Insects That Bite

Blood feeders, stingers, and biting species

200 species in this collection

Browse by order: Araneae (1) Blattodea (11) Coleoptera (25) Dermaptera (2) Diptera (104) Hemiptera (33) Hymenoptera (24)
Araneae

New Zealand Katipo Spider

Latrodectus katipo

New Zealand's most venomous spider, found only on coastal sand dunes. Although an arachnid, it is one of New Zealand's m...

Blattodea

Ethiopian Cockroach

Deropeltis erythrocephala

A striking cockroach with a bright reddish-orange head contrasting with its black body. It is native to East Africa....

Blattodea

Globe-nosed Nasute Termite

Nasutitermes nigriceps

A tree-nesting nasute termite from Central and South America that builds dark carton nests high in trees. Soldiers have ...

Blattodea

Grenada Tree Termite

Nasutitermes costalis

A common tree-nesting termite found across the Caribbean. It builds large dark carton nests on tree trunks and branches....

Blattodea

Halloween Hisser

Elliptorhina laevigata

A striking cockroach with dark brown and orange-black coloring. Its smooth pronotum and contrasting colors make it visua...

Blattodea

Ivory-headed Cockroach

Eublaberus posticus

A large cockroach with a distinctive cream-colored pronotum contrasting with dark brown wings. It is a burrowing species...

Blattodea

Javanese Subterranean Termite

Schedorhinotermes javanicus

A subterranean termite found throughout Southeast Asia with a distinctive dimorphic soldier caste consisting of both maj...

Blattodea

Nigerian Snouted Termite

Trinervitermes oeconomus

A grass-harvesting nasute termite found across West African savannas, building small dome-shaped mounds. Colonies play a...

Blattodea

Orientalis Subterranean Termite

Reticulitermes speratus

The most economically important termite in Japan, causing significant damage to traditional wooden buildings and temples...

Blattodea

Snapping Termite

Termes hospes

An African soil-feeding termite common in forest and savanna soils. Soldiers possess powerful snapping mandibles that ca...

Blattodea

Trinervitermes Nasute Termite

Trinervitermes trinervoides

A grass-harvesting nasute termite of southern Africa that builds small dome-shaped mounds in grasslands. Soldiers have p...

Blattodea

Tumulitermes Mound Termite

Tumulitermes pastinator

An Australian grass-harvesting termite that builds small columnar mounds in tropical savannas. Workers forage in open co...

Coleoptera

Asian Lady Beetle (Harlequin)

Harmonia yedoensis

A large ladybug native to Japan, closely related to the invasive Asian lady beetle. Found in forest canopies where it fe...

Coleoptera

Banded Aridaeus

Aridaeus thoracicus

A medium-sized Australian cerambycid with a bright orange pronotum contrasting with dark brown elytra. It is found in eu...

Coleoptera

Bates' Rosalia

Rosalia batesi

A rare and beautiful longhorn beetle with pale lavender-grey elytra and contrasting black spots, found in the temperate ...

Coleoptera

Birch Leaf Beetle

Chrysomela collaris

A handsome beetle with dark metallic blue-black elytra and a contrasting bright red pronotum. It is found on birch trees...

Coleoptera

Blood-red Click Beetle

Ampedus sanguinolentus

A striking click beetle with deep blood-red elytra and a black head and pronotum. Larvae develop in the decaying heartwo...

Coleoptera

Blue-winged Rove Beetle

Platydracus chalcocephalus

A handsome rove beetle with a metallic blue-green head and pronotum contrasting with brown elytra. It is found in wooded...

Coleoptera

Compost Rove Beetle

Oxytelus laqueatus

A small, broad oxytelline rove beetle with a distinctively sculptured pronotum bearing deep grooves. It is abundant in c...

Coleoptera

Dark Soldier Beetle

Cantharis obscura

A dark-colored European soldier beetle often found on umbelliferous flowers. Its entirely dark elytra distinguish it fro...

Coleoptera

Drugstore Beetle

Stegobium paniceum

A stored product pest once found infesting pharmaceutical herb collections....

Coleoptera

Giraffe Weevil

Trachelophorus giraffa

Named for its extraordinary elongated neck, which is 2-3 times longer in males. Found only in Madagascar. Males use thei...

Coleoptera

Golden Reed Beetle

Donacia vulgaris

A slender, metallic beetle with golden to coppery-green coloration and elongated antennae. It is commonly found resting ...

