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British Invertebrates - terrestrial and freshwater

Species 1 - 50 of 260 [ next ]

Acosmetia caliginosa (Reddish buff moth)
The Reddish Buff moth's name provides a good description of the adult. It is a night-flying moth and hides up in vegetation during... More	2 Images	1 Video

Agabus brunneus (Diving beetle)
This chocolate-brown beetle has no common English name. It is difficult to distinguish from a number of similar species, needing... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Aglais urticae (Small tortoiseshell)
The small tortoiseshell is one of the most widespread and familiar butterflies in Britain. Its beautiful patterning, comprising of... More	21 Images	6 Videos

Ampedus cardinalis (Cardinal click beetle)
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

Ampedus rufipennis (Cardinal click beetle)
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

Anax imperator (Emperor dragonfly)
The emperor is Britain's largest dragonfly; they are a spectacular sight with their broad wings and powerful flight. After emerging... More	13 Images	4 Videos

Anisodactylus nemorivagus (Ground beetle)
This ground beetle is black in colour with reddish legs. The outer edges of the wing-cases (elytra) are covered in fine hairs and... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Anisodactylus poeciloides (Ground beetle)
This beetle is of 'medium' size (in beetle terms), with an attractive colouration and the 'typical' ground beetle shape. The colour... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Anobium punctatum (Furniture beetle)
The furniture beetle, also known as ‘woodworm’, is a notorious pest of timber in buildings and old furniture. Very few people... More	8 Images	5 Videos

Anthocharis cardamines (Orange-tip)
Only male orange-tip butterflies actually have orange tips to their forewings; females have black or greyish wing tips. In both... More	19 Images	3 Videos

Apatura iris (Purple emperor)
Males of this beautiful butterfly have an iridescent purple or bluish sheen to the upper surface of the wings when viewed from a... More	21 Images	5 Videos

Aphis fabae (Black bean aphid)
Although sometimes called ‘blackfly’, the black bean aphid is actually a true bug (a member of the order Hemiptera). All true bugs... More	5 Images	1 Video

Apis mellifera (Honey bee)
The honey bee is probably one of the best-known of all insects in the world; it performs a vital role in the pollination of... More	27 Images	7 Videos

Araneus diadematus (Garden spider)
The garden spider is a very common, large orb-web spider. The colour is variable, ranging from pale yellow to blackish-brown, with... More	19 Images	8 Videos

Argynnis adippe (High brown fritillary)
This large and attractive butterfly has orange upperwings chequered with black, and pale green hindwings with mottled white, black... More	16 Images	0 Videos

Argyroneta aquatica (Water spider)
This species is the only spider in the world that spends its entire life under water. It has a number of adaptations for this... More	9 Images	2 Videos

Aricia artaxerxes (Northern brown argus)
This small butterfly is dark brown in colour with orange crescents towards the edge of the wings, those on the forewings are absent... More	5 Images	0 Videos

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

Armadillidium vulgare (Pill woodlouse)
Woodlice are not insects, but are crustaceans; more closely related to crabs and shrimps than insects. The body is divided into... More	9 Images	2 Videos

Armandia cirrhosa (Lagoon sandworm)
This rare, small worm is ribbon-like in appearance, and has three eyes on its head. The body comprises of 26 or 27 segments, each... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Asilus crabroniformis (Hornet robberfly)
This fearsome looking fly, large and giving every appearance of aggression is, nonetheless, completely harmless to man. Most of the... More	10 Images	4 Videos

Aspitates gilvaria gilvaria (Straw belle moth)
The hindwings of this moth are white with a faint diagonal grey streak and a dot on the upper surface. The forewings have a... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Athetis pallustris (Marsh moth)
This moth is highly secretive and unpredictable in its appearances. There is a noticeable size difference between the male and the... More	3 Images	2 Videos

Atypus affinis (Purse-web spider)
This spider belongs to the same suborder (Orthognatha) as tarantulas, funnel web spiders and trap-door spiders. Just one genus... More	7 Images	0 Videos

Austropotamobius pallipes (Freshwater white-clawed crayfish)
The only freshwater crayfish native to the UK, this species is olive-green to brown in colour and can reach up to 12 centimetres in... More	8 Images	1 Video

