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British Invertebrates - terrestrial and freshwater
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British Invertebrates - terrestrial and freshwater
Species
51
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100
of
260
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Cousin German moth (
Protolampra sobrina
)
Cousin German (Protolampra sobrina, formerly known as Paradiarsia sobrina) is a rare moth that has dark brown forewings with...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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4 Images
0 Videos
Dark bordered beauty moth (
Epione vespertaria
)
The Dark Bordered Beauty moth, Epione vespertaria (Formerly known as Epione paralellaria) is similar in appearance to the more...
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6 Images
0 Videos
Dark crimson underwing moth (
Catocala sponsa
)
The generic name of the dark crimson underwing moth, Catocala derives from the Greek 'katõ' meaning below, and 'kalos' meaning...
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6 Images
0 Videos
Death watch beetle (
Xestobium rufovillosum
)
The larvae of this common beetle are notorious pests of furniture and structural timbers in buildings. The adults have cylindrical...
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4 Images
3 Videos
Desmoulin's whorl snail (
Vertigo moulinsiana
)
This tiny snail, not more than 3mm tall, is one most people are unlikely to encounter unless you have a stream flowing through your...
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5 Images
0 Videos
Dingy mocha moth (
Cyclophora pendularia
)
The common name 'mocha' refers to mocha stone, an agate with a beautiful moss-like patterning of crystals. The Dingy Mocha...
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4 Images
0 Videos
Diving beetle (
Agabus brunneus
)
This chocolate-brown beetle has no common English name. It is difficult to distinguish from a number of similar species, needing...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Diving beetle (
Bidessus minutissimus
)
This very small diving beetle is patterned with black and yellow blotches. It is beautifully adapted for life in water, with...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Dor beetle (
Geotrupes stercorarius
)
The dor beetle, for many people, is the archetypal beetle. It has the classic beetle shape and colouration, being oval in shape...
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5 Images
0 Videos
Dotted bee-fly (
Bombylius discolor
)
As the common name suggests, the dotted bee-fly is somewhat similar in appearance to a bee with its stout, furry body. Like all...
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2 Images
0 Videos
Double line moth (
Mythimna turca
)
Adults of this scarce moth species are reddish-brown in colour with black cross-lines on the forewings. The caterpillar is pale...
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4 Images
0 Videos
Drab looper moth (
Minoa murinata
)
The delicate adults of the Drab Looper are greyish-brown in colour and have a silky appearance, but this 'sheen' is lost with age....
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6 Images
0 Videos
Dune tiger beetle (
Cicindela maritima
)
The dune tiger beetle was once thought to be a subspecies of the very similar species Cincindela hybrida, but is now recognised...
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5 Images
1 Video
Earthworm (
Lumbricus terrestris
)
The common earthworm is an abundant species, which has an important role in the aeration and fertilisation of soil. It is the...
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10 Images
5 Videos
Edmond's ground beetle (
Tachys edmondsi
)
This ground beetle is brownish-black, and one of the smallest ground beetles in the UK. It takes its name from an eminent...
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2 Images
0 Videos
Emperor dragonfly (
Anax imperator
)
The emperor is Britain's largest dragonfly; they are a spectacular sight with their broad wings and powerful flight. After emerging...
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13 Images
4 Videos
Emperor moth (
Saturnia pavonia
)
The adult emperor moth is a spectacular insect. Males have a complex pattern of grey, dark brown and orange markings on their upper...
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24 Images
0 Videos
Essex emerald moth (
Thetidia smaragdaria maritima
)
The Essex Emerald moth is one that could be mistaken for a butterfly in shape. The upper wings are a light, dusky emerald in colour...
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6 Images
0 Videos
Fairy shrimp (
Chirocephalus diaphanus
)
The fairy shrimp is a beautiful, translucent crustacean, which lacks a carapace, and is considered to be rather primitive as it has...
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6 Images
2 Videos
Fen raft spider (
Dolomedes plantarius
)
As well as being one of Britain's largest spiders, the fen raft spider is also one of the rarest. It is a handsome dark brown...
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8 Images
0 Videos
Field cricket (
Gryllus campestris
)
The field cricket is an impressive insect with a black body and wings that resemble intricate wrought iron work. The wing colour...
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6 Images
2 Videos
Fiery clearwing moth (
Bembecia chrysidiformis
)
The Fiery Clearwing moth is the rarest of the family of clearwings, all of whom resemble parasitic wasps more than moths. This...