Coleoptera

Hairy Christmas Beetle

Anoplognathus hirsutus

A densely hairy golden-brown Christmas beetle found in southeastern Australia. The fine hairs covering its body distingu...

Coleoptera

Littoral Dung Beetle

Helictopleurus littoralis

A dung beetle adapted to coastal and lowland environments, distinguished from forest relatives by its slightly flatter b...

Coleoptera

Malaysian Trilobite Beetle

Platerodrilus ruficollis

A bizarre beetle whose larviform females retain a flat, segmented larval appearance throughout life, resembling ancient ...

Coleoptera

Miles' Longhorn

Cerambyx miles

A large dark brown longhorn found in old oak forests around the Mediterranean basin, often confused with C. cerdo but di...

Coleoptera

Miyama Stag Beetle (Korean)

Lucanus maculifemoratus dybowskyi

The Korean subspecies of the Miyama stag beetle, distinguished by subtle differences in mandible shape and body proporti...

Coleoptera

Neotropical Rove Beetle

Xanthopygus cognatus

A large, strikingly colored rove beetle with a bright orange pronotum contrasting with black elytra and head. It is one ...

Coleoptera

Red-legged Shieldback Ground Beetle

Badister bullatus

A small, attractively colored ground beetle with a reddish-orange head and legs contrasting with dark elytra. It is a sn...

Coleoptera

Rough-Skinned Diving Beetle

Dytiscus lapponicus

A large diving beetle of northern and alpine regions across Europe and Asia. Both sexes have finely sculptured elytra, d...

Coleoptera

Six-spined Engraver Beetle

Ips calligraphus

A pine-infesting bark beetle found across eastern North America. It is named for the six spine-like teeth on its rear wi...

Coleoptera

Trilobite Beetle

Duliticola hoiseni

Females are large, larviform, and look strikingly like trilobites from the Paleozoic era. Males are tiny conventional-lo...

Coleoptera

Two-colored Quedius

Quedius cruentus

A medium-sized rove beetle with a metallic dark head and pronotum contrasting with blood-red elytra. It inhabits montane...

Coleoptera

Vacca Dung Beetle

Onthophagus vacca

A small coppery-green to bronze tunneler with a broad head and short horns in males. It is a common pasture dung beetle ...

Coleoptera

Yellow-Clubbed Burying Beetle

Nicrophorus investigator

A burying beetle distinguished by its orange-tipped antennal clubs and broad orange elytral bands. It is found across th...

Coleoptera

Yellow-shouldered Christmas Beetle

Anoplognathus chloropyrus

A medium-sized Christmas beetle recognisable by its yellowish-green pronotum contrasting with darker brown elytra. It is...

Dermaptera

Bat Earwig

Arixenia esau

A remarkable wingless earwig that lives exclusively in bat caves, clinging to the bodies and roosting areas of naked bul...

Dermaptera

Hop-Garden Earwig

Forficula lesnei

A small earwig closely related to the European earwig but distinguished by its shorter wing cases. It is found in southe...

Diptera

African Horse Fly

Tabanus biguttatus

A large tropical horse fly that transmits animal trypanosomiasis in Africa. It is an important veterinary pest across su...

Diptera

African Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles funestus

A major malaria vector in sub-Saharan Africa whose larvae develop in slow-moving stream margins. Prefers shaded, vegetat...

Diptera

American Horse Fly

Tabanus americanus

One of the largest horse flies in North America with a dark brown body and conspicuous green or purple iridescent eyes. ...

Diptera

Arabiensis Mosquito

Anopheles arabiensis

A member of the Anopheles gambiae complex that thrives in drier, more arid conditions. It feeds on both humans and cattl...

Diptera

Arctic Mosquito

Aedes nigripes

A large, dark-bodied mosquito common across the Arctic tundra. Females emerge in enormous swarms after snowmelt to blood...

Diptera

Asian Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles stephensi

An urban malaria mosquito that breeds in water storage tanks and cisterns. It is the primary malaria vector in Indian an...

Diptera

Asian Tiger Mosquito

Aedes albopictus

A striking black mosquito with a single white stripe down the thorax and banded legs. It is a highly invasive species sp...

Diptera

Australian Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles farauti

A pale-winged Anopheles mosquito that is the dominant malaria vector in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanua...

Diptera

Australian March Fly

Bibio imitator

A robust black bibionid fly that appears in large numbers during the Australian autumn. It has a hairy body and is a slu...