Bembecia chrysidiformis (Fiery clearwing moth)
The Fiery Clearwing moth is the rarest of the family of clearwings, all of whom resemble parasitic wasps more than moths. This... More	3 Images	1 Video

Bembidion nigropiceum (Ground beetle)
Unlike many members of the Bembidion genus, the largest genus of ground beetles in Britain, this blackish ground beetle does... More	1 Image	1 Video

Bembidion testaceum (Ground beetle)
Bembidion testaceum is a predatory ground beetle that is very similar in appearances to other related Bembidion... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Bidessus minutissimus (Diving beetle)
This very small diving beetle is patterned with black and yellow blotches. It is beautifully adapted for life in water, with a... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Biston betularia (Peppered moth)
In its typical form, the Peppered Moth has pepper-and-salt camouflage pattern. In some areas it also has a sooty black or ‘melanic’... More	8 Images	4 Videos

Blera fallax (Pine hoverfly)
The pine hoverfly is the only hoverfly with a red-tipped black abdomen and a yellow face... More	2 Images	0 Videos

Boloria euphrosyne (Pearl-bordered fritillary)
The pearl-bordered fritillary is pale orange brown in colour with black spots. The underside is paler with reddish brown hindwings... More	12 Images	4 Videos

Boloria selene (Small pearl-bordered fritillary)
This species is similar in appearance and size to the pearl-bordered fritillary, but has darker brown spots on the underwing and... More	7 Images	2 Videos

Bombus hortorum (Small garden bumblebee)
This is a large bumblebee, which has a fairly 'scruffy' appearance with long hair. It is a yellow, black and white banded species... More	6 Images	4 Videos

Bombus humilis (Brown-banded carder bee)
The brown-banded carder bee B. humilis is one of the 24 species of bumblebee or cuckoo bee found in the UK. It is also one... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Bombus lucorum (White-tailed bumblebee)
The white-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) is a common species that is easily confused with the similar species Bombus... More	13 Images	2 Videos

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

Bombus ruderatus (Large garden bumblebee)
In comparison with other bumblebee species, the large garden or ruderal bumblebee, has a long face and tongue; these are... More	13 Images	0 Videos

Bombus sylvarum (Shrill carder bee)
The shrill carder bee is one of the smaller members of the bumblebee family. It has a distinctive combination of markings, being... More	4 Images	0 Videos

Bombus vestalis (Vestal cuckoo bee)
Until recently, cuckoo bumblebees were once considered to belong to a separate genus (Psithyrus) in recognition of their... More	5 Images	1 Video

Bombylius discolor (Dotted bee-fly)
As the common name suggests, the dotted bee-fly is somewhat similar in appearance to a bee with its stout, furry body. Like all... More	2 Images	0 Videos

Bombylius minor (Heath bee-fly)
Bee-flies are named for their resemblance to true bees. However, they belong to the order Diptera (flies), which only possess two... More	4 Images	0 Videos

Byctiscus populi (Leaf rolling weevil)
This leaf rolling weevil has a shiny metallic upper surface, which varies in colour from bright green to a vibrant coppery red. The... More	5 Images	0 Videos

Callicera spinolae (Golden hoverfly)
The golden hoverfly is, by comparison with other members of its family, large. It is also one of the rarest and identification is... More	2 Images	0 Videos

Callophrys rubi (Green hairstreak)
The wings of the green hairstreak butterfly are dull brown on the uppersides, but bright green on the underside, with a white... More	8 Images	1 Video

Calophasia lunula (Toadflax brocade moth)
Adult Toadflax Brocade moths are whitish-grey in colour with bluish-black markings, and are usually found at dusk visiting red... More	5 Images	0 Videos

Calopteryx splendens (Banded demoiselle)
The banded demoiselle has the same style of butterfly-like flitting flight as that of the beautiful demoiselle (C. virgo)... More	20 Images	0 Videos

Carabus intricatus (Blue ground beetle)
This is a large and impressive beetle, with an attractive metallic purple or blue sheen to it. It does not possess wings, although... More	12 Images	1 Video

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

Cathormiocerus britannicus (Lizard weevil)
The Lizard weevil, so called because it is found only on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, was once thought to be a species endemic... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Species 1 - 50 of 260 [ next ]

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