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3 Images
1 Video
Fisher's estuarine moth (
Gortyna borelii lunata
)
The race of Fisher's Estuarine Moth that occurs in Britain is subspecies lunata. Adults are generally pale orange-brown in colour...
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3 Images
0 Videos
Four-spotted chaser (
Libellula quadrimaculata
)
This dragonfly gets its name form the four dark spots present at the midpoint of the front of each of its four wings. Unusually for...
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13 Images
0 Videos
Four-spotted moth (
Tyta luctuosa
)
The common name of the Four-spotted moth refers to the white spots on the fore- and hindwings, which stand out in stark contrast...
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4 Images
2 Videos
Freshwater bryozoan (
Lophopus crystallinus
)
There are 11 described species of freshwater bryozoa in the UK; this bryozoan is the only member of the family Lophopodidae...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Freshwater white-clawed crayfish (
Austropotamobius pallipes
)
The only freshwater crayfish native to the UK, this species is olive-green to brown in colour and can reach up to 12 cm in length....
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8 Images
1 Video
Furniture beetle (
Anobium punctatum
)
The furniture beetle, also known as woodworm, is a notorious pest of timber in buildings and old furniture. Very few people...
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8 Images
5 Videos
Garden snail (
Helix aspersa
)
This snail is very common and widespread, and is the typical garden snail. The shell is generally spherical in shape with a short...
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17 Images
7 Videos
Garden spider (
Araneus diadematus
)
The garden spider is a very common, large orb-web spider. The colour is variable, ranging from pale yellow to blackish-brown, with...
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19 Images
0 Videos
Geyer's whorl snail (
Vertigo geyeri
)
This tiny endangered snail is quite similar in appearance to Vertigo genesii but has a more conical shell. The shell is pale...
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2 Images
0 Videos
Gilkicker weevil (
Pachytychius haematocephalus
)
This small reddish-brown weevil is one of about 15,000 species of weevils that form the family Curculionidae. The Gilkicker weevil...
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3 Images
0 Videos
Glutinous snail (
Myxas glutinosa
)
The glutinous snail has a translucent glossy shell, which is very fragile and amber in colour. The aperture (opening) is relatively...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Golden hoverfly (
Callicera spinolae
)
The golden hoverfly is, by comparison with other members of its family, large. It is also one of the rarest and identification...
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2 Images
0 Videos
Golden-ringed dragonfly (
Cordulegaster boltonii
)
The golden-ringed dragonfly is one of Britains largest dragonflies, and is the only member of the genus Cordulegaster in the...
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11 Images
1 Video
Great diving beetle (
Dytiscus marginalis
)
The great diving beetle is, as the name suggests, a large aquatic beetle. It is has a beautifully streamlined body shape and...
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10 Images
6 Videos
Great pond snail (
Lymnaea stagnalis
)
This species is the largest pond snail in Britain. It has a shiny yellowish brown shell, with a tall, slender and pointed spire....
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8 Images
4 Videos
Green hairstreak (
Callophrys rubi
)
The wings of the green hairstreak butterfly are dull brown on the uppersides, but bright green on the underside, with a white...
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8 Images
0 Videos
Green shield bug (
Palomena prasina
)
This common bug has a flattened, shield-shaped body, as the name suggests. It is bright green in colour with delicate flecks...
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11 Images
0 Videos
Green tiger beetle (
Cicindela campestris
)
This species is the commonest British tiger beetle. All tiger beetles are long-legged and fast-running. When disturbed they make...
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16 Images
4 Videos
Green-veined white (
Pieris napi
)
The green-veined white is a familiar common butterfly. Despite the English name, the yellowish-green veins on the undersides of the...
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10 Images
3 Videos
Ground beetle (
Anisodactylus nemorivagus
)
This ground beetle is black in colour with reddish legs. The outer edges of the wing-cases (elytra) are covered in fine hairs and...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Ground beetle (
Anisodactylus poeciloides
)
This beetle is of 'medium' size (in beetle terms), with an attractive colouration and the 'typical' ground beetle shape. The colour...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Ground beetle (
Bembidion nigropiceum
)
Unlike many members of the Bembidion genus, the largest genus of ground beetles in Britain, this blackish ground beetle does not...
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1 Image
1 Video
Ground beetle (
Bembidion testaceum
)
Bembidion testaceum is a predatory ground beetle that is very similar in appearances to other related Bembidion species. This...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Ground beetle (
Dromius sigma
)
Ground beetles belonging to the genus Dromius are typically elongate, flattened beetles. Dromius sigma has a black head, and pale...
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2 Images
0 Videos
Species
51
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100
of
260
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