Insects

All Insects

1

Ant

Atta cephalotes

A New World ant that doesn't eat leaves — it farms fungus on them, in one of the oldest agricultural systems on Earth.

2

Aphid

Aphidoidea (superfamily — many species)

A tiny soft-bodied sap-sucking insect that reproduces astonishingly fast through asexual cloning — the gardener's nemesis on roses, vegetables, and fruit, and the prey ladybugs evolved to control.

3

Assassin Bug

Reduviidae (family; approximately 6,800 species)

A predatory true bug that ambushes and stabs other insects with a powerful curved rostrum, injecting saliva that liquefies the victim's tissues — with some species also capable of transmitting Chagas disease to humans.

4

Bark Beetle

Ips typographus (European spruce bark beetle) and related Scolytinae

Tiny beetles that bore beneath tree bark to lay eggs in galleries — under normal conditions they kill only weakened trees, but when populations explode during drought or after storm damage, they can kill millions of healthy trees across entire forests; the European spruce bark beetle has killed more trees than any other insect in European history.

5

Bedbug

Cimex lectularius

A small reddish-brown blood-feeding insect that hides in mattresses and furniture by day, emerging at night to feed on sleeping humans — making a global comeback since the 2000s after near-eradication in the mid-20th century.

6

Beetle

Lucanus cervus (European stag beetle)

A large, hard-shelled beetle whose males sport antler-like mandibles used for ritualized combat over females, a member of the most species-rich animal order on Earth.

7

Blowfly

Calliphora vomitoria

A metallic blue-green fly whose larvae (maggots) are the primary decomposers of carrion — ecologically vital as recyclers of dead matter, useful in forensic entomology, and controversial as both medical tool and livestock pest.

8

Brimstone Butterfly

Gonepteryx rhamni

The sulphur-yellow butterfly that heralds spring — males are an unmistakable lemon-yellow, females a paler greenish-white; one of the longest-lived British butterflies, spending the winter as an adult hibernating among ivy and evergreen leaves, then emerging on warm February days to become the first butterfly many people see each year.

9

Buff-tip Moth

Phalera bucephala

One of Britain's most extraordinary camouflaged insects — at rest, the buff-tip moth is almost indistinguishable from a broken birch twig, with its pale yellow-buff wing tips and grey middle aligned to mimic a stub of birch; the hairy, yellow-and-black larvae are gregarious and can strip a tree of leaves in days.

10

Bumblebee

Bombus terrestris (buff-tailed); over 250 species globally

A large, fuzzy, surprisingly cold-tolerant social bee that pollinates many crops honeybees can't reach — beloved by gardeners, declining alarmingly across multiple species.

11

Burnet Moth

Zygaena filipendulae (six-spot burnet)

A brilliantly coloured day-flying moth of chalk downland and coastal grassland — the six-spot burnet has six vivid red spots on metallic blue-black forewings, a warning colouration that advertises its toxicity; burnet moths produce hydrogen cyanide from their own tissues as a chemical defence, making them poisonous to predators; conspicuous in sunshine on downland flowers, flying weakly but apparently without concern for predators.

12

Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

A large orange-and-black butterfly famous for an annual multi-generation migration of up to 4,800 km between Canada and central Mexico.

13

Caddisfly

Order Trichoptera (various genera)

An aquatic insect whose larvae build elaborate protective cases from pebbles, sand, twigs, or leaf fragments cemented with silk — a key indicator of clean water quality and the inspiration for fly-fishing artificial lures.

14

Carpet Beetle

Anthrenus verbasci (varied carpet beetle) and related species

One of the most economically damaging household insects in Britain — the adult is a harmless tiny pollen-feeder, but its larvae are the notorious "woolly bears" that devour wool carpets, stored clothing, taxidermy specimens, and museum collections; infestations can destroy irreplaceable textiles within months.

15

Caterpillar

Lepidoptera (order, larval stage)

The larval stage of butterflies and moths — voracious eating machines that can consume 27,000 times their birth weight before pupating, with thousands of species ranging from harmless monarchs to dangerous puss caterpillars.