Diptera

Australian Stiletto Fly

Anabarhynchus bilineatus

A slender gray stiletto fly with two pale longitudinal stripes on the thorax and a distinctly tapered abdomen. It is com...

Diptera

Autumn Horse Fly

Tabanus autumnalis

A large greyish horse fly active in late summer and autumn. It has striking green-banded eyes and a persistent biting ha...

Diptera

Band-eyed Brown Horse Fly

Tabanus bromius

A common European horse fly with distinctive banded eyes. It is one of the most frequent biters of cattle across Europe....

Diptera

Biting Midge

Culicoides impunctatus

A tiny, gray, blood-sucking fly notorious in Scotland and Scandinavia as the Highland midge. Swarms can be so dense they...

Diptera

Biting Midge (No-See-Um)

Culicoides imicola

A tiny biting midge that is the primary Old World vector of bluetongue virus and African horse sickness virus. It breeds...

Diptera

Black Horse Fly

Tabanus atratus

A very large entirely black horse fly and one of the biggest flies in North America. Females are persistent blood-feeder...

Diptera

Black-Tailed Deer Fly

Chrysops niger

A small dark deer fly with mostly blackened wings and green iridescent eyes. It is an aggressive daytime biter commonly ...

Diptera

Blandford Fly

Simulium posticatum

A notorious black fly that causes severe allergic reactions with its bite around the Blandford area of Dorset. Females n...

Diptera

Bot Fly

Dermatobia hominis

Parasitic fly whose larvae develop under the skin of mammals including humans. Female captures a mosquito and glues eggs...

Diptera

Brevipalpis Tsetse Fly

Glossina brevipalpis

The largest species of tsetse fly, with a robust body and short palps from which its name derives. It inhabits thicket a...

Diptera

Buffalo Fly

Haematobia irritans exigua

A small blood-feeding fly closely related to the horn fly, found primarily in Southeast Asia and Australia. It is a majo...

Diptera

Chagasi Sandfly

Lutzomyia evansi

A small sandfly found in northern Colombia and Venezuela that is an important vector of Leishmania infantum chagasi, cau...

Diptera

Common Bat Fly

Basilia nana

A tiny, completely wingless spider-like fly that parasitizes bats. Its body is so highly modified for ectoparasitism tha...

Diptera

Common Gnat

Culex modestus

A small brownish mosquito widespread across Europe and Central Asia that breeds in marshes and rice paddies. It is a com...

Diptera

Common House Mosquito

Culex pipiens

A ubiquitous pale brown mosquito found in urban and suburban environments. It is the primary vector of West Nile virus i...

Diptera

Common Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles quadrimaculatus

A freshwater mosquito that was the primary malaria vector in the eastern United States. Larvae float horizontally at the...

Diptera

Congo Floor Maggot Fly

Auchmeromyia senegalensis

A yellowish-brown blow fly whose larvae are unique among Diptera in being temporary ectoparasites that feed on sleeping ...

Diptera

Dark Giant Horse Fly

Tabanus sudeticus

The largest horse fly in the British Isles, dark brown with a robust build. Females deliver an extremely painful bite to...

Diptera

Deer Fly (Chrysops)

Chrysops silacea

A medium-sized fly with striking patterned wings and bright green eyes. It is the primary vector of Loa loa, the African...

Diptera

Deer Ked

Lipoptena cervi

A flattened, reddish-brown blood-sucking fly that sheds its wings upon finding a deer host. It clings tenaciously to the...

Diptera

Dimidiata Deer Fly

Chrysops dimidiata

A medium-sized deer fly with distinctly banded wings, found in West African rainforests. It serves as a secondary vector...

Diptera

Dotted Bee Fly

Bombylius discolor

A spring-flying bee fly distinguished from its commoner relative by spotted wings and a darker fur coat. Its larvae para...

Diptera

Eastern Tree Hole Mosquito

Aedes triseriatus

A forest mosquito that breeds in water-filled tree holes and discarded tires. It is the primary vector of La Crosse ence...

Diptera

Elephant Mosquito

Toxorhynchites rutilus

A large, iridescent blue-green mosquito whose adults do not bite. Larvae are predators of other mosquito larvae in tree ...

Diptera

European Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles atroparvus

A medium-sized Anopheles mosquito that was the principal malaria vector in northern Europe before the disease was elimin...

