Insects are all over the place! Some individuals find them fascinating while others can’t bear the notion of them. In any case, we share our planet with this nasty crawlies that seem like aliens. Insects have been on Earth long before humans and will continue to do so. There are many more insects on Earth than people – there are 900,000 recognized species and possibly millions more that have yet to be discovered! Check out our selection of the strangest (and coolest) ones we could locate.
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They can have wings or not lengthy legs, leafy shapes, or even umbrella-like pinions. Almost everywhere you turn there are one or more of the six-legged creatures known as insects? In such a plentiful multiplicity they dwell ardently among us. Starting with ants, bees, flies, beetles, and a variety of other insects. Check out our little “Biology Class” to learn more about how they look and tell us which one you find the most intriguing. Don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite!
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The spiny flower mantis: The spiny flower mantis, Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi, is a small mantis from sub-Saharan Africa that is well known for being easy to care for while also being spectacularly beautiful. It is a graceful and deadly ambush predator that, despite spending much time in wait, displays a wide variety of interesting behaviors. The spiny flower mantis is hardy and a good choice for someone looking for an interesting, attractive mantis that is a bit more unusual than the most common species without the difficult care requirements.
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Ayuthia – White Ghost Cicada. There are about 1500 species of Cicada in the world and are probably best known for their conspicuous acoustic signals or “songs”. This real framed Ghost Cicada gets its name from its ghostly appearance. The type species, Ayuthia spectabile, is commonly known as the Milky Cicada, the White Cicada, or the White Ghost Cicada. The Ayuthia is a genus of cicada, a family of large flying insects. This stunning ghost white cicada has milky white wings with a hint of green blue colour at the base.
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Queen (above) and caterpillar of the Monarch butterfly. Monarch Butterfly, biologically known as Danaus Plexippus, is a milkweed butterfly. People say, it is the most beautiful butterfly, and hence, considered the “king of butterflies”. Thus, it acquired the name “Monarch”. Before growing these beautiful creatures in your garden, you must be aware of certain facts related to their growth. The life cycle of the Monarch butterfly has four stages and four generations. The stages are egg, larvae, pupa and adult butterfly, and the four generation means four butterflies passing through these four stages within a year.
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Eurynecroscia nigrofasciata, or umbrella phasmids. The new combination to Eurynecroscia nigrofasciata was published in 2013 by Hennemann & Conle, who put this species in the genus Eurynecroscia . The distribution area is around the ” Tapah Hills “, Peninsular , Malaysia . Only the Orang Asli (the indigenous people of Peninsular, Malaysia) know where in the Tapah Hills this species can be found. So far, no subspecies of Eurynecroscia nigrofasciata are known.
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The Giant Katydid: The Giant Katydid, Stilpnochlora couloniana, is lime to dark green in color and has brown eyes. When adult the wings extend far past the abdomen and look like a glossy leaf of a tree of shrub. The nymphs are paler green and have some dark brown markings on their back and legs. The body of an adult female is around 4 cm long, including its wings its total length is 7 cm. The males are slightly smaller and less bulky, including wings the male is about 6 cm long. The males also have a more narrow body and have longer antennae. The hind legs of this species are designed for jumping and are very prominent with their 7 cm each.
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A lovely Comet Moth. They are known as the Argena Mitrrei species. They live in the rainforests of eastern-central Madagascar. They are a protected species in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Their tails vary from short stubs to long streamers. Young caterpillars eat tasty eucalyptus leaves. Then they spin cocoons that have a pretty cool ability: they can actually expel water. This prevents them from drowning, so they can become beautiful and healthy adult comet moths.
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4. The caterpillar of the dice moth (Rhanidophora ridens). These noctuid caterpillers must be some of the most outrageously ornamented creatures around. They eventually turn into day-flaying moths called Dice Moths such as R. cinctiguttata and a few closely related and similar species. Colorful caterpillar with black grass like appendages that move independently, possibly R. ridens. Habitat: miombo woodland, 1000m.
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The timber beetle. This common furniture beetle is by far the most common cause of damage encountered. Its specialty is sapwood of softwood and European hardwoods. One of the more unusual, and enigmatic, beetles that I encountered in South Africa was this beetle in the pantropical genus Atractocerus. Placed in the family Lymexylidae (ship-timber beetles), species in this genus look less like beetles than they do large flying ants or strange damselflies due to their highly reduced elytra that expose their greatly elongated abdomen and leave the hind wings uncovered. The hind wings also are unusual in that they are held fan-like in repose rather than folded as in most other beetles. Atractocerus brevicornis is the only species in the genus found in Africa (Scholtz & Holm 1985).
