

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

Lepidoptera

Currant Clearwing

Synanthedon tipuliformis

A small wasp-mimicking moth with transparent wings and a black body banded with yellow. Its larvae bore into the stems o...

Hymenoptera

Currant Stem Girdler

Janus integer

A slender black stem sawfly that attacks currant and gooseberry bushes. Females girdle the stem tips with their oviposit...

Hemiptera

Dark Kissing Bug

Panstrongylus megistus

A large triatomine bug and important Chagas disease vector in Brazil. It has adapted to live in both sylvatic and domest...

Hymenoptera

Dark Rover Ant

Brachymyrmex patagonicus

A tiny dark brown ant that has rapidly spread across the southern United States as an invasive species. It is attracted ...

Orthoptera

Dead Leaf Katydid

Typophyllum erosum

A Neotropical katydid that mimics a dead, decaying leaf with astonishing accuracy. Its wings display brown hues and irre...

Coleoptera

Delta Flower Scarab

Trigonopeltastes delta

A small triangular beetle marked with a distinctive delta-shaped pattern in yellow and black. It is a common flower visi...

Hemiptera

Derbid Planthopper

Anotia bonnetii

A delicate planthopper with elongated, paddle-shaped wings held flat over the body. It is pale yellowish-green and often...

Coleoptera

Devil's Coach Horse

Ocypus olens

A large, matt-black rove beetle that raises its tail like a scorpion when threatened. It has powerful jaws and emits a f...

Collembola

Dicyrtomina Springtail

Dicyrtomina minuta

A beautifully patterned globular springtail found in leaf litter across Europe. It has a marbled brown and yellow appear...

Hymenoptera

Discothyrea Ant

Discothyrea testacea

An extremely small and rarely seen ant with only a single-segmented antennal club, unique among ants. It nests deep in s...

Phthiraptera

Dog Biting Louse

Trichodectes canis

A chewing louse that infests domestic dogs, feeding on skin debris and secretions. It can serve as an intermediate host ...

Siphonaptera

Dog Flea

Ctenocephalides canis

A flea historically associated with domestic dogs but actually less common on dogs than the cat flea. Distinguished by i...

Lepidoptera

Dot Moth

Melanchra persicariae

A dark bluish-black moth with a conspicuous white kidney-mark on each forewing. Its boldly marked appearance makes it ea...

Hymenoptera

Dracula Ant

Mystrium camillae

Has the fastest known animal movement — mandibles snap shut at 90 m/s (320 km/h), 5,000 times faster than a blink. Also ...

Lepidoptera

Dun-bar

Cosmia trapezina

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

Hymenoptera

Early Bumblebee

Bombus pratorum

A small bumblebee with yellow collar, yellow midriff band and an orange tail. One of the first to appear in spring....

Lepidoptera

Early Thorn

Selenia dentaria

A moth that resembles a dead leaf when at rest, with twig-like resting posture. The spring generation is larger and dark...

Phasmatodea

East African Stick Insect

Clonaria conformans

A slender, elongated stick insect with smooth green or brown body perfectly mimicking a thin twig. It sways gently when ...

Coleoptera

Eastern Bombardier Beetle

Brachinus explodens

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

Hemiptera

Elm Seed Bug

Arocatus melanocephalus

A small seed bug native to southern Europe that has become an invasive nuisance pest in the northwestern United States. ...

Hymenoptera

Emerald Cuckoo Wasp

Stilbum cyanurum

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

Lepidoptera

Engrailed Moth

Ectropis crepuscularia

A cryptic grey-brown moth with jagged crosslines and excellent bark-mimicking camouflage. It rests flat against tree tru...

Hymenoptera

European Banded Ichneumon

Amblyteles armatorius

A striking black and yellow ichneumon wasp that closely resembles a social wasp. It is a common parasitoid of noctuid mo...

Hemiptera

European Firebug

Pyrrhocoris apterus

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

Coleoptera

European Glow-Worm Click Beetle

Phosphaenus hemipterus

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

Diplura

Ewingi Japygid

Catajapyx ewing

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

Hymenoptera

Fairy Wasp

Kikiki huna

One of the smallest known insects in the world at just 0.15 millimeters long....

Hymenoptera

Fairyfly Wasp

Dicopomorpha echmepterygis

The smallest known insect in the world at just 0.139 mm in length. Males are blind, wingless, and smaller than some sing...

Orthoptera

Fall Field Cricket

Gryllus pennsylvanicus

A common North American black field cricket whose chirping is the quintessential sound of autumn. Adults appear in late ...

Lepidoptera

Feathered Thorn

Colotois pennaria

An autumn-flying moth with warm orange-brown wings and males bearing dramatically feathered antennae. It flies late in t...

Orthoptera

Field Cricket

Gryllus campestris

Males produce their characteristic chirping song by rubbing their wings together (stridulation). The rate of chirping is...

Lepidoptera

Fiji Blue Spotted Crow

Euploea tulliolus

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

Coleoptera

Firefly

Photinus pyralis

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

Lepidoptera

Firethorn Leaf Miner

Phyllonorycter leucographella

A tiny moth whose larvae create blister mines on pyracantha leaves. Originally from southern Europe, it has spread rapid...

Hymenoptera

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee

Megachile mendica

A medium-sized leaf-cutter bee with pale abdominal hair bands. It provisions its nest cells with carefully cut pieces of...

