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Insects and other arthropods

Search for an insect or an arthropod

  • Small milkweed bug

    This red and black bug has a distinctive red X-shaped marking on its wings and a red band on the first thoracic segment behind its head. Its slender body is 10 to 12 mm long.

    Class
    Insecta
    Order
    Hemiptera
    Family
    Lygaeidae
  • Snow flea

    These dark blue springtails are 1 to 2 mm long. They have short antennae and two clusters of 16 tiny eyes each. They have no wings, but can move about on their six legs and by using a fork-shaped appendage called the furcula, located beneath the abdomen.

    Class
    Entognatha
    Order
    Collembola
  • Snowy tree cricket

    Snowy tree crickets are pale green, with an orange-yellow marking on the top of the head and long antennae. There are two dark spots at the base of the antennae. The wings are transparent, with fine white veins. The males have wider wings than the females. These insects are 13 to 15 mm long.

    Class
    Insecta
    Order
    Orthoptera
    Family
    Gryllidae
  • Gypsy moth

    The two sexes are easy to distinguish: the females have white wings with black spots and thin antennae, while the males are darker and smaller and have feathery antennae. The wings are marked with wavy grey lines in both sexes. Their wingspan is 3 to 4 cm for males and 5.6 to 6.7 cm for females.

    Class
    Insecta
    Order
    Lepidoptera
    Family
    Erebids
  • Limenitis archippus

    This butterfly’s wingspan ranges from 6.5 to 7.5 cm. Their orange colour contrasts with their black ribs. There is one row of white spots along the wide black edge of their wings.

    Class
    Insecta
    Order
    Lepidoptera
    Family
    Nymphalidae
  • Agapostemon virescens

    These bees are recognizable by their metallic green head and thorax. The eyes are droplet shaped, and their antennae are highly visible. The female’s abdomen is black, with bands of white hair, while the male’s is black with hairless bands.

    Class
    Insecta
    Order
    Hymenoptera
    Family
    Halictidae
  • Ctenucha virginia

    These small moths have a wingspan of 3.5 to 5 cm. They have a metallic blue body, an orangeish head and dark olive wings partially edged in white.

    Class
    Insecta
    Order
    Lepidoptera
    Family
    Erebids
  • Waved sphinx

    These large moths are recognizable by their hairy bodies and pale grey or light brown wings marked with wavy black and white lines. There is also a small roundish spot on each of the forewings. At rest, the triangular forewings completely cover the hindwings.

    Class
    Insecta
    Order
    Lepidoptera
    Family
    Sphingidae
  • Latrodectus hesperus, female - western black widow

    Western black widow spiders are small, from 7 to 15 mm long. They have a large abdomen and four small pairs of legs. They are black with a red geometric hourglass pattern on the underside of the abdomen. Females are much larger than males and usually a duller colour.

    Class
    Arachnida
    Order
    Araneae
    Family
    Theridiidae
  •  Western conifer seed bug

    This large reddish-brown leaf-footed bug is 15 to 20 mm long. It has broad tibiae on its hind legs and its slightly thickened forewings have a fairly distinct white zigzag marking.

    Class
    Insecta
    Order
    Hemiptera
    Family
    Coreidae