List by common name
List by scientific name

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British Invertebrates - terrestrial and freshwater

Species 1 - 27 of 27

Cardinal click beetle (Ampedus cardinalis)
This click beetle has russet-red wing cases (elytra), a shiny black thorax and a covering of fine orange hairs. The larvae are... More	2 Images	0 Videos

Cardinal click beetle (Ampedus rufipennis)
This click beetle has bright red wing cases (elytra), a shiny black thorax and a covering of fine black hairs. The larvae are... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Chalk carpet moth (Scotopteryx bipunctaria cretata)
Adult Chalk Carpet moths are pale grey in colour with grey-brown markings, and have a darker central band with two black dots, one... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Chequered skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)
As the name suggests, this small, fast-flying, chocolate-brown butterfly has a chequered patterning on both the hind- and... More	6 Images	1 Video

Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae)
The cinnabar moth is brightly coloured, with crimson hindwings bordered with dusky black. Its dark grey forewings have a red streak... More	9 Images	2 Videos

Clay fan-foot moth (Paracolax tristalis)
Adult Clay Fan-foot moths are pale ochreous brown in colour with darker brown cross-lines on both the fore- and hind-wings. When... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Click beetle (Lacon quercus)
This click beetle is generally brown in colour, with yellowish blotches and flecks, and a yellow band passing across the far end... More	5 Images	0 Videos

Cliff tiger beetle (Cicindela germanica)
The cliff tiger beetle is the smallest tiger beetle in Britain. It is typically dull green in colour with a coppery sheen, but... More	4 Images	1 Video

Comma (Polygonia c-album )
The comma is a beautiful, common butterfly. The wings have scalloped edges, and the undersides are strikingly similar in appearance... More	16 Images	0 Videos

Common European earwig (Forficula auricularia)
The earwig is a very common insect, and one that often triggers repulsion due to the unfounded belief that they enter people's ears... More	11 Images	9 Videos

Common blue (Polyommatus icarus)
The common blue is the most widespread of the blue butterflies in Britain, and as the name suggests, it is one of the most common... More	13 Images	3 Videos

Common blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Dragonflies and damselflies can appear alarming to some people, and their old English country names of horse-stingers and devils... More	13 Images	0 Videos

Common carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
The common carder bumblebee is the only common bumblebee to have a completely ginger thorax. Although the abdomen also tends... More	9 Images	0 Videos

Common cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha)
This common, large beetle often crashes into lighted windows at night during early summer. It is a familiar beetle that belongs... More	12 Images	0 Videos

Common fan-foot moth (Pechipogo strigilata)
This species can be distinguished from other similar Fan-foot moths by its pale hindwings and ochreous grey forewings. The... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Common field grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
This is probably the most frequently seen grasshopper; it is fairly large and occurs in a very wide range of colours including... More	15 Images	4 Videos

Common froghopper (Philaenus spumarius )
This small, common froghopper is variably patterned with brown, black and white. The wings are held like a tent over the body.... More	8 Images	1 Video

Common garden slug (Arion distinctus)
Once included in the aggregate species Arion hortensis agg, the garden slug (Arion distinctus) is still confused with the similar... More	2 Images	1 Video

Common pond skater (Gerris lacustris)
The common pond skater is the most widespread British bug. It is brownish-black in colour, with a narrow body. The forelegs are... More	6 Images	2 Videos

Common striped woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum )
Woodlice are not insects, but are crustaceans; more closely related to crabs and shrimps than insects. The body is divided into... More	6 Images	0 Videos

Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
The common wasp is a familiar and much feared social insect. They are quite large insects, with an obvious 'waist' between the... More	19 Images	8 Videos

Common woodlouse (Oniscus asellus)
The common woodlouse is one of the commonest and widely spread of the British woodlice. Woodlice are not insects, but are... More	8 Images	1 Video

Cousin German moth (Protolampra sobrina)
Cousin German (Protolampra sobrina, formerly known as Paradiarsia sobrina) is a rare moth that has dark brown forewings with... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Crab spider (Misumena vatia)
There is just a single species in Britain belonging to the genus Misumena. As the common name suggests, it is reminiscent of a crab... More	11 Images	0 Videos

Cranefly (Lipsothrix nigristigma)
Most people have experienced a cranefly or 'daddy long-legs' Tipula oleracea in the house at the end of the summer. Lipsothrix... More	4 Images	0 Videos

Cranefly (Tipula paludosa)
This species of cranefly, or daddy-long-legs is one of the most common craneflies in Britain. The larvae, known... More	7 Images	0 Videos

Crucifix ground beetle (Panagaeus crux-major)
This rare beetle is largely black and very bristly. In shape, it has a characteristic bug-eyed appearance and a broad thorax. The... More	4 Images	0 Videos

Species 1 - 27 of 27

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