Diptera

Fusca Tsetse Fly

Glossina fusca

A large, dark-colored tsetse fly that inhabits dense forest environments. It feeds primarily on wild forest animals and ...

Diptera

Gallinipper Mosquito

Psorophora ciliata

One of the largest mosquitoes in North America, with shaggy legs covered in dark and pale scales. It delivers an excepti...

Diptera

Glacier Black Fly

Prosimulium alpestre

A small black fly whose larvae develop in fast-flowing alpine streams. Adults are among the earliest insects active afte...

Diptera

Glacier Midge

Diamesa steinboecki

A remarkable midge that completes its entire life cycle in glacial streams at temperatures near 0C. Represents one of th...

Diptera

Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly

Glossina austeni

A small, dark-colored tsetse fly found in coastal forests and thickets of East Africa. It is a vector of both human and ...

Diptera

Golubatz Fly

Simulium colombaschense

A historically devastating European black fly named after the Serbian town of Golubac. Larvae develop in the fast waters...

Diptera

Greater Bee Fly

Bombylius canescens

A pale greyish bee fly with a long proboscis and clear wings. It parasitizes ground-nesting bees in arid Mediterranean h...

Diptera

Greenhead Horse Fly

Tabanus nigrovittatus

A coastal salt marsh horse fly with bright green eyes. It is the most abundant biting fly along the Atlantic coast of No...

Diptera

Hawaiian Picture-wing Fly (Grimshawi)

Drosophila grimshawi

One of the iconic Hawaiian picture-wing Drosophila, distinguished by elaborate dark patterning on its wings. It breeds i...

Diptera

Horn Fly

Haematobia irritans

A small blood-feeding fly that spends almost its entire life on cattle. It clusters at the base of horns and along the b...

Diptera

Horse Fly

Tabanus bovinus

A large, stout fly with huge iridescent compound eyes that display rainbow patterns. Only females bite, using scissor-li...

Diptera

Indian Sand Fly

Phlebotomus argentipes

A tiny, hairy fly with a distinctive humpbacked appearance and large, upturned wings held erect at rest. It is the prima...

Diptera

Indian Tse Tse-like Fly

Hippobosca maculata

A flattened, leathery ectoparasitic fly that feeds on the blood of horses, cattle, and dogs. It has powerful claws for g...

Diptera

Inland Floodwater Mosquito

Aedes vexans

One of the most widespread and abundant mosquitoes globally, with a brownish body and narrow white bands on the hind tar...

Diptera

Intermedia Sandfly

Lutzomyia intermedia

A tiny sandfly found in southeastern Brazil that is a major vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Atlantic Forest regions...

Diptera

Japanese Encephalitis Mosquito

Culex tritaeniorhynchus

A medium-sized brownish mosquito with a pale band on the proboscis that is the primary vector of Japanese encephalitis v...

Diptera

Korean Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles sinensis

A medium-sized mosquito with spotted wings that breeds in rice paddies across East Asia. It is a vector of Plasmodium vi...

Diptera

Longipalpis Sandfly

Lutzomyia longipalpis

A small, pale-brown sandfly that is the most important vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. Males produce s...

Diptera

Louse Fly

Hippobosca equina

A flattened bloodsucking fly parasite of horses and cattle with powerful clawed legs for clinging to fur. Adults are inc...

Diptera

Lutzomyia Sand Fly (Whitmani)

Lutzomyia whitmani

A small sandfly that is the major vector of Leishmania braziliensis, which causes mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil....

Diptera

Maculipennis Complex Mosquito

Anopheles maculipennis

A medium-sized mosquito that is the type species of a complex of at least eight sibling species across Europe and wester...

Diptera

Melas Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles melas

The West African saltwater-breeding member of the Anopheles gambiae complex, breeding in mangrove swamps and brackish la...

Diptera

Merus Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles merus

A saltwater-breeding member of the Anopheles gambiae complex found along the East African coast. It breeds in brackish p...

Diptera

Minimus Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles minimus

A small mosquito found along the foothills and valleys of Southeast Asia, breeding in slow-moving, clear streams. It has...

Diptera

Mosquito

Aedes aegypti

A vector for dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and chikungunya. Only females bite, needing blood protein for egg development. ...

Diptera

New Zealand Sandfly

Austrosimulium ungulatum

A small black fly endemic to New Zealand that inflicts painful bites, particularly notorious in the South Island's West ...