16

Centipede

Chilopoda (class — many species)

A fast-moving multi-legged predatory arthropod (technically not an insect but commonly grouped with them) — its venomous front "fangs" make it one of the few terrestrial invertebrates capable of delivering a painful bite to humans.

17

Chafer

Melolontha melolontha (cockchafer) and related Scarabaeidae

Large, clumsy, nocturnal beetles that blunder noisily into windows and lights on warm summer evenings — the adults are harmless leaf-grazers but the larvae (white C-shaped grubs) live in soil for 3–4 years eating plant roots, damaging lawns and crops; badgers and rooks dig up turf to find them.

18

Cicada

Magicicada septendecim (and related species)

A loud-singing insect spending 13 or 17 years underground as a nymph before emerging in massive synchronized broods to mate and die within weeks.

19

Clearwing Moth

Family Sesiidae (various genera)

Moths with transparent wings that convincingly mimic wasps and bees — the hornet moth looks exactly like a hornet; other species mimic bumblebees or wasps so precisely that even experienced naturalists hesitate; adults are active by day and fly fast; larvae bore in tree trunks, stems, and roots for 2–3 years.

20

Click Beetle

Agrypnus murinus

A beetle that escapes predators by snapping its body to launch itself into the air with an audible click — a remarkable mechanical hinge mechanism that can catapult the beetle up to 30 cm high.

21

Cockroach

Periplaneta americana

A large, fast, exceptionally hardy insect that has been on Earth for 200+ million years and is now a near-universal urban pest, the species behind most "cockroach" stories.

22

Colorado Beetle

Leptinotarsa decemlineata

The world's most destructive potato pest — a striped yellow-and-black beetle native to the Rocky Mountains that spread across North America and then Europe by the early 20th century, capable of stripping entire potato fields bare; Britain has so far kept it out through strict biosecurity controls.

23

Comma Butterfly

Polygonia c-album

A ragged-winged butterfly of woodland edges and hedgerows — named for the small white comma-shaped mark on the underside of its hindwing; the scalloped, jagged wing outline gives roosting adults a dead-leaf appearance of startling realism; common in England and Wales, the comma has expanded its range northward in recent decades.

24

Crane Fly

Tipula paludosa

A long-legged, gangly fly often mistaken for a giant mosquito — harmless as an adult, but whose larvae (leatherjackets) are significant lawn and turf pests that consume grass roots from below.

25

Cricket

Acheta domesticus

A nocturnal insect known for the male's incessant chirping, originally from Asia and now naturalized worldwide as a pet-food, fishing-bait, and human-food crop.

26

Cutworm

Agrotis segetum

The soil-dwelling caterpillar larvae of noctuid moths — one of the most destructive garden and agricultural pests, cutting seedlings off at soil level overnight, yet the adult moths are harmless and often beautiful.

27

Daddy Long Legs

Various (Opiliones, Pholcidae, Tipulidae)

A common name applied to several different long-legged arachnids — including harvestmen (which aren't spiders), cellar spiders, and crane flies (an actual insect) — none of which are dangerous to humans despite persistent myths.

28

Damselfly

Zygoptera (suborder)

A slender relative of the dragonfly that holds its wings folded together over its back at rest — graceful aerial hunters of stream and pond edges, distinguishable from dragonflies by their delicate build.

29

Darkling Beetle

Tenebrio molitor

A large family of dark-coloured, flightless desert beetles — including the mealworm beetle and the famous Namib fog-basking beetle that harvests drinking water from coastal fog on its textured back.

30

Deathwatch Beetle

Xestobium rufovillosum

An ancient-wood-eating beetle whose larvae bore through structural timber in old buildings for up to 13 years — the ticking sound made by adults knocking their heads against wood to attract mates was historically heard in deathbed vigils and gave the beetle its sinister name; it has damaged medieval roofs across Britain and Europe.