Hemiptera

Flower Bug

Orius insidiosus

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

Coleoptera

Flower Rove Beetle

Eusphalerum luteum

A small, yellowish omaline rove beetle that is unusual among staphylinids for being a regular flower visitor. It feeds o...

Blattodea

Formosan Subterranean Termite

Coptotermes formosanus

One of the most aggressive and destructive termite species in the world, forming massive colonies of several million ind...

Lepidoptera

Foxglove Pug

Eupithecia pulchellata

A small moth whose larvae feed exclusively inside foxglove flowers. Well-camouflaged with subtle brown markings. Found w...

Hymenoptera

Garden Bumblebee

Bombus hortorum

A long-tongued bumblebee with three yellow bands and a white tail. Specializes in deep tubular flowers....

Lepidoptera

Garden Tiger Moth

Arctia caja

A boldly patterned moth with chocolate-and-white forewings and red-spotted hindwings....

Hemiptera

Geniculatus Kissing Bug

Panstrongylus geniculatus

A large, widespread triatomine found from Mexico to Argentina that typically inhabits armadillo burrows. It has been imp...

Lepidoptera

Geranium Bronze

Cacyreus marshalli

A small dull brown butterfly with a distinctive white fringe and thin tail that has become a major pest of cultivated ge...

Siphonaptera

Giant Armadillo Flea

Tunga caecata

A burrowing flea related to the chigoe flea that parasitizes armadillos in South America. Like its relative, the gravid ...

Mantodea

Giant Asian Mantis

Hierodula membranacea

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

Lepidoptera

Giant Leopard Moth

Hypercompe scribonia

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

Odonata

Giant Petaltail

Petalura gigantea

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

Mantodea

Giant Rainforest Mantis

Hierodula majuscula

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

Hymenoptera

Gold-tailed Ruby Wasp

Chrysis fulgida

A dazzling metallic wasp with a bright green head and thorax and a golden-red abdomen. It is a brood parasite of potter ...

Coleoptera

Golden Target Tortoise Beetle

Aspidomorpha miliaris

A beautiful golden tortoise beetle with concentric dark markings on the elytra resembling a target or bullseye pattern. ...

Diptera

Golden-belted Tachinid

Ectophasia crassipennis

A colorful parasitic fly with golden-yellow markings and dark wing patches. Parasitizes shieldbugs and stink bugs. Often...

Neuroptera

Golden-eyed Lacewing

Chrysopa perla

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

Lepidoptera

Gothic Moth

Naenia typica

A dark brown moth with intricate pale crosslines and markings resembling Gothic architecture. It is increasingly scarce ...

Hymenoptera

Graceful Twig Ant

Tetraponera aethiops

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

Blattodea

Grandidier's Hissing Cockroach

Gromphadorhina grandidieri

A robust hissing cockroach endemic to Madagascar with a dark brown body. Smaller than the common hissing cockroach but e...

Zygentoma

Gray Silverfish

Ctenolepisma longicaudatum

An invasive silverfish species spreading rapidly through northern Europe. It is larger and more uniformly gray than the ...

Orthoptera

Great Green Bush-Cricket

Tettigonia viridissima

One of the largest katydids in Europe, with a bright green body and long wings. Males produce a loud, sustained stridula...

Lepidoptera

Great Mormon

Papilio memnon

A large swallowtail butterfly where females come in multiple dramatically different forms mimicking various toxic butter...

Hemiptera

Green Flatid Planthopper

Flatormenis proxima

A delicate bright green planthopper with broad, leaf-like wings held tent-like over the body. When grouped on a stem, mu...

Hemiptera

Greenhouse Whitefly

Trialeurodes vaporariorum

A white-winged sap-feeding insect commonly found in greenhouses and warm climates. Adults and nymphs produce honeydew th...

Hymenoptera

Greenhouse Whitefly Parasitoid

Encarsia formosa

The most widely used parasitoid wasp in greenhouse biological control worldwide. Parasitized whitefly nymphs turn black,...

Hemiptera

Gumtree Shield Bug

Poecilometis strigatus

A large shield bug commonly found on eucalyptus trees across Australia. It has a distinctive brown and cream patterned b...

Hymenoptera

Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee

Bombus bohemicus

A social parasite that invades colonies of other bumble bees, killing the queen and enslaving the workers. Females lack ...

Hymenoptera

Hairy-footed Flower Bee

Anthophora plumipes

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

Strepsiptera

Halictid Stylops

Stylops nassonowi

A twisted-wing parasite that targets sweat bees in the family Halictidae. Parasitized bees show altered behavior and sup...

Blattodea

Harlequin Cockroach

Neostylopyga rhombifolia

A strikingly patterned cockroach with dark brown and yellow markings on its body. It is a peridomestic species found in ...

Hemiptera

Hawthorn Shieldbug

Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale

A large green-and-red shieldbug common on hawthorn trees across Europe. It produces a strong, pungent smell from thoraci...

Lepidoptera

Hebrew Character

Orthosia gothica

A spring-flying moth with a distinctive black C-shaped marking on each forewing that resembles a Hebrew letter. It is on...

Lepidoptera

Heliconius Hecale Longwing

Heliconius hecale

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

Orthoptera

Hemiandrus Ground Weta

Hemiandrus maculifrons

A New Zealand ground weta that is one of the very few orthopterans showing maternal care. Females guard their eggs and n...

Lepidoptera

Holly Blue

Celastrina argiolus

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

Hymenoptera

Honeysuckle Sawfly

Zaraea fasciata

A moderately large sawfly with clubbed antennae and a dark body with pale markings. It is closely associated with honeys...