Diptera

Northern House Mosquito

Aedes hexodontus

A dark-colored Arctic mosquito with distinctive banding on the abdomen. It breeds in tundra pools and is a major pest sp...

Diptera

Notch-horned Cleg

Haematopota pluvialis

A grey horse fly with mottled wings that approaches silently before biting. It is one of the most common biting flies in...

Diptera

Ochraceum Black Fly

Simulium ochraceum

A small orangish-brown black fly that is the principal vector of onchocerciasis in Central America and southern Mexico. ...

Diptera

Onchocerciasis Black Fly

Simulium damnosum

The primary vector of river blindness in West and Central Africa. Larvae thrive in oxygen-rich rapids of tropical rivers...

Diptera

Ozark Stiletto Fly

Thereva frontalis

A medium-sized stiletto fly with a grayish body covered in fine pale hairs and clear wings. It is commonly found resting...

Diptera

Pallidipes Tsetse Fly

Glossina pallidipes

A large savanna tsetse fly with a distinctive pale brownish coloration, found in woodland habitats of East Africa. It is...

Diptera

Pedician Crane Fly

Pedicia rivosa

A large, mottled-winged crane fly whose predatory larvae hunt invertebrates in wet mud and stream margins. Adults are of...

Diptera

Peruvian Sandfly

Phlebotomus perniciosus

A small sandfly found across the Mediterranean basin that is the primary vector of Leishmania infantum, which causes vis...

Diptera

Pigeon Louse Fly

Pseudolynchia canariensis

A flattened, tough-bodied blood-sucking fly found on pigeons and doves worldwide. It has a leathery appearance, strong c...

Diptera

Polynesian Tiger Mosquito

Aedes polynesiensis

A dark mosquito with white markings found across the South Pacific islands. It is an important vector of lymphatic filar...

Diptera

Rain Fly

Haematopota crassicornis

A medium-sized cleg with mottled grey wings and iridescent green eyes. It is most active in humid overcast weather befor...

Diptera

Rift Valley Fever Mosquito

Aedes mcintoshi

A medium-sized mosquito found in the floodplains and dambos of East Africa. It is an important primary vector of Rift Va...

Diptera

Rosette Gall Midge

Dasineura urticae

A tiny midge that causes distinctive rosette galls on the tips of stinging nettles. The growing tip is stunted and swoll...

Diptera

Saltmarsh Mosquito

Aedes sollicitans

A golden-brown mosquito that breeds in enormous numbers in coastal salt marshes. It is a strong flier capable of traveli...

Diptera

Sand Fly

Phlebotomus papatasi

A tiny, hairy, yellowish fly with large dark eyes and wings held in a V-shape above the body. Females feed on blood and ...

Diptera

Sand Gnat

Culicoides furens

A very small biting midge commonly known as a no-see-um due to its near-invisible size. Despite being barely visible, it...

Diptera

Screwworm Fly

Cochliomyia hominivorax

A devastating parasitic fly whose larvae feed on living tissue of warm-blooded animals. It was eradicated from North Ame...

Diptera

Sergenti Sandfly

Phlebotomus sergenti

A small sandfly with a broad geographic range across the Old World, serving as the vector of Leishmania tropica, which c...

Diptera

Sheep Ked

Melophagus ovinus

A completely wingless, tick-like blood-sucking fly that lives permanently in sheep wool. Its flattened body and strong c...

Diptera

Silvius Horse Fly

Silvius alpinus

A small brownish horse fly found in mountain forests and alpine meadows. It is one of the few horse flies adapted to hig...

Diptera

Sonorensis Biting Midge

Culicoides sonorensis

A small biting midge that is the primary vector of bluetongue virus and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus in North Ame...

Diptera

South American Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles darlingi

A medium-sized mosquito that is the most important malaria vector in the Amazon Basin and Central America. It is highly ...

Diptera

Southeast Asian Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles dirus

A forest-dwelling mosquito with dark wings and a strong preference for biting humans. It is the primary malaria vector i...

Diptera

Southern House Mosquito

Culex quinquefasciatus

A tropical and subtropical mosquito that breeds in polluted water. It transmits lymphatic filariasis and is a major nuis...

Diptera

Stable Fly

Stomoxys calcitrans

A blood-feeding fly that closely resembles the house fly but has a prominent piercing proboscis. It is a painful biter o...

Diptera

Striped Deer Fly

Chrysops vittatus

A small deer fly with distinctive dark bands across its wings and bright green and gold patterned eyes. Females are pers...