31

Dobsonfly

Corydalus cornutus

A large, prehistoric-looking aquatic insect with enormous sickle-shaped jaws (in males) whose larvae spend up to three years in clean streams before emerging for a brief, non-feeding adult life of 3–7 days.

32

Dragonfly

Anax junius

A large, fast-flying dragonfly that migrates thousands of kilometers across North America in a multi-generational journey, an ancient predator with extraordinary aerial agility.

33

Dung Beetle

Scarabaeus sacer (and many related species)

An insect that feeds, reproduces, and navigates by animal dung — it rolls dung balls away from the pile, buries them, and lays eggs inside; the ancient Egyptians considered the scarab dung beetle sacred and a symbol of resurrection.

34

Earwig

Forficula auricularia

A nocturnal insect with prominent rear pincers and a famous (false) reputation for crawling into human ears, an attentive mother to its eggs and young.

35

Emperor Moth

Saturnia pavonia

Britain's only day-flying member of the silk moth family — the male emperor moth is one of the most spectacular insects on British heathland, with large owl-like eyespots on all four wings; the male can detect a female's pheromone from up to 11 km away; the caterpillar is a vivid green and black jewel, and the silk cocoon was once harvested.

36

Fire Ant

Solenopsis invicta

An aggressive, venom-injecting red-brown ant whose painful sting produces a burning sensation and a characteristic white pustule — one of the world's most damaging invasive insects, responsible for billions in annual agricultural and ecological losses.

37

Firefly

Photinus pyralis (common Eastern firefly)

A bioluminescent beetle whose flashing courtship signals light up summer evenings, with each species using a distinctive flash pattern to find mates.

38

Flea

Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea, most common); also dog and human fleas

A wingless blood-feeding parasite that jumps astonishing distances relative to its size — agent of the medieval Black Death, perpetual pet nuisance, and one of evolution's most successful designs.

39

Froghopper

Philaenus spumarius (common froghopper)

The world's greatest jumper relative to body size — the common froghopper can jump 70 cm straight up, accelerating at 400 g, which is greater than the force experienced by a fighter pilot in a dogfight; the larvae are hidden inside "cuckoo spit" — the white froth seen on plant stems each spring.

40

Fruit Fly

Drosophila melanogaster

A small fly species (Drosophila melanogaster) that became the most important laboratory animal in genetics research — the workhorse of 20th-century genetics, with much of modern biology built on fruit fly studies.

41

Gall Wasp

Biorhiza pallida (oak apple gall wasp) and family Cynipidae

Tiny insects that chemically reprogram oak trees to build elaborate protective structures around their larvae — the oak apple, marble gall, and spangle gall are all created by different gall wasp species; each species produces a uniquely shaped gall from its own chemical signals, essentially directing the tree's own cells to build a home and food supply.

42

Glow-worm

Lampyris noctiluca (European); Arachnocampa luminosa (New Zealand)

A bioluminescent insect larva (or wingless adult female of certain beetles) that produces a steady greenish glow to attract prey or mates — including the New Zealand cave-dwelling species that creates one of the world's most spectacular natural light displays.

43

Gnat

Various (Sciaridae, Mycetophilidae, others)

A general term for various small flying flies — including fungus gnats, eye gnats, and biting midges — that swarm in late summer evenings and form clouds around faces, with some species causing significant agricultural damage.

44

Goliath Beetle

Goliathus goliatus (and related Goliathus species)

The heaviest insect on Earth — a male goliath beetle in its larval stage can weigh up to 100 grams, more than a small bird; the adults are strikingly patterned in black and white and can reach 110 mm in length; found in the tropical rainforests of Africa, they are popular in the insect-keeping hobby.

45

Grasshopper

Schistocerca americana (American grasshopper)

A jumping insect with powerful hind legs and short antennae, eaten across many human cultures and capable, in certain species, of transforming into devastating swarming locusts.