Lepidoptera

Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner

Cameraria ohridella

A tiny moth that has devastated horse chestnut trees across Europe since its discovery in 1985. Larvae mine inside leave...

Hymenoptera

Horse Chestnut Leafminer Parasitoid

Pnigalio agraules

A small metallic-green ectoparasitoid wasp that attacks leafminer larvae inside leaf mines. It has a broad host range ac...

Blattodea

Horseshoe Crab Cockroach

Hemiblabera tenebricosa

A stout, dark cockroach whose rounded body shape resembles a horseshoe crab. It is a burrowing species from Central Amer...

Diptera

Hover Fly

Syrphus ribesii

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

Diptera

Hoverfly

Episyrphus balteatus

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

Siphonaptera

Human Flea

Pulex irritans

Once common in human homes, now relatively rare in developed countries. Historically responsible for transmitting buboni...

Phthiraptera

Human Head Louse

Pediculus humanus capitis

An obligate ectoparasite of the human scalp that feeds on blood several times per day. It spreads through direct head-to...

Lepidoptera

Hummingbird Hawk-Moth

Macroglossum stellatarum

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

Diptera

Hump-backed Fly

Megaselia scalaris

A tiny scuttle fly with a distinctly humped thorax that breeds in an extraordinary range of organic matter. It is forens...

Lepidoptera

Indian Fritillary

Argyreus hyperbius

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

Hymenoptera

Indian Giant Ant

Camponotus compressus

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

Hymenoptera

Indian Paper Wasp

Ropalidia marginata

A slender social wasp with a brown and yellow body that constructs small, open-comb nests under eaves and branches. It i...

Diptera

Indian Sand Fly

Phlebotomus argentipes

A tiny, hairy fly with a distinctive humpbacked appearance and large, upturned wings held erect at rest. It is the prima...

Coleoptera

Indian White Grub

Holotrichia consanguinea

A brown, robust chafer beetle whose C-shaped white larvae live underground and feed on plant roots. Adults emerge in lar...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Bagworm Moth

Eumeta variegata

Known as 'minomushi' in Japanese, the caterpillar builds a distinctive portable case from silk, twigs, and leaves. Adult...

Orthoptera

Japanese Bell Cricket

Meloimorpha japonica

A small brown cricket revered in Japanese culture for its beautiful tinkling bell-like song. It has been bred and sold a...

Hymenoptera

Japanese Carpenter Ant

Camponotus japonicus

A large black carpenter ant common throughout East Asia and a popular species in ant keeping. Colonies can grow very lar...

Lepidoptera

Japanese Copper

Lycaena phlaeas daimio

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

Coleoptera

Japanese Deathwatch Beetle

Priobium flavicorne

A wood-boring beetle found in Japan that infests structural timber in traditional Japanese buildings. The larvae bore th...

Hymenoptera

Japanese Honeybee

Apis cerana japonica

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

Coleoptera

Japanese Leaf Beetle

Lilioceris merdigera

A small, bright red beetle similar in appearance to the scarlet lily beetle but with red legs instead of black. It is co...

Hymenoptera

Japanese Scoliid Wasp

Scolia oculata

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

Hymenoptera

Japanese Spider Wasp

Batozonellus lacerticida

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

Mantodea

Jeweled Flower Mantis

Creobroter gemmatus

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

Lepidoptera

Juniper Hairstreak

Callophrys gryneus

A small green hairstreak butterfly with intricate white line patterns on its hindwing underside. Its bright green unders...

Hemiptera

Kaempfer Cicada

Platypleura kaempferi

A small cicada with cryptic bark-like coloration and a distinctive rattling call. It is named after the German naturalis...

Orthoptera

Katydid

Pterophylla camellifolia

Nocturnal insects with leaf-shaped wings providing excellent camouflage. Named for their rhythmic "katy-did, katy-didn't...

Hymenoptera

Keyhole Wasp

Pachodynerus nasidens

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

Orthoptera

Large Marsh Grasshopper

Stethophyma grossum

Europe's largest grasshopper, with bold red, yellow, and green colouring and bright red hindleg tibiae. It requires very...

Hymenoptera

Leaf-Rolling Rose Sawfly

Blennocampa phyllocolpa

A tiny black sawfly that causes rose leaflets to roll downward into tight cylinders. The larva feeds inside the rolled l...

Lepidoptera

Lemon Migrant

Catopsilia pomona

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

Lepidoptera

Light Emerald

Campaea margaritaria

A delicate pale green moth with fine white cross-lines that fades to white as it ages. It is one of the most commonly en...

Coleoptera

Lily Beetle

Lilioceris lilii

A bright scarlet beetle that is a destructive pest of lilies and fritillaries. Larvae camouflage themselves by covering ...

Lepidoptera

Lime Hawk-moth

Mimas tiliae

A beautifully scalloped hawk-moth with variable pink-green to brown colouration and dark central wing bands. Adults do n...

Collembola

Lipothrix Springtail

Lipothrix lubbocki

A tiny globular springtail found on vegetation and leaf litter surfaces. It has a compact round body typical of the fami...

Coleoptera

Long-horned Ant-loving Beetle

Claviger longicornis

A minute, blind pselaphine rove beetle with elongate antennae relative to its body size. Like its congeners, it is an ob...

Blattodea

Long-jawed Soil-feeder Termite

Cubitermes ugandensis

A soil-feeding termite from East Africa that builds small pedestal-shaped mounds. It processes large amounts of soil to ...