Diptera

Striped Horse Fly

Tabanus lineola

A medium-sized horse fly with a pale dorsal stripe on the abdomen. Females are persistent blood-feeders on livestock and...

Diptera

Sundaicus Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles sundaicus

A coastal malaria vector that breeds in brackish water lagoons and fishponds across Southeast Asia. It is an important v...

Diptera

Swallow Louse Fly

Ornithomya avicularia

A flattened, brownish winged louse fly that parasitizes a wide range of bird species. It moves rapidly through feathers ...

Diptera

Sweet Itch Midge

Culicoides obsoletus

A tiny dark biting midge with patterned wings that causes an allergic skin condition called sweet itch in horses. It bre...

Diptera

Tapered Drone Fly

Eristalis pertinax

A large hoverfly resembling a honeybee but distinguished by its yellow-tipped front tarsi. It is active from early sprin...

Diptera

Tsetse Fly

Glossina morsitans

Vector of African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis). Unlike most flies, females give live birth to a single large larv...

Diptera

Tsetse Fly (Forest)

Glossina palpalis

A major vector of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). Unique among flies for giving live birth to a single larg...

Diptera

Tundra Mosquito

Aedes impiger

A small but abundant Arctic mosquito with dark body and pale leg bands. It is one of the most northerly distributed mosq...

Diptera

Turkey Gnat

Simulium meridionale

A black fly notorious for swarming livestock in the southern United States. Larvae attach to rocks in swift streams usin...

Diptera

Twin-lobed Deer Fly

Chrysops relictus

A golden-green eyed deer fly with distinctive dark wing markings. It breeds in peaty wetlands and bogs across northern r...

Diptera

Two-banded Wasp Hoverfly

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

A striking wasp-mimicking hoverfly with bold yellow and black banding. Distinguished from wasps by its hovering flight a...

Diptera

Western Encephalitis Mosquito

Culex tarsalis

A medium-sized mosquito with a distinctive white band on the proboscis and banded legs. It is the most important vector ...

Diptera

White-Stockinged Black Fly

Simulium vittatum

A widespread black fly species complex with distinctive white-banded legs. Larvae colonize almost any flowing water from...

Diptera

Window Gnat

Sylvicola fenestralis

A small, delicate fly with dark-spotted wings often found resting on windows and walls. Larvae develop in fermenting org...

Diptera

Wohlfahrt's Wound Fly

Wohlfahrtia magnifica

A large, gray flesh fly with dark spots on the abdomen that is an obligate parasite of warm-blooded animals in the Old W...

Diptera

Woodland Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles punctulatus

A major malaria vector in the southwest Pacific with spotted wings. It breeds in sunlit ground pools and temporary puddl...

Diptera

Yellow Fever Mosquito (Forest Form)

Aedes africanus

A dark forest mosquito that maintains the sylvatic cycle of yellow fever virus among monkeys in African tropical forests...

Diptera

Yellow Fly

Diachlorus ferrugatus

A medium-sized yellowish horse fly notorious for its aggressive biting. It is particularly abundant in the coastal south...

Hemiptera

Australian Harlequin Bug

Dindymus versicolor

A small but conspicuous red and black bug that often aggregates in large numbers on tree trunks, fences, and walls durin...

Hemiptera

Barn Swallow Bug

Oeciacus vicarius

A cimicid ectoparasite of cliff swallows and barn swallows in North America. It can bite humans in buildings after swall...

Hemiptera

Bed Bug

Cimex lectularius

Obligate blood-feeding parasites of humans. Can survive up to a year without feeding. Have made a dramatic worldwide res...

Hemiptera

Black Corsair

Melanolestes picipes

A shiny black, robust assassin bug found across North America. It is nocturnal and commonly attracted to lights near bui...

Hemiptera

Cassini Periodical Cicada

Magicicada cassini

A 17-year periodical cicada distinguished from related species by its all-black underside and distinctive buzzing call. ...

Hemiptera

Cicada Assassin Bug

Pselliopus barberi

A colorful orange and black assassin bug that specializes in hunting cicadas. It uses its powerful raptorial forelegs an...

Hemiptera

Clanger Cicada

Psaltoda claripennis

A medium-sized cicada known for its sharp, metallic clapping call that distinguishes it from other Australian cicadas. I...

Hemiptera

Conenose Bug

Triatoma protracta

A kissing bug native to the western United States that commonly enters homes to feed on sleeping residents. Its bite can...