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Bettle in black and blue. Mecynorrhina Torquata, one of the world’s biggest flower beetles. Common Name: Giant African Flower Beetle (commonly referred to as MTU). Distribution: Democratic republic of Congo and Uganda. Diet: Adults feed on ripe or rotting fruit and jelly pots for extra protein and nutrients. Larvae can be reared on decaying leaf/wood mulch or flake soil. The MTU is a medium to large species reaching up to 80mm and is available in a variety of different colours including green, red/brown, orange, blue/purple/black. This makes them a firm favourite amongst many hobbyists, including myself. They were one of the first species I ever raised, and I will always have room for them in my collection!
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Rainbow frog-leg beetle, Sagra buqueti. First of all, the awesome Frog Legged Beetle remains a most unusual species of beetle. Its common name derives from the rather striking resemblance of its hind legs to those of a frog. But, these remarkable appendages are no evolutionary quirk, because they serve an important function. Powerful legs help the remarkable insect hold tightly to the stems of various plants. In this manner, the surprising invertebrate remains firmly attached while feeding. This beautifully colored insect also sometimes goes by the name of the kangaroo beetle. By whatever name one calls it, researchers remain unable to acquire sufficient data about it. Due to this, therefore, the IUCN does not have a listing for it, as of this moment, due to insufficient information.
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Bettle in black and blue. Black beetles are a common type of insect that are found in our homes and backyards. Some species of black beetle are completely harmless and can even help keep bugs out of your home. Although not all black beetles are regarded as pests, their larvae can be destructive. For example, black beetle larvae such as the carpet beetle can do a lot of damage to upholstery in your home. All species of black beetle that inhabit homes are anthropoids in the insect order Coleoptera. There are thought to be over 400,000 species of beetles with weevils making up the largest of the beetle families. Groups of beetles are divided into families, genera, and then species.
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Eurycnema goliath the Goliath stick insect is one of Australia’s biggest stick insects. The Goliath stick insect is a robust, bright green phasmid with yellow patches on the head, legs and thorax. Their bodies can reach up to 25cm in length. The Goliath has two pairs of bright green wings with red markings underneath. The female Goliath is probably our heaviest stick insect in Australia. Goliath stick insects can be found throughout Northern Australia, into New South Wales and Victoria and also in Western Australia. The name “Goliath” comes from the warrior giant that battled against David in the Bible. The word “goliath” means colossal, powerful or giant. Lots of large animals are therefore named Goliath such as the Goliath Stick Insect, Goliath Beetle, Goliath Heron and the Goliath Frog. Female Goliath stick insects can lay eggs even if they haven’t mated with a male. This process is called parthenogenesis and is a form of cloning. Even though the females can’t fly, their wings can act like parachutes if they fall out of a tree. They fill with air so the Goliath can float down to the ground without getting hurt.
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Mantis of the Yellow Orchid: Yellow Orchid Mantis are the same as other locusts, grasshoppers can live in tropical and subtropics (not too hot and cold). The residential country is Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Yellow Orchid Mantis is a beautiful animal when we see from the color of his body, but he can also be ferocious. The proof he was able to eat butterflies, bees, flies and spiders as a source food. However, these locusts dislike ants as their food. The Yellow Orchid Mantis is one type of grasshopper that has this unique color can breed by mating. Size The male and female Yellow Orchid Mantis are very different, the female has a larger body size than the male, he is about 1.5 times larger than the male. In its life cycle, Yellow Orchid Mantis are able to lay eggs 3 times. But what we need to know The male Yellow Orchid Mantis will be the victims of the females before mating. It sounds weird but it’s like the breeding pattern of the Yellow Orchid Mantis, where the females will eat the males before mating.
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Picasso Insect (Sphaerocoris annulus)-A bug with the appearance of an easter egg. First of all, the highly descriptive term of Picasso Bug serves as one of the common names of a visually stunning variety of arthropod. However, this marvelous insect also goes by the alternate common name of the Zulu Hud Bug. Quite fortunately, for the moment, its numbers appear to be sufficient and stable. This fortunate fact extends throughout the entirety of its natural range. Due to this, the IUCN does not yet list the animal on its Red List of Threatened Species. Nonetheless, the lovely arthropod must be considered to be at some risk. Further, this sad situation holds true for several reasons. However, the two greatest threats to its existence likely consist of habitat loss and climate change.
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Phylliidae-Insects with the appearance of leaves and flower petals. Leaf insect, (family Phylliidae), also called walking leaf, any of more than 50 species of flat, usually green insects (order Phasmida, or Phasmatodea) that are known for their striking leaflike appearance. Leaf insects feed on plants and typically inhabit densely vegetated areas. Their natural range extends from islands in the Indian Ocean, across parts of mainland South Asia and Southeast Asia, to Papua New Guinea and Australia in the western Pacific.