Lepidoptera

Long-tailed Blue

Lampides boeticus

A small pale violet-blue butterfly with thin hairlike tails on the hindwings and prominent false eyespots near them. It ...

Hymenoptera

Longhorn Crazy Ant

Paratrechina longicornis

A small dark brown ant with extremely long antennae and legs that moves in rapid, jerky patterns. It is one of the most ...

Diptera

Longipalpis Sandfly

Lutzomyia longipalpis

A small, pale-brown sandfly that is the most important vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. Males produce s...

Mantodea

Lurker Praying Mantis

Archimantis latistyla

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

Lepidoptera

Macedonian Grayling

Pseudochazara cingovskii

A rare grayling butterfly found only on a few limestone hillsides in North Macedonia. It flies low over rocky ground in ...

Blattodea

Madagascan Marble Cockroach

Nauphoeta madagascariensis

A medium-sized cockroach with a marbled brown pattern on its wings. It is endemic to the island of Madagascar....

Blattodea

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Gromphadorhina portentosa

One of the largest cockroach species. Produces a distinctive hissing sound by forcing air through breathing holes (spira...

Blattodea

Madeira Cockroach

Leucophaea maderae

A large pale brown cockroach that emits a foul-smelling liquid when disturbed. It cannot climb smooth surfaces. Original...

Lepidoptera

Magpie Moth

Abraxas grossulariata

A conspicuous white moth with bold black spots and an orange-yellow band across the wings. It played a historic role in ...

Hymenoptera

Malagasy Dracula Ant

Mystrium voeltzkowi

An enigmatic Dracula ant endemic to Madagascar with pale yellow coloring and reduced eyes. Workers live deep underground...

Lepidoptera

Malagasy Emerald Moth

Chrysiridia croesus

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

Blattodea

Malagasy Mound-building Termite

Microcerotermes subtilis

A small termite species that constructs conspicuous carton mounds on tree trunks or the ground. Workers are pale and sof...

Hymenoptera

Malagasy Paper Wasp

Polistes olivaceus

A slender wasp with an olive-brown body, long dangling legs, and narrow waist. It builds small, exposed paper nests from...

Hemiptera

Malagasy Pill Millipede Assassin Bug

Physorhynchus crux

A dark-bodied assassin bug with a characteristic cross-shaped marking on its thorax. It has robust forelegs adapted for ...

Hymenoptera

Malagasy Rover Ant

Tetramorium kelleri

A small, dark brown ant with rugose sculpture on the head and thorax. It is part of a massive endemic radiation of Tetra...

Coleoptera

Maltese Freshwater Crab Spider Beetle

Akis spinosa

A spiny darkling beetle found on Malta and other Mediterranean islands. It has prominent ridges and spines along its ely...

Lepidoptera

Marbled Minor

Oligia strigilis

A small, cryptically marked moth that is extremely variable in pattern. Part of a complex of similar-looking species tha...

Diptera

March Fly

Bibio marci

A common black fly that swarms in large numbers around Saint Marks Day in April....

Coleoptera

Margined Leatherwing

Chauliognathus marginatus

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

Lepidoptera

Marsh Fritillary

Euphydryas aurinia

A colourful butterfly with a complex mosaic of orange, cream, and brown markings across its wings. It is the most rapidl...

Hymenoptera

Mason Wasp

Ancistrocerus nigricornis

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

Lepidoptera

Mauritius Lowland Forest Day Moth

Agarista agricola

A day-flying moth with black wings marked by white and orange patches. Found on Mauritius and neighboring Indian Ocean i...

Coleoptera

Mealybug Destroyer

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

A dark-colored Australian ladybird with an orange head, widely used as a biocontrol agent. Its larvae are covered in whi...

Hymenoptera

Median Wasp

Dolichovespula media

A large social wasp that builds aerial paper nests in trees and shrubs across Europe. They are less aggressive than yell...

Coleoptera

Metallic Leaf Beetle

Chrysolina polita

A medium-sized beetle with richly burnished copper-red to bronze elytra and a metallic green to blue pronotum. The contr...

Hemiptera

Mexican Kissing Bug

Triatoma dimidiata

A major Chagas disease vector in Central America and Mexico found in both domestic and peridomestic habitats. Adults are...

Lepidoptera

Mocker Swallowtail

Papilio dardanus

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

Coleoptera

Mottled Longhorn Beetle

Ceroplesis aethiops

A large longhorn beetle with mottled gray and black patterning that provides excellent camouflage on tree bark. Its ante...

Hymenoptera

Mud Dauber Wasp

Sceliphron caementarium

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

Lepidoptera

Muslin Moth

Diaphora mendica

A sexually dimorphic moth where males are dark smoky grey and females are pure white with black spots. The contrast betw...

Diptera

Narcissus Bulb Fly

Merodon equestris

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

Diptera

Narrow-banded Hoverfly

Meliscaeva auricollis

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

Hemiptera

Negro Bug

Thyreocoris scarabaeoides

A tiny shiny black hemispherical bug that looks like a miniature beetle. It feeds on violets and strawberries....

Coleoptera

Neotropical Army Ant Guest

Ecitomorpha nevermanni

A remarkable myrmecophilous rove beetle that lives with Eciton army ants in Central America. Its body closely mimics the...

Hemiptera

Neotropical Bee Assassin

Apiomerus pictipes

A stout, colorful assassin bug that specializes in capturing bees and wasps visiting flowers. Its bright red, orange, an...

