Common name : Vegetable weevil Scientific name : Listroderes costirotris obliquus Family : Curculionidae Native to : South America Interesting fact : This insect reproduces parthenogenetically, hence only one insect is required to establish the species in a new area or region. 6.4-10.0 mm in body length, the vegetable weevil is brownish in colour. This insect […]
Common name : Vanda thrip Scientific name : Dichromothrips corbetti Family : Thripidae Native to : Australia Interesting fact : Extremely tiny in size and hence difficult to see with the naked eye, these insects can cause a lot of damage to its host plant, orchids. Hardly 1-5 mm in length, this insect’s diet is
Common name : Vagrant spider Scientific name : Uliodon spp. Family : Zoropsidae Native to : New Zealand and Australia Interesting fact : Also known as prowling spiders, the vagrant spiders are a species of spiders that can run very fast, and then freeze all of a sudden. About 20 mm in length, the vagrant
Common name : Vagabond sod webworm Scientific name : Agriphila vulgivagellus Family : Crambidae Native to : North America Interesting fact : Due to its peculiar features, this insect is popularly known as the ‘Crambid snout moth’. With a wingspan of 1.0-1.5 inches, this moth is pale in colour with brown streaks in between the
Common name : Unicorn caterpillar Scientific name : Schizura unicornis Family : Notodontidae Native to : North America Interesting fact : A unique feature of this moth is that it can eject a stream of formic acid from a gland in its hump, which can shoot upwards several inches high. The moth of this species
Common name : Ugly-nest caterpillar Scientific name : Archips cerasivorana Family : Tortricidae Native to : North America Interesting fact : Known popularly as the ugly-nest caterpillar, the larvae of this moth tie the leaves of its host plant together to create a nest. While the moth ranges from 9-12 mm (females), the larvae reach
Common name : Two-spined spider Scientific name : Poecilopachys australasiae Family : Araneidae Native to : Australia and New Zealand Interesting fact : Due to the 2 white horn/spine-like protrusions on the female spider, this orb-weaving spider has been popularly named ‘two-horned spider’. While the males are small (3 mm in length), the females are larger (8
Common name : Twice-stabbed lady beetle Scientific name : Chilocorus stigma Family : Coccinellidae Native to : United States and Canada Interesting fact : This beetle has a very unique colouration, with a completely black body and only 2 red spots on either side of its body, giving it the name twice-stabbed’. 3.8 to 5 mm
Common name : Tik-tik fly Scientific name : Glossina Family : Glossinidae Native to : Mid-continent Africa Interesting fact : Tsetse flies have been known to be around for more than 34 million years, with fossilized flies being found in the fossil beds in Colorado. Relatively large in size with adults measuring up to at least
Common name : Oriental leafworm moth Scientific name : Spodoptera litura Family : Noctuidae Native to : Indo-Australian tropics Interesting fact : The larvae of the oriental leafworm moth feed on over 40 different families of plants, making them a huge agricultural problem. The adult of the tropical armyworm has a wingspan of 4 cm, and
Common name : Tropical warehouse moth Scientific name : Ephestia cautella Family : Pyralidae Native to : Worldwide distribution Interesting fact : Since it infests grains and dried fruits, this moth has become widespread across the globe due to transport of grains. 2 cm in length, the tropical warehouse moth is very often confused with the
Common name : Amazon tree ant Scientific name : Allomerus decemarticulatus Family : Formicidae Native to : South America Interesting fact : The tree ants are known for their predatory behaviour whereby they catch and immobilize their prey mostly alone, and then release pheromones to signal the others. While the worker ants are about 2
Common name : Tree weta Scientific name : Hemideina thoracica Family : Anostostomatidae Native to : New Zealand Interesting fact : The word ‘weta’ is a term native to New Zealand. ‘Weta’ is a name given to the large flightless nocturnal grasshoppers. About 40 mm in length, the tree weta can be found in tree holes
Common name : Eucalyptus tortoise beetle Scientific name : Paropsis Charybdis Family : Chrysomelidae Native to : New Zealand Interesting fact : This beetle is considered to be the worst pest for the Eucalyptus trees in New Zealand. While there are over 125 genera of tortoise beetles, the eucalyptus tortoise beetle is found specifically feeding on
Common name : Tongue eating louse Scientific name : Cymothoa exigua Family : Cymothoidae Native to : Gulf of California to Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador and Atlantic Interesting fact : Weirdly, this bug has received its name because it enters the body of a fish through the fish’s gills, and then latches on to the