Hemiptera

Corsair Assassin Bug

Rasahus hamatus

A nocturnal assassin bug found across the Americas that is attracted to lights. Its painful bite is often mistaken for a...

Hemiptera

Creeping Water Bug

Ilyocoris cimicoides

A robust aquatic bug that crawls along pond bottoms and delivers a painful bite....

Hemiptera

Dark Kissing Bug

Panstrongylus megistus

A large triatomine bug and important Chagas disease vector in Brazil. It has adapted to live in both sylvatic and domest...

Hemiptera

Derbid Planthopper

Anotia bonnetii

A delicate planthopper with elongated, paddle-shaped wings held flat over the body. It is pale yellowish-green and often...

Hemiptera

Eastern Bat Bug

Cimex adjunctus

A blood-feeding ectoparasite primarily of bats in eastern North America. It can bite humans when bat colonies are remove...

Hemiptera

Eastern Toe-biter

Benacus griseus

A very large, flattened brown water bug found in eastern North America. Males carry eggs on their backs until they hatch...

Hemiptera

European Bat Bug

Cimex pipistrelli

A cimicid bug that parasitizes pipistrelle and other bat species across Europe. It may invade living spaces when bats va...

Hemiptera

Geniculatus Kissing Bug

Panstrongylus geniculatus

A large, widespread triatomine found from Mexico to Argentina that typically inhabits armadillo burrows. It has been imp...

Hemiptera

Giant Water Bug

Lethocerus americanus

One of the largest true bugs. Powerful predator that catches fish, frogs, and even small snakes. Males carry eggs on the...

Hemiptera

Indian Treehopper

Leptocentrus taurus

A small, dark sap-sucking insect with a spectacular thorn-shaped pronotum that provides perfect camouflage on thorny bra...

Hemiptera

Kissing Bug

Rhodnius prolixus

The principal vector of Chagas disease in Latin America. Named because it bites sleeping humans near the mouth and eyes,...

Hemiptera

Long-tailed Mealybug

Pseudococcus longispinus

A waxy white mealybug distinguished by long tail filaments that can equal or exceed its body length. It infests ornament...

Hemiptera

Mexican Kissing Bug

Triatoma dimidiata

A major Chagas disease vector in Central America and Mexico found in both domestic and peridomestic habitats. Adults are...

Hemiptera

Pallid Kissing Bug

Triatoma pallidipennis

A Chagas disease vector found in central and southwestern Mexico. It readily colonizes human dwellings in rural areas....

Hemiptera

Penthicodes Lanternfly

Penthicodes pulchella

A strikingly beautiful Southeast Asian lanternfly with iridescent blue-green forewings and contrasting red-orange hindwi...

Hemiptera

Pigeon Bug

Cimex columbarius

A cimicid ectoparasite of pigeons and doves found in nest sites and dovecotes across Europe. It can bite humans in build...

Hemiptera

Pink Wax Scale Whitefly

Aleurocanthus woglumi

Known as the citrus blackfly, this whitefly has dark sooty-colored pupae that distinguish it from other whitefly species...

Hemiptera

Planthopper

Flatida rosea

A delicate, pinkish-white planthopper that closely resembles a flower petal when resting on vegetation. Nymphs produce w...

Hemiptera

Triatoma brasiliensis

Triatoma brasiliensis

The most important Chagas disease vector in the semi-arid Caatinga region of northeastern Brazil. It thrives in rocky ou...

Hemiptera

Triatoma gerstaeckeri

Triatoma gerstaeckeri

The most common kissing bug in Texas, frequently found infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. It inhabits woodrat nests and re...

Hemiptera

Triatoma lecticularia

Triatoma lecticularia

A kissing bug found across the southeastern United States that occasionally invades homes. Its name references its histo...

Hemiptera

Triatoma rubida

Triatoma rubida

A reddish-brown kissing bug found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It frequently enters homes and its bite ...

Hemiptera

Tropical Bed Bug

Cimex hemipterus

A tropical relative of the common bed bug that also feeds on human blood. It is the dominant bed bug species in many par...

Hemiptera

Western Corsair

Rasahus thoracicus

A large, dark brown assassin bug found in western North America that occasionally enters homes and can deliver an intens...

Hemiptera

Wheel Bug

Arilus cristatus

The largest assassin bug in North America, named for the distinctive cogwheel-shaped crest on its thorax. It delivers an...