Hymenoptera

Netelia Ichneumon Wasp

Netelia melanura

A large orange ichneumon wasp attracted to light at night. Parasitizes noctuid moth caterpillars. Has a distinctive comp...

Phthiraptera

New Caledonian Imperial Pigeon Louse

Columbicola extinctus

A chewing louse that was endemic to the now-extinct New Caledonian lorikeet. This species represents the coextinction ph...

Mantodea

New Zealand Praying Mantis

Orthodera novaezealandiae

New Zealand's only native praying mantis, a small bright green species found throughout the country. It is now threatene...

Diptera

Noisy Tachinid

Tachina fera

A large tawny-orange tachinid fly commonly found basking on vegetation in late summer. It parasitizes noctuid moth cater...

Orthoptera

Oak Bush-cricket

Meconema thalassinum

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

Hemiptera

Oleander Aphid

Aphis nerii

A bright yellow aphid with black cornicles and legs that feeds on oleander, milkweed, and other plants containing toxic ...

Lepidoptera

Oleander Hawkmoth

Daphnis nerii

A large hawkmoth with beautiful camouflage patterns in shades of green and pink that perfectly match oleander leaves. It...

Lepidoptera

Orange Swift Moth

Triodia sylvina

A ghost moth whose larvae bore into the roots of various trees and herbaceous plants. Males have bright orange forewings...

Lepidoptera

Orange-barred Sulphur

Phoebis philea

A large bright yellow butterfly with orange bar markings on the upper forewings. Females are more muted with reddish mar...

Hymenoptera

Organ Pipe Mud Dauber

Trypoxylon politum

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

Blattodea

Oriental Cockroach

Blatta orientalis

A dark brown to black cockroach with a shiny body, often called a waterbug. It prefers cool, damp environments and is le...

Siphonaptera

Oriental Rat Flea

Xenopsylla cheopis

The primary vector of bubonic plague, responsible for transmitting the bacterium Yersinia pestis between rats and humans...

Hemiptera

Ornate Derbid

Cedusa ornata

A tiny planthopper with delicate wings featuring intricate brown patterning. Adults have characteristically elongated wi...

Diptera

Owl Midge

Clogmia albipunctata

A small fuzzy moth-like fly found in bathrooms and drains worldwide. Its larvae feed on gelatinous films of bacteria ins...

Diptera

Painted Soldier Fly

Sargus cuprarius

A brilliantly metallic coppery-green soldier fly with a slender body and clear wings. It basks on sunlit vegetation and ...

Neuroptera

Pale Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla pallida

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

Lepidoptera

Pale Tussock

Calliteara pudibunda

A fluffy grey-white moth with distinctively feathered legs held forward at rest. Its caterpillar is spectacular, with de...

Hymenoptera

Paper Wasp

Polistes dominula

Builds open-comb nests from chewed wood fiber mixed with saliva, creating paper-like material. Has a complex social hier...

Lepidoptera

Peacock Butterfly

Aglais io

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

Lepidoptera

Pearl Charaxes

Charaxes varanes

A medium-sized charaxes butterfly with pearly white underwings and tawny-orange uppersides. It is one of the most common...

Diptera

Pellucid Hoverfly

Volucella pellucens

A large black hoverfly with a striking translucent white band across its abdomen. Its larvae are inquilines in the under...

Lepidoptera

Pepe Tuna (Bag Moth)

Liothula omnivora

A native New Zealand bag moth whose caterpillars construct elaborate portable cases covered with twigs and leaf fragment...

Lepidoptera

Peppered Moth Dark Form

Biston betularia f. carbonaria

The dark melanic form of the famous peppered moth, a textbook example of natural selection. Became dominant during indus...

Diptera

Peruvian Sandfly

Phlebotomus perniciosus

A small sandfly found across the Mediterranean basin that is the primary vector of Leishmania infantum, which causes vis...

Diptera

Petroleum Fly

Helaeomyia petrolei

The only insect whose larvae develop in crude petroleum. Found in natural oil seeps in California, including the La Brea...

Diptera

Phasia Tachinid

Phasia hemiptera

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

Diptera

Picture-Winged Fly

Delphinia picta

A small fly with beautifully patterned wings that it waves in display like tiny semaphore flags. The wing patterns may s...

Blattodea

Pill Cockroach

Perisphaerus pygmaeus

A tiny cockroach that rolls into a perfect ball like a pillbug when threatened....

Orthoptera

Pink Underwing Katydid

Amblycorypha oblongifolia

A North American katydid with bright green leaf-like forewings. Rare pink morphs occur naturally and are highly sought b...

Hymenoptera

Pipe-organ Mud Wasp

Trypoxylon figulus

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

Hemiptera

Planthopper

Flatida rosea

A delicate, pinkish-white planthopper that closely resembles a flower petal when resting on vegetation. Nymphs produce w...

Coleoptera

Polished Rove Beetle

Philonthus politus

A medium-sized rove beetle with an exceptionally smooth, polished black integument and reddish-brown legs. It is a gener...

Hymenoptera

Poplar Sawfly

Trichiocampus viminalis

A small sawfly with a yellow-orange body and black head. Its brightly colored yellow-and-black larvae feed on poplar and...

Lepidoptera

Priamus Birdwing

Ornithoptera priamus

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

Phthiraptera

Pubic Louse

Pthirus pubis

A broad, crab-shaped louse that infests coarse body hair, primarily in the pubic region. It is transmitted through intim...