46

Green Hairstreak

Callophrys rubi

Britain's only green butterfly — the vivid emerald underside of its wings makes it one of the most beautiful small butterflies of spring; the upperwing is a dull brown, making it effectively invisible when perched on brown vegetation, but when it opens its wings momentarily in sunlight the green underside flashes brilliantly; associated with gorse, broom, and bilberry on heathland and downland.

47

Ground Beetle

Carabus violaceus

A large, fast-moving, predatory beetle that hunts at night — one of the gardener's best allies, consuming slugs, aphids, and other pests by the thousand, and a key component of healthy soil ecosystems.

48

Hawk-Moth

Family Sphingidae (various genera)

The largest moths in the world — powerful fliers with streamlined wings, capable of hovering in front of flowers like hummingbirds while feeding with enormously long tongues; the deaths-head hawk-moth has a skull-pattern on its thorax and squeaks when disturbed.

49

Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

A flying social insect that pollinates roughly a third of human food crops and produces honey from the nectar of flowers.

50

Hornet

Vespa crabro (European); Vespa mandarinia (Asian giant)

A large social wasp with a particularly painful sting — including the European hornet that builds paper nests in tree hollows and the notorious Asian giant hornet, the "murder hornet" that decimates honeybee colonies.

51

Horsefly

Tabanidae (family)

A large biting fly with painful blood-feeding females — capable of cutting through skin with scissor-like mouthparts, leaving wounds that bleed freely and persist for hours, with major impacts on livestock and outdoor activities.

52

Hoverfly

Family Syrphidae (various genera)

The master mimics of the insect world — hoverflies are entirely harmless flies that mimic the yellow-and-black warning patterns of bees and wasps with remarkable accuracy; they hover motionless mid-air and visit flowers as important pollinators; the larvae include important aphid predators and the bizarre "rat-tailed maggot" that breathes through a snorkel tube while living in polluted water.

53

Inchworm

Geometridae (family — many species)

The caterpillar of geometer moths, distinguished by its looping "measure-the-cloth" gait — pulling rear feet up to front feet, then arching forward — and famous in nursery songs.

54

June Beetle

Phyllophaga spp. (true June beetles); also includes Cotinis nitida (green June beetle)

A common name for several stout-bodied scarab beetles that emerge in early summer in North America, the bumbling, light-attracted nighttime fliers familiar to anyone with a porch light.

55

Katydid

Tettigoniidae (family — over 8,000 species)

A green, leaf-mimicking long-horned insect closely related to crickets and grasshoppers, with an iconic raspy "katy-did, katy-didn't" night call from male wing-rubbing.

56

Lacewing

Chrysoperla carnea

A delicate green or brown insect with large, elaborately veined transparent wings and golden eyes — whose larvae are ferocious aphid hunters earning them the nickname "aphid lion," making lacewings one of the most beneficial insects in gardens and agriculture.

57

Ladybug

Coccinella septempunctata (seven-spotted ladybug)

A small, dome-shaped beetle in red, orange, or yellow with black spots — beloved by gardeners as a voracious aphid predator and a symbol of good luck across cultures.

58

Leech

Hirudinea (subclass)

A blood-feeding annelid worm — used in medicine for over 2,500 years, with modern medical leeches still approved by the FDA for restoring blood flow to reattached body parts and skin grafts.

59

Locust

Schistocerca gregaria (desert); Locusta migratoria (migratory)

A grasshopper that has transformed into the swarming phase — physiologically distinct from its solitary form, capable of forming billion-strong swarms that devastate agriculture across continents.

60

Longhorn Beetle

Family Cerambycidae (various genera)

Beetles whose antennae are often longer than their entire body — the larvae bore through wood for years before emerging as adults; some of the most destructive tree pests in the world, while others are important wood-decay specialists in old-growth forests.

61

Louse

Pediculus humanus capitis (head); Pediculus humanus humanus (body); Pthirus pubis (pubic)

A wingless parasitic insect — head lice are particularly common among schoolchildren, body lice can transmit serious diseases including epidemic typhus, and pubic lice are a sexually transmitted parasite.

