The Silk Moth (Bombyx mori) is an insect in the Bombycidae family of silk moths.
The Silk Moth has a heavy, bristly body and small wings. It is fair to light brown with thin dark bands across its body. Its wings are cream-coloured. It is not capable of sustained flight – it is only airborne for a short time.
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The Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is a small insect in the Drosophilidae family of flies. It is also known as the Vinegar Fly.
The Fruit Fly is yellow-brown with red eyes and black rings on its abdomen. The male has a black patch on its abdomen.
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The African Giant Mosquito (Toxorhynchites brevipalpis) is a small insect from the Culicidae family of mosquitoes. It is also known as the Elephant Mosquito or the Mosquito Eater.
The African Giant Mosquito has a black body with white bands on its silvery-black legs. It has bushy antennae and compound eyes. It has a dark-coloured proboscis (long nose) for sucking sap from trees.
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The Eyed Longhorn Beetle (Oberea oculata) is an insect in the Cerambycidae family of longhorn beetles. It is also known as the Eyed Longicorn.
The Eyed Longhorn Beetle has an elongated, brown body with brown wing cases called elytra. It has an orange thorax and underbelly. It has two black dots on its pronotum (the section behind its head). It has a shiny black head with long, black antennae.
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The Protaetia Beetle (Cetonia aeruginosa or Protaetia aeruginosa) is an insect in the Scarabaeidae family of chafers. It is related to the Scarab Beetle.
The Protaetia Beetle has an oval body with six legs. It is metallic iridescent green with a copper-brown head. Its underbelly is coppery brown. The male has dents on its wing cases, whereas the female has fewer or no dents. Its wing cases protect its wings.
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The Small White Butterfly (Pieris rapae rapae) is a small insect in the Pieridae family of white and yellow butterflies. It is also known as the Small Cabbage White.
The Small White Butterfly has a white upperside—the male is creamy-white and the female is brighter white – with light-black tips on its forewings (front wings). The female has two large black spots in the middle of its forewings and the male has a small black spot on both its forewings and hind (back) wings. Its underside is yellowish with black speckles. It has club-shaped antennae.
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The Yellowjacket Hoverfly (Milesia virginieusis) is an insect in the Syrphidae family of hoverflies. It is also known as the Virginia Flower Fly or the Syrphid Fly. It is a syrphid. It is also a pollinator. It is related to the Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax).
The Yellowjacket Hoverfly looks like a hornet, bee, or wasp, but it does not have a stinger on its tail. It is harmless. It is bright, glossy yellow with dark bands on its abdomen. It has six short yellowish legs. It has very large, black compound eyes. It has one pair of translucent (clear, see-through) wings with dark veins.
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What is an instar?
An instar is the development stage of an insect between each stage of moulting, or shedding its skin.
For example, each stage from egg to larvae (grub) to pupa (chrysalis or cocoon) to an adult insect, as an insect undergoes metamorphosis, is called an instar.
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The Two-Spotted Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata) is a small insect in the Coccinellidae family of ladybird beetles. It is also known as the Two Spotted Lady Beetle or the Two Spotted Ladybug.
The Two-Spotted Ladybird Beetle can have a red or a yellow body with two black spots on its elytra (two wing cases). Its body is oval-shaped and slightly domed. Its wings are hidden underneath the wing cases. It has black compound eyes. Its antennae are light-brown, quite long, and slightly thickened at the ends. Its neck shield usually covers the head and has white spots. It has little black legs.
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The Asiatic Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) is a small insect in the Scarabaeidae family of scarab beetles. It is also known as the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle or the Coconut Palm Rhinoceros Beetle.
The Asiatic Rhinoceros Beetle is glossy black with a blue-green sheen, and a large horn, like the horn of a rhinoceros. It has black wing cases, called elytra. Each wing case (elytron) is covered with white wax and a number of small nodules or lumps. Its antennae are short. It has spikey hairs on its six legs.
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The Greenbottle Fly (Lucilia caesar) is a small insect in the Calliphoridae family of blow flies. It is also known as the Common Greenbottle Fly.
The Greenbottle Fly has a metallic iridescent green colour on its thorax and abdomen. It has bright orange cheeks. It has black bristles (small hairs) on its body.
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The Common Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga carnaria) is a small insect in the Sarcophagidae family of flies.
The Common Flesh Fly has a black and grey body with longitudinal stripes on its thorax (chest) with a bristled, chequered abdomen. It has large red compound eyes. It has six black legs and translucent, lightly veined wings.
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The Amazon Butterfly (Coenophlebia archidona) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family of butterflies.
The Amazon Butterfly has orange-brown wings with black-brown tips on the fore (front) wings. It looks like a leaf, so it is well-camouflaged. The front wings have a hook shape.
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The Montrouzier’s Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio montrouzieri) is a large insect in the family of swallowtail butterflies.
The Montrouzier’s Ulysses Butterfly has iridescent electric blue wings with brown-black edges. It has forked hind (back) wings. Its underside is brown-black. The female has crescent-shaped blue markings on her hind wings. Its body is brown-black with long antennae.
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What is the difference between a chrysalis, a cocoon and a pupa?
A chrysalis is the pupal casing of butterflies. A butterfly caterpillar pupates into a chrysalis, and an adult butterfly emerges.
A cocoon is the pupal casing made of moths and other insect larvae. A moth caterpillar pupates into a cocoon, and an adult moth emerges.
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