Mantodea

Purple-winged Mantis

Tenodera australasiae

A large Australian mantis with distinctive purple-tinged wings that are displayed in flight. It is one of the more consp...

Coleoptera

Railroad Worm

Phrixothrix hirtus

A beetle larva with 11 pairs of green-glowing lateral organs and a red-glowing headlamp — the only land animal that prod...

Orthoptera

Rapa Nui Cricket

Paratrigonidium rapanui

A tiny ground cricket endemic to Easter Island (Rapa Nui). It lives in leaf litter and stone crevices on this remote Pac...

Siphonaptera

Rat Flea

Xenopsylla brasiliensis

A tropical rat flea found across Africa and South America that can transmit plague. It is second to the oriental rat fle...

Lepidoptera

Red Lacewing

Cethosia biblis

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

Coleoptera

Red Soldier Beetle

Rhagonycha fulva

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

Hemiptera

Red-Banded Leafhopper

Graphocephala coccinea

A brilliantly colored leafhopper with alternating red and blue-green stripes. It is one of the most visually striking le...

Hymenoptera

Red-banded Netelia

Netelia testacea

A slender orange-brown ichneumonid wasp active at night in summer. It is an ectoparasitoid of noctuid moth caterpillars....

Diptera

Red-tailed Flesh Fly

Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis

A large gray flesh fly with a distinctive red-tipped abdomen. It deposits live larvae on meat, wounds, and feces....

Coleoptera

Red-tipped Flower Beetle

Malachius bipustulatus

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

Hymenoptera

Resin Bee

Megachile campanulae

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

Hemiptera

Rhododendron Lace Bug

Stephanitis rhododendri

A tiny lace bug with transparent, reticulate wings that infests rhododendron leaves. Native to North America, it causes ...

Hemiptera

Rhododendron Leafhopper

Graphocephala fennahi

A brightly colored red and blue-green leafhopper that feeds on rhododendrons. It vectors a fungus that causes rhododendr...

Odonata

Ringed Cascader

Zygonyx torridus

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

Hemiptera

Rose Aphid

Macrosiphum rosae

A large green or pink aphid with long black cornicles (siphunculi) that is the most common aphid pest of roses. It clust...

Coleoptera

Rose Chafer

Cetonia aurata

A shiny, metallic green beetle commonly found on roses and other flowers. Unlike most beetles, it flies with its elytra ...

Diptera

Rose Midge

Dasineura rhodophaga

A tiny gall midge whose larvae develop inside rose buds, causing them to blacken and fail to open. Adults are delicate y...

Hymenoptera

Rose Slug Sawfly

Endelomyia aethiops

A small, dark sawfly whose slug-like larvae skeletonize rose leaves by feeding on the upper leaf surface. Larvae are pal...

Coleoptera

Rustic Soldier Beetle

Cantharis rustica

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

Hymenoptera

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

Bombus affinis

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

Dermaptera

Saint Helena Earwig

Labidura herculeana

Was the worlds largest earwig at 78 mm. Endemic to Saint Helena island. Not seen since 1967 and declared extinct in 2014...

Hymenoptera

Saxon Wasp

Dolichovespula saxonica

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

Lepidoptera

Scalloped Oak Moth

Crocallis elinguaria

A warm ochre-yellow moth with a distinctive dark brown band across the forewings. It rests with wings pressed tightly to...

Hymenoptera

Schaufuss's Rover Ant

Tetramorium schaufussii

A small ant with coarsely sculptured integument and short propodeal spines. It belongs to a species group that is entire...

Neuroptera

Seven-spotted Green Lacewing

Chrysopa septempunctata

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

Hymenoptera

Severini's Rover Ant

Tetramorium severini

A small leaf-litter ant with a finely striate head and propodeal spines of moderate length. It belongs to the T. severin...

Araneae

Seychelles Palm Spider

Nephila inaurata

A large golden orb-weaver spider found in the Seychelles with strong yellow silk. Females can have a leg span exceeding ...

Hemiptera

Shield Bug

Palomena prasina

Also called stink bugs for the foul-smelling liquid they release when disturbed. Changes color from bright green in summ...

Coleoptera

Shiny Lined Rove Beetle

Xantholinus longiventris

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

Hymenoptera

Short-tailed Ichneumon

Ophion luteus

A nocturnal parasitoid wasp with a strongly compressed, amber-orange body. It is commonly attracted to lights at night t...

Coleoptera

Short-Winged False Blister Beetle

Oedemera femorata

A dark-colored oedemerid with gaping elytra that do not cover the full abdomen. Males have conspicuously thickened hind ...

Coleoptera

Short-winged Firefly

Lucidota atra

A dark-bodied, day-active firefly that has lost the ability to produce light as an adult. It has a black body with a red...

Phasmatodea

Short-winged Green Stick Insect

Acanthoxyla inermis

A smooth bright green stick insect native to New Zealand. All known individuals are female. It has tiny vestigial wings ...

Coleoptera

Short-winged Mold Beetle

Pselaphus heisei

A tiny rove beetle with clubbed antennae that feeds on mites in leaf litter and soil. Its short wing cases and ant-like ...

Coleoptera

Silver-Haired Tumbling Flower Beetle

Mordellistena argentata

A tiny tumbling flower beetle covered in fine silvery pubescence across Europe. Larvae develop in the stems of various h...

Archaeognatha

Silvestri's Jumping Bristletail

Pedetontus silvestrii

A well-studied bristletail from Japan and eastern Asia. Recent molecular studies have revealed cryptic species within th...