Hymenoptera

African Bulldog Ant

Myrmecia regularis

A large aggressive ant with excellent vision and powerful mandibles. It can leap and deliver a painful sting when threat...

Hymenoptera

African Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa caffra

A large robust bee with a shiny black body and yellowish thoracic hair in males. It excavates nesting tunnels in dead wo...

Hymenoptera

African Stingless Bee

Meliponula bocandei

A small dark stingless bee that nests in tree hollows and produces a prized thin honey. Colonies can number several thou...

Hymenoptera

African Stink Ant

Paltothyreus tarsatus

A very large black ponerine ant that releases a foul-smelling secretion when disturbed. It is one of Africa's most consp...

Hymenoptera

Amazonian Giant Ant

Pachycondyla villosa

A large, hairy black ponerine ant with a powerful sting and strong mandibles. It is a solitary ground forager that hunts...

Hymenoptera

American Cuckoo Wasp

Chrysis angolensis

A metallic green and blue cuckoo wasp found across sub-Saharan Africa. It parasitizes mud-nesting wasps and bees on rock...

Hymenoptera

Asian Giant Hornet

Vespa mandarinia

The worlds largest hornet. A single colony can kill an entire hive of 30,000 honey bees in just a few hours. Their venom...

Hymenoptera

Asian Needle Ant

Brachyponera chinensis

An invasive East Asian ant spreading through the southeastern US. Its sting causes anaphylaxis more frequently than nati...

Hymenoptera

Asian Proceratium

Proceratium japonicum

A small cryptic ant found in Japanese and East Asian forests with the characteristic forward-curving gaster. It is rarel...

Hymenoptera

Asian Velvet Ant

Smicromyrme rufipes

A small to medium velvet ant with reddish legs and black body found across southern Asia. It parasitizes various ground-...

Hymenoptera

Australian Bull Ant

Myrmecia pyriformis

A large aggressive ant with excellent vision and a powerful venomous sting, capable of jumping toward intruders. It has ...

Hymenoptera

Australian Velvet Ant

Ephutomorpha queenslandica

An Australian wingless wasp with orange and black velvety coloring. It parasitizes ground-nesting native bees in tropica...

Hymenoptera

Bean Aphid Parasite

Lysiphlebus fabarum

A minute braconid wasp that parasitizes black bean aphids and related species. Some populations reproduce asexually, con...

Hymenoptera

Bicolored Pennant Ant

Tetraponera rufonigra

A large, slender arboreal ant with a painful sting found across tropical Asia. Workers are bicolored with an orange head...

Hymenoptera

Black and Gold Velvet Ant

Dasymutilla nigripes

A medium-sized velvet ant with golden-orange hair on the thorax contrasting with its black legs and abdomen. It is found...

Hymenoptera

Blue Ant

Diamma bicolor

Despite its name, the Blue Ant is actually a wingless flower wasp, not an ant. Females are metallic blue-green with a po...

Hymenoptera

Blue Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa caerulea

A striking large bee with brilliant blue iridescent coloring. Nests in dead wood by boring tunnels. Despite their intimi...

Hymenoptera

Blue Cuckoo Wasp

Trichrysis cyanea

A uniformly deep blue metallic cuckoo wasp found across Europe and Asia. It parasitizes various cavity-nesting wasps and...

Hymenoptera

Blue Mason Bee

Osmia caerulescens

A small, metallic blue-black solitary bee that nests in pre-existing cavities in wood and walls. It is common in gardens...

Hymenoptera

Blue Orchard Bee

Osmia lignaria

A metallic dark blue solitary bee that nests in pre-existing holes in wood. It is an exceptionally efficient pollinator ...

Hymenoptera

Brazilian Stingless Bee

Melipona quadrifasciata

A robust stingless bee with a dark body and four pale abdominal bands. It is the most culturally important stingless bee...

Hymenoptera

Brazilian Wanderer Spider Wasp

Pepsis fabricius

A large metallic blue-black spider wasp with bright orange wings that hunts tarantulas as food for its larvae. The femal...

Hymenoptera

Bulldog Ant

Myrmecia gulosa

A large aggressive ant with long mandibles and excellent vision found in Australia. It can jump and sting simultaneously...

Hymenoptera

Bullet Ant

Paraponera clavata

Named for its extremely painful sting, rated 4+ on the Schmidt Pain Index. Indigenous Satere-Mawe people use them in war...