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Natural history · Entomological Atlas
Other insects | Entomological Atlas
Species accounts of insect identification, distribution and natural history, with supporting references.
The Atlas combines specimen illustrations with documented natural history.
Other insects · Phasmatidae
Spiny Leaf Insect
Extatosoma tiaratum
Extatosoma tiaratum is an Australian leaf-mimicking stick insect with a spiny body and pronounced differences between the sexes. Its seed-like eggs have an edible cap that can induce ants to carry them into their nests.
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Other insects · Heteropterygidae
Malayan Jungle Nymph
Heteropteryx dilatata
Heteropteryx dilatata is a robust Southeast Asian stick insect with sharply spined body surfaces. The broad female is green or yellow; the brown male resembles a curled dry leaf. Pink hindwings add a contrasting colour in both sexes.
Explore the guide →Other insects · Mantidae
Giant Asian Mantis
Hierodula membranacea
Hierodula membranacea is a large praying mantis with a visual system adapted to detecting prey and judging its distance. A single row of pale tubercles on the inner bases of its grasping forelegs is a useful identifying character.
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Other insects · Hymenopodidae
Orchid Mantis
Hymenopus coronatus
Hymenopus coronatus is a Southeast Asian mantis whose pale body and expanded leg lobes resemble a flower. Juvenile females can attract pollinating insects while standing apart from blossoms, then seize visitors as prey.
Explore the guide →Other insects · Coenagrionidae
Blue-winged Helicopter Damselfly
Megaloprepus caerulatus
Megaloprepus caerulatus is a tropical American damselfly with a long abdomen and broad wings marked in blue and white. Its aquatic larvae develop in water-filled tree holes, where predation and cannibalism shape survival.
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Other insects · Phylliidae
Giant Malaysian Leaf Insect
Pulchriphyllium giganteum
Pulchriphyllium giganteum is a large leaf insect of the Sunda region. Females have a broad green abdomen, leaf-veined wing covers and expanded limb margins that reproduce the outline of foliage.
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Other insects · Fulgoridae
Longan Lanternfly
Pyrops candelaria
Pyrops candelaria is a sap-feeding lanternfly with an upward-curving head process and spotted forewings. Its yellow hindwings have dark tips; the ventral abdomen is grey with yellow segment margins.
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Other insects · Romaleidae
Giant Tropical Grasshopper
Tropidacris cristata
Tropidacris cristata is a large tropical American grasshopper with a crested pronotum and darkly spotted hindwings. The adults have dark blue-green upper surfaces; banded nymphs gather in groups on vegetation.
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Other insects · Corydalidae
Eastern Dobsonfly
Corydalus cornutus
Corydalus cornutus develops as an aquatic hellgrammite before emerging as a large, net-winged adult. Male mandibles are dramatically elongated and take part in both contests with rivals and interactions with females.
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Other insects · Mutillidae
Eastern Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla occidentalis
Dasymutilla occidentalis is a solitary parasitoid wasp with contrasting red-orange hairs and black body regions. Wingless females and winged males differ markedly, and the female’s defensive venom acts through several distinct molecular components.
Explore the guide →Other insects · Gasteruptiidae
Long-tailed Gasteruption Wasp
Gasteruption jaculator
Gasteruption jaculator is a slender wasp whose female carries a long, pale-tipped ovipositor sheath. Its larvae develop in solitary bee nests.
Explore the guide →Other insects · Mydidae
Giant Mydas Fly
Gauromydas heros
Gauromydas heros is a giant Neotropical fly, with documented body lengths reaching approximately seven centimetres. Its immature stages develop in the waste chambers of leaf-cutting ant nests before moving upward through the soil to pupate.
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Other insects · Nemopteridae
Spoon-winged Lacewing
Nemoptera sinuata
Nemoptera sinuata carries a pair of exceptionally narrow, elongated hindwings behind its patterned forewings. In Bulgaria’s Struma Valley, adults feed on pollen and appear in sunny river-gorge habitats during late spring and early summer.
Explore the guide →Other insects · Myrmeleontidae
Mediterranean Giant Antlion
Palpares libelluloides
Palpares libelluloides is a large antlion with pale yellow wings marked in black. Its larvae occupy coarse soil and plant debris, while pigment analysis has identified the compounds responsible for the contrasting wing regions.
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Other insects · Panorpidae
Common Scorpionfly
Panorpa communis
Panorpa communis combines a beak-like head, patterned wings and an upturned terminal appendage in the male. Its courtship includes food gifts and coordinated movements that generate vibrations through the supporting vegetation.
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Other insects · Coreidae
Golden Egg Bug
Phyllomorpha laciniata
Phyllomorpha laciniata is a finely spined Mediterranean bug whose females attach golden eggs to other adults. Both sexes carry these eggs.
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Other insects · Schizodactylidae
Dune Cricket
Schizodactylus monstrosus
Schizodactylus monstrosus is a robust, nocturnal cricket adapted to loose, moist sand. Broad feet and unusually rolled adult wings distinguish its body, while each individual occupies a deep burrow excavated with its jaws.
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Other insects · Scutelleridae
Picasso Shield Bug
Sphaerocoris annulus
Sphaerocoris annulus is an African shield bug with a rounded body and a striking arrangement of dark-bordered markings. Its geometric pattern covers a domed shield extending over much of the abdomen.
Explore the guide →Other insects · Diopsidae
Malaysian Stalk-eyed Fly
Teleopsis dalmanni
Teleopsis dalmanni bears eyes and antennae on elongated lateral head stalks. Males develop a much greater eyespan than females; this difference is associated with mate choice and reproductive traits.
Explore the guide →Other insects · Membracidae
Thorn Treehopper
Umbonia crassicornis
Umbonia crassicornis combines a prominent thoracic horn with attentive maternal defence. Nymphs communicate through the host stem, and the mother’s signals help terminate false alarms after a predator has been removed.
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