Neuroptera

Small Brown Lacewing

Micromus angulatus

A tiny brown lacewing native to southern Europe and North Africa. Found in low herbaceous vegetation and grassy areas....

Hymenoptera

Small Carpenter Bee

Ceratina calcarata

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

Coleoptera

Small Hive Beetle

Aethina tumida

A small dark beetle native to sub-Saharan Africa that is a serious pest of honeybee colonies. It has spread to North Ame...

Lepidoptera

Small Magpie Moth

Anania hortulata

A pretty white moth with black spots and a yellow head. Despite its name, it is a crambid rather than a geometrid like t...

Lepidoptera

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Boloria selene

A small orange fritillary with silver and rufous pearl spots on the hindwing underside....

Odonata

Small Red Damselfly

Ceriagrion tenellum

A delicate damselfly where males are almost entirely red, a rare color for damselflies. Females come in several color fo...

Hymenoptera

Smeathman's Furrow Bee

Lasioglossum smeathmanellum

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

Coleoptera

Snail-killing Fly Beetle

Drilus flavescens

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

Lepidoptera

Snowberry Clearwing

Hemaris diffinis

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

Hymenoptera

Solomon's Seal Sawfly

Phymatocera aterrima

A small, entirely black sawfly whose grayish-white larvae with black heads are highly destructive to Solomon's seal plan...

Hemiptera

South American Brown Stink Bug

Euschistus heros

A dull brown shield bug and the most economically damaging stink bug in Brazilian soybean agriculture. It feeds on devel...

Blattodea

Southeastern Drywood Termite

Incisitermes snyderi

A drywood termite found in the southeastern United States that infests structural timber. Colonies are small but can per...

Archaeognatha

Southern Rock Bristletail

Lepismachilis y-signata

A Mediterranean bristletail identified by a Y-shaped marking on its thorax. It lives under stones and in rock crevices....

Orthoptera

Speckled Bush-Cricket

Leptophyes punctatissima

A small, bright green bush-cricket covered in tiny dark speckles found across Europe. Its song is almost entirely inaudi...

Lepidoptera

Spicebush Swallowtail

Papilio troilus

A dark swallowtail butterfly with blue-green hindwing scaling and orange spots. Its caterpillar has large false eyespots...

Coleoptera

Spider Beetle

Mezium americanum

A globular beetle that closely resembles a small spider in shape and movement....

Mantodea

Spiny Flower Mantis

Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii

Small, colorful mantis with spectacular eye-like patterns on its wings displayed in a threat pose. White and green body ...

Hemiptera

Spittlebug

Philaenus spumarius

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

Coleoptera

Spring Pygmy Firefly

Pleotomus pallens

A tiny, rarely seen firefly of the eastern United States with a very short adult life span. Males produce faint, sporadi...

Mantodea

Sri Lankan Green Mantis

Hierodula patellifera

A common bright green mantis found across tropical Asia and parts of Oceania. It is highly adaptable and thrives in both...

Diptera

St Mark's Fly

Bibio johannis

A small black fly that swarms in May. Males have large heads with huge eyes that almost meet on top....

Coleoptera

Stinking Rove Beetle

Ocypus nero

A jet-black rove beetle with finely punctured elytra and a broad head. It emits a foul-smelling secretion when disturbed...

Orthoptera

Stone Grasshopper

Prionotropis hystrix

A heavy-bodied flightless grasshopper that resembles a lichen-covered pebble....

Blattodea

Striped Cockroach

Blatta lateralis

A medium-sized cockroach with distinct lateral stripes along its body. Males have wings while females are wingless with ...

Blattodea

Subterranean Termite

Reticulitermes flavipes

The most economically destructive termite species in North America, living in underground colonies that can number in th...

Coleoptera

Summer Chafer

Amphimallon solstitiale

A medium-sized golden-brown chafer that swarms at dusk around midsummer. It crashes clumsily into people and walls....

Blattodea

Surinam Cockroach

Pycnoscelus surinamensis

A burrowing cockroach that reproduces entirely through parthenogenesis, with virtually all individuals being female. It ...

Lepidoptera

Swallow Prominent

Pheosia tremula

A pale grey-white moth with a distinctive dark wedge-shaped mark along the inner edge of each forewing. It has a deeply ...

Lepidoptera

Swallow-tailed Moth

Ourapteryx sambucaria

A large, pale lemon-yellow moth with pointed tail-like projections on its hindwings. Its graceful shape and colour make ...

Lepidoptera

Swallowtail Butterfly

Papilio machaon

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

Strepsiptera

Sweat Bee Stylops

Stylops nevinsoni

A strepsipteran endoparasite of Andrena bees in the British Isles. Parasitized bees emerge earlier than unparasitized in...

Diptera

Sweet Itch Midge

Culicoides obsoletus

A tiny dark biting midge with patterned wings that causes an allergic skin condition called sweet itch in horses. It bre...

Lepidoptera

Sycamore Moth

Acronicta aceris

A plain grey moth whose caterpillar is spectacular with white tufts and bright orange and yellow hair patches....

Diptera

Thick-headed Fly

Physocephala rufipes

A wasp-mimicking fly that parasitizes bumblebees by injecting eggs into them mid-flight....

Coleoptera

Thick-legged Flower Beetle

Oedemera nobilis

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

Hemiptera

Thorn Bug

Umbonia crassicornis

Extraordinary treehopper with a thorn-shaped pronotum that makes it look exactly like a plant thorn when sitting on a br...