62

Mantis

Mantis religiosa (European mantis)

A predatory insect with raptorial forelegs held in a "praying" posture, capable of swiveling its triangular head 180° and famous for the female's occasional sexual cannibalism.

63

Mayfly

Ephemeroptera (order)

Aquatic insects with brief winged adult lives — some species live just 24 hours, with massive synchronized emergences sometimes blanketing entire towns and serving as the model for fly fishing imitation flies.

64

Midge

Chironomidae (family)

Tiny non-biting flies that emerge in massive swarms from lakes and rivers — looking like mosquitoes but harmless to humans, with critical roles as fish food and as bioindicators of water quality.

65

Millipede

Diplopoda (class)

A multi-legged arthropod with two pairs of legs per body segment (unlike centipedes' one) — slow-moving detritivores essential to forest decomposition, with some giant African species reaching nearly 40 cm long.

66

Mosquito

Anopheles gambiae (malaria mosquito); Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito)

A small, blood-feeding fly responsible for more human deaths annually than any other animal, the primary vector for malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika.

67

Moth

Actias luna

A large, pale-green silk moth of eastern North America with long curved hindwing tails — adults that don't eat at all, living only a week to mate and die.

68

No-see-um

Ceratopogonidae (family — many species; common ones include Culicoides spp.)

A tiny biting midge so small it slips through standard window screens, leaving disproportionately painful itchy welts — the bane of summer evenings in coastal and wetland areas.

69

Oil Beetle

Meloe violaceus and related Meloe species

A strange, flightless beetle with a swollen, soft abdomen and a fascinating life history — females lay thousands of eggs, the tiny larvae (triungulins) climb flowers and hitch a ride on mining bees back to their burrows, where they feed on the bee's pollen stores and develop through multiple larval stages; when threatened, the beetles exude a blistering oil (cantharidin) from their leg joints.

70

Orange-tip Butterfly

Anthocharis cardamines

A delicate white butterfly of spring hedgerows — males have vivid orange wingtips that give the species its name, while females are white with black tips, easily mistaken for other whites; the underside of both sexes is marbled green and white, providing perfect camouflage on cow parsley flowers where they roost.

71

Owlfly

Ascalaphidae (family — over 400 species)

A dragonfly-like insect with massive owl-like compound eyes and clubbed antennae, related to lacewings, that hunts mosquitoes and small flying insects on the wing at dusk.

72

Pill Bug

Armadillidium vulgare

A land-dwelling crustacean — not an insect but an isopod — that rolls into a perfect sphere when threatened, lives in moist soil and leaf litter, and plays an essential role in breaking down decaying plant matter.

73

Pine Weevil

Hylobius abietis

The most economically damaging forest pest in Europe — the large pine weevil is a dark, mottled brown weevil whose adults feed on the bark of young conifer trees, girdling and killing transplanted seedlings; it is the primary threat to commercial conifer replanting across Scandinavia and northern Europe, where it can destroy entire newly planted coupes; adults feed at night, concealing themselves under bark and debris by day.

74

Punkie

Ceratopogonidae (family); regional name often refers to Culicoides spp.

A regional Northeastern U.S. name for tiny biting midges, especially common in coastal Maine and the Maritime provinces — small enough to bite through screens and disproportionately painful for their size.

75

Puss Moth

Cerura vinula

A large, furry, pale grey moth whose caterpillar is one of the most extraordinary in Britain — vivid green with a dark saddle, a fierce face-like pattern, and two whip-like tails that it waves when threatened; adults are beautifully marked with grey and cream patterning and are among the most striking moths of woodland edges and riverside willows.

76

Queen Bee

Apis mellifera (queen caste)

The single reproductive female of a honey bee colony, mother to all 50,000+ workers, possessing distinctive elongated body, a smoother stinger she uses repeatedly, and a lifespan many times longer than worker bees.

77

Roach

Blattella germanica

The small, light-brown cockroach species responsible for nearly all kitchen-pest cockroach infestations worldwide — fast-breeding, hard to eliminate, and the bane of restaurants and apartment buildings.

