Popular invertebrates (terrestrial and freshwater) View all »
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Coconut crab (Birgus latro)
The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is a type of land hermit crab with a spectacular appearance and intriguing biology. Able to grow to…
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Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo)
The Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo) is a beautiful white butterfly, decorated with large black spots on the forewings and red eye-spots…
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Emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator)
The largest of scorpions, but not the longest, the emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator) has a dark body ranging from dark blue/green…
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Garden snail (Helix aspersa)
A very common and widespread species, the garden snail is the typical snail you will find in a British garden. The shell of the garden snail…
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Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
One of the best-known butterfly species, the beautiful monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is renowned for its spectacular…
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Large garden bumblebee (Bombus ruderatus)
In comparison with other bumblebee species, the large garden or ruderal bumblebee, has a long face and tongue; these are adaptations for…
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Giant freshwater crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi)
This magnificent crayfish is the largest known freshwater invertebrate and has particularly powerful pincers. They range in colour…
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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 green, brown…
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Dracula ant (Adetomyrma venatrix)
The recently discovered dracula ant (Adetomyrma venatrix) is a highly unusual species, so named because of its grisly feeding habits of…
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Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is probably one of the best-known of all insects in the world, as it performs a vital role in the…
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Mexican rustleg tarantula (Brachypelma boehmei)
Only described in 1993, this stunning spider from southwest Mexico resembles its better known relative, Brachypelma smithi (Mexican redknee…
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Yabbie crayfish (Cherax destructor)
The smooth-shelled yabbie crayfish (Cherax destructor) usually varies in colour from olive-green to brown, but can also be blue, yellow…
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Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)
Ladybirds are perhaps the most well-known and popular of all British beetles, and the seven-spot ladybird is one of the commonest species…
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Mexican redknee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi)
The venomous but docile Mexican redknee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi) is the most common spider used in movies due to its large size…
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Garden spider (Araneus diadematus)
The garden spider (Araneus diadematus) is a very common, large orb-web spider. The colour is variable, ranging from pale yellow to…
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Common green darner (Anax junius)
One of North America’s most common and widespread dragonflies, the common green darner (Anax junius) is a large insect with a bright green…
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Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)
The common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) is an abundant species, which has an important role in the aeration and fertilisation of soil…
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Mole cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa)
This is our largest native orthopteran and one of our most impressive and unusual looking insects. The scientific name derives from the…
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Queen Alexandra’s birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae)
With an enormous wingspan of up to 28 centimetres, Queen Alexandra’s birdwing is the world’s largest butterfly. Vibrantly coloured, this…
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Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus)
The stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) is arguably the most spectacular looking beetle in Britain; the male looks like something from a…
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Death watch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum)
The larvae of the common death watch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) are notorious pests of furniture and structural timbers in…
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Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
The common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) is a familiar and much feared social insect. They are quite large insects, with an obvious 'waist'…
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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 fast…
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Adonis blue (Lysandra bellargus)
Males are bright sky blue in colour with a fine black line to the edge of the wings and a white border. Females are brown in colour becoming…
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Medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis)
The medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) has a slightly flattened cylindrical body, divided into 33 or 34 segments. The upperside is dark…
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Purse-web spider (Atypus affinis)
This spider belongs to the same suborder (Orthognatha) as tarantulas, funnel web spiders and trap-door spiders. Just one genus belonging to…
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Trumpet-mouthed hunter snail (Gulella salpinx)
The rather flamboyant common name of the trumpet-mouthed hunter snail (Gulella salpinx) refers to the flaring, trumpet-like opening of…
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Emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia)
The adult emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia) is a spectacular insect. Males have a complex pattern of grey, dark brown and orange markings…
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Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae)
The cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) is brightly coloured, with crimson hindwings bordered with dusky black. Its dark grey forewings have a…
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Wallace’s golden birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera croesus)
Named in affectionate honour of renowned British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who discovered the species in 1859, Wallace’s golden…
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House fly (Musca domestica)
The house fly is, perhaps, the most common and widespread animal in the world. It is a serious pest, which spreads many disease-causing…
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Oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus)
The oil beetles are a family of beetles that share a fascinating life-cycle in which the larvae are parasites of certain bees or…
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Ladybird spider (Eresus sandaliatus)
The attractive ladybird spider (Eresus sandaliatus) is one of the rarest in the UK. The males have a bright orange or vermilion back with…
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Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea)
The water scorpion is not a true scorpion, but is a large, aquatic insect that belongs to the order of insects known as the Hemiptera or…
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Peppered moth (Biston betularia)
In its typical form, the Peppered Moth has pepper-and-salt camouflage pattern. In some areas it also has a sooty black or ‘melanic’ form…
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Leaf-cutter ant (Atta cephalotes)
Atta cephalotes is a leaf-cutting, fungus-growing ant, with one of the most fascinating and complex social systems known to science…
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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, with…
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Black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans)
The black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) is a sexually dimorphic spider, with the female being almost twice as big as the male and…
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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 species…
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Horse-fly (Chrysops relictus)
Apart from entomologists, there are probably few people who would actively look for horse-flies. For their size, they have one of the most…
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Six-spot burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)
The six-spot burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae) is a brightly coloured day-flying moth. Its bright colours warn potential predators…
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Zebra spider (Salticus scenicus)
The zebra spider (Salticus scenicus) is one of the most familiar of the British jumping spiders, and is often found on sunny house walls. As…
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Peacock butterfly (Inachis io)
The beautiful peacock butterfly (Inachis io) is a well-known and instantly recognisable species thanks to its unique patterning. The…
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Common woodlouse (Oniscus asellus)
The common woodlouse (Oniscus asellus) is one of the commonest and widely spread of the British woodlice. Woodlice are not insects, but are…
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Matrona (Matrona basilaris)
Information on Matrona basilaris is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly.…
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Great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis)
The aptly named great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) is the largest pond snail in Britain. The great pond snail has a shiny…
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Nursery-web spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
The nursery-web spider (Pisaura mirabilis) is the only member of the Pisaura genus in Britain. The abdomen is slender and tapering…
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Water spider (Argyroneta aquatica)
The water spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is the only spider in the world that spends its entire life under water. The body of the water spider…
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Pill woodlouse (Armadillidium vulgare)
Woodlice are not insects, but are crustaceans; more closely related to crabs and shrimps than insects. The body is divided into three main…
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House spider (Tegenaria domestica)
The house spider (Tegenaria domestica) is probably the best known and perhaps the most hated of the British spiders, and is often…