Diptera

Tiger Crane Fly

Nephrotoma flavescens

A striking yellow crane fly with bold black stripes on the thorax. Adults are commonly found basking on sunny foliage in...

Hymenoptera

Tinkerbell Fairyfly

Tinkerbella nana

One of the smallest insects ever described, named after Peter Pans Tinker Bell. Discovered in Costa Rica in 2013. Measur...

Lepidoptera

Tomato Leafminer

Tuta absoluta

A devastating South American moth that mines through tomato leaves, stems, and fruits. Since 2006, it has rapidly invade...

Coleoptera

Tortoise Beetle

Aspidimorpha sanctaecrucis

A spectacular Asian tortoise beetle with a translucent golden shell margin that reveals internal structures. Can change ...

Hemiptera

Treble-bar Planthopper

Issus coleoptratus

A stout brown planthopper found on ivy and other climbing plants in Europe. Its nymphs possess interlocking leg gears fo...

Hemiptera

Triatoma gerstaeckeri

Triatoma gerstaeckeri

The most common kissing bug in Texas, frequently found infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. It inhabits woodrat nests and re...

Coleoptera

Trilobite Beetle

Duliticola hoiseni

Females are large, larviform, and look strikingly like trilobites from the Paleozoic era. Males are tiny conventional-lo...

Coleoptera

Tropical Ant-loving Rove Beetle

Ecitophya simulans

A myrmecophilous rove beetle from Central America that lives with Eciton army ants. Its body closely resembles the shape...

Hymenoptera

Tropical Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa latipes

One of the largest bee species in Asia with jet-black coloring and broad wings. They produce a loud buzzing flight sound...

Neuroptera

Tropical Green Lacewing

Chrysoperla rufilabris

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

Collembola

Tropical Springtail

Seira domestica

A large elongate springtail found in tropical regions and greenhouses. It has distinctive dark and pale banding patterns...

Blattodea

Turkestan Cockroach

Shelfordella lateralis

A medium-sized cockroach originally from Central Asia that is rapidly displacing the oriental cockroach in many urban ar...

Coleoptera

Twenty-Two Spot Ladybird

Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata

A tiny bright yellow ladybird with exactly 22 black spots, widespread across Europe. Unlike most ladybirds, it feeds on ...

Diptera

Twin-spot Centurion

Sargus bipunctatus

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

Strepsiptera

Twisted-Wing Honeybee Parasite

Stylops ovinae

A tiny endoparasite of Andrena bees whose females are permanently embedded in the host's abdomen. Males live only a few ...

Diptera

Two-banded Wasp Hoverfly

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

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

Lepidoptera

Ulysses Butterfly

Papilio ulysses

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

Coleoptera

Varied Carpet Beetle

Anthrenus verbasci

A tiny, round beetle with mottled white, brown, and yellow scales on its elytra. It is a worldwide pest of natural fiber...

Lepidoptera

Vegetable Caterpillar

Ophiocordyceps robertsii

The host of this relationship is the caterpillar of the native moth Aenetus virescens, parasitized by the endemic Cordyc...

Lepidoptera

Verdant Sphinx Moth

Euchloron megaera

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

Diptera

Verrucarum Sandfly

Lutzomyia verrucarum

A small sandfly found in the inter-Andean valleys of Peru, serving as the vector of Bartonella bacilliformis, which caus...

Hymenoptera

Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee

Psithyrus vestalis

A brood parasitic bumblebee that takes over colonies of the Buff-tailed Bumblebee. The female kills or subdues the host ...

Orthoptera

Vineyard Mole Cricket

Gryllotalpa vineae

A European mole cricket very similar to G. gryllotalpa but distinguished by its song frequency. It was only recognized a...

Coleoptera

Violet Ground Beetle

Carabus violaceus

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

Coleoptera

Wasp Beetle

Clytus arietis

A longhorn beetle with yellow and black banding that mimics a common wasp. It even moves in a jerky, wasp-like manner....

Blattodea

Western Subterranean Termite

Reticulitermes hesperus

The most common structural pest termite in western North America. Colonies build extensive underground tunnel networks c...

Diptera

White-banded Hoverfly

Leucozona lucorum

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

Odonata

White-faced Darter

Leucorrhinia dubia

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

Diptera

Window Gnat

Sylvicola fenestralis

A small, delicate fly with dark-spotted wings often found resting on windows and walls. Larvae develop in fermenting org...

Blattodea

Wood Cockroach

Ectobius lapponicus

A small outdoor cockroach that lives in European leaf litter and never enters buildings....

Hymenoptera

Wool Carder Bee

Anthidium manicatum

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

Hymenoptera

Xyelid Sawfly

Xyela julii

A tiny, delicate sawfly with a characteristic elongated third antennal segment. It is one of the most primitive living H...

Lepidoptera

Yam Hawk Moth

Theretra oldenlandiae

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

Neuroptera

Yellow Mantidfly

Leptomantispa pulchella

A delicate yellow mantidfly found in tropical Central and South America. Its slender build and pale coloring provide cam...

Hymenoptera

Yellow-legged Ophion

Ophion scutellaris

A large orange-brown ichneumon wasp commonly attracted to light at night. Parasitizes large moth caterpillars. Has a lat...

Lepidoptera

Zebra Longwing

Heliconius charithonia

A neotropical butterfly with elongated jet-black wings bearing bold pale yellow stripes. It is unusual among butterflies...

Diptera

Zodion Thick-headed Fly

Zodion cinereum

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