78

Robber Fly

Family Asilidae (various genera)

The apex predators of the insect world — powerfully built flies that hunt other insects on the wing, seizing prey mid-air with spiny legs and injecting a paralysing venom, then sucking the prey dry; they tackle prey larger than themselves including wasps, bees, and dragonflies.

79

Rove Beetle

Staphylinus olens

A large family of beetles with characteristically short wing covers that expose most of the abdomen — the most species-rich beetle family, playing crucial roles as predators, scavengers, and even ant-colony infiltrators.

80

Scarab Beetle

Scarabaeus sacer (sacred scarab); Scarabaeidae family

A large, often metallic-shelled beetle of the Scarabaeidae family — most famously the dung beetles of African savannas, sacred in ancient Egyptian religion as a symbol of rebirth.

81

Scorpion

Scorpiones (order — many species)

An ancient arachnid with venomous tail and pincered front claws — among the oldest land animals on Earth (430 million years), with surprising longevity and bizarre fluorescence under UV light.

82

Scorpionfly

Panorpa communis (and related Panorpa species)

A bizarre-looking woodland insect named for the male's upturned, scorpion-like tail — actually the genitalia, not a sting; scorpionflies have a long, beak-like rostrum, mottled brown and yellow wings, and a peculiar habit of stealing prey from spider webs; they are significant scavengers of dead insects and small animals, and are among the oldest winged insect lineages.

83

Silverfish

Lepisma saccharina

A small, primitive, wingless insect with a silver-gray scaly body and a long-evolutionary lineage, found in damp homes feeding on starches, paper, and book bindings.

84

Snail

Gastropoda (class — many species)

A spiral-shelled mollusk (technically not an insect, often grouped colloquially) that moves on a single muscular foot — an agricultural pest in gardens but a French and Italian culinary tradition (escargot, lumache).

85

Soldier Beetle

Rhagonycha fulva

A soft-bodied, colourful beetle named for its scarlet-and-black colour reminiscent of a British redcoat soldier — an important pollinator that visits flowers for pollen while hunting smaller insects.

86

Spider

Araneae (order)

An eight-legged predatory arachnid (technically not an insect but commonly grouped with them) — over 50,000 species worldwide, with prey-capture techniques ranging from web-building to ambush, jumping, lassoing, and net-casting.

87

Springtail

Collembola (class; approximately 8,000 species)

A tiny soil-dwelling hexapod that leaps into the air using a spring-loaded tail appendage — among the most abundant land animals on Earth, with millions per square meter of healthy soil playing a critical role in decomposition and nutrient cycling.

88

Stag Beetle

Lucanus cervus

Britain's largest insect — the male stag beetle's enormous antler-like jaws can be longer than his body but are used for wrestling rival males rather than biting; a declining species dependent on rotting wood in old gardens and ancient parkland; adults do not feed and live only a few weeks as adults after 3–7 years as grubs.

89

Stick Insect

Phasmatodea (order)

Masters of camouflage that resemble twigs, leaves, or sticks — over 3,000 species worldwide, with some Asian species reaching 60 cm long, including several capable of parthenogenetic reproduction without males.

90

Stinkbug

Pentatomidae (family)

A shield-shaped insect with foul-smelling defensive chemicals — including the brown marmorated stinkbug, an invasive Asian species that has become a major American agricultural pest since its 2001 detection in Pennsylvania.

91

Stonefly

Order Plecoptera (multiple British species)

An ancient aquatic insect whose larvae are the gold standard of clean water — stonefly larvae require highly oxygenated, cold, unpolluted streams to survive, making them invaluable biological indicators of water quality; adults are drab, flat-winged insects that rest on bankside stones and vegetation, rarely flying far from the stream where they developed; one of the most ancient insect orders, with fossils over 300 million years old.

92

Tarantula

Theraphosidae (family)

A large, hairy spider with a fearsome reputation that's mostly undeserved — about 1,000 species worldwide, with most posing minimal danger to humans, and the giant Goliath birdeater being the largest spider species at 30 cm leg span.

93

Termite

Reticulitermes flavipes (Eastern subterranean termite)

A wood-eating social insect — actually a derived cockroach — that builds elaborate colonies, decomposes vast quantities of plant matter, and causes billions in property damage annually.

94

Tick

Ixodida (suborder)

A blood-feeding arachnid that transmits more diseases than any other arthropod — including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and rickettsial infections, with major populations expanding due to climate change.

95

Tortrix Moth

Family Tortricidae (various genera)

Small, bell-shaped moths whose caterpillars are among the most damaging to gardens and orchards — they roll leaves into shelters bound with silk and eat the enclosed tissue; the codling moth (apple's worst enemy) and the light brown apple moth are tortrix moths, and European vine moth damages grapevines worldwide.

96

Underwing Moth

Catocala spp. (genus — over 200 species)

A large nocturnal moth with cryptic gray-brown forewings camouflaged like tree bark, concealing brilliantly colored hindwings flashed in startle displays to confuse predators.

97

Velvet Ant

Mutillidae (family — over 7,000 species; common North American: Dasymutilla occidentalis)

A wingless wasp despite the name "ant," covered in dense bright fur, with a famously painful sting earning the nickname "cow killer" — the female only; males have wings and don't sting.

98

Vine Weevil

Otiorhynchus sulcatus

The most damaging garden pest in Britain — its soil-dwelling larvae eat through the roots of container plants and garden favourites including fuchsia, begonia, heuchera, and strawberry, causing sudden plant collapse; the adult is a dull black beetle that notches leaf edges at night and cannot fly.

99

Wasp

Vespidae (family); the common yellowjacket is Vespula vulgaris

A diverse group of stinging insects ranging from solitary mud-daubers to aggressive social yellowjackets — predators of garden pests, distinguished from bees by smooth bodies and the ability to sting repeatedly.

100

Water Beetle

Dytiscus marginalis (great diving beetle) and related Dytiscidae

Aquatic beetles that have evolved to live in ponds, streams, and lakes — the great diving beetle is Britain's most spectacular aquatic insect, an aggressive predator that will attack fish, frogs, and newts; it carries an air bubble under its wing cases to breathe underwater and can fly between ponds at night.

101

Water Strider

Gerris lacustris

An insect that walks on the surface film of still or slow-moving water using hydrophobic leg hairs that trap air — an iconic example of surface-tension locomotion and a model organism for materials science research.

102

Weevil

Curculionidae (true weevils); Curculionoidea (superfamily)

A beetle with a distinctive elongated snout — among the largest insect families with over 95,000 species, including notorious agricultural pests of grain, cotton, fruit, and bark.

103

Whirligig Beetle

Gyrinus natator

A small, oval beetle that gyrates in tight circles on the water surface — equipped with divided eyes that see above and below the waterline simultaneously, and with sensory organs that detect surface ripples like a sonar system.

104

Whitefly

Bemisia tabaci

A tiny sap-sucking insect pest that colonizes the undersides of leaves, weakening plants and transmitting viruses — a major problem in greenhouse agriculture and tropical food crops worldwide.

105

Xerces Blue

Glaucopsyche xerces

A small blue butterfly of California's San Francisco peninsula — extinct since the 1940s, the first North American butterfly species lost to habitat destruction, and the namesake of the Xerces Society for invertebrate conservation.

106

Yucca Moth

Tegeticula yuccasella

A small white moth bound to yucca plants in an obligate mutualism — the only insect that pollinates yucca, while yucca seeds are the only food its larvae can eat.

107

Zorapteran

Zoraptera (order — about 45 known species; common: Zorotypus hubbardi)

A tiny, obscure insect in the small order Zoraptera — sometimes called "angel insects" — known mostly to specialists, with a strange dimorphism and a phylogenetic position that has long puzzled entomologists.