Species Guide - Invertebrates

INVERTEBRATES TAXONOMY STRUCTURES

Invertebrates are divided into the categores of Insects, Spiders, Other Arthropods and Other Invertebrates. These are level one categories. These categories are then divided into sub-categories. For example, Insects are divided into Ants, Bees, Beetles, Butterflies etc. These are called level two categories. Again some of these are further divided into lower level sub-categories. For example, Beetles are divided into Click Beetles, Darkling Beetles, Carab Beetles etc. These are level three Categories.

INSECTS

Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Bees (Hymenoptera, Apiformes)

Beetles (Coleoptera)

…….Click beetles (Elateridae)

…….Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae)

…….Carab beetles (Carabidae)

…….Jewel beetles (Buprestidae)

…….Lady beetles (Coccinellidae)

…….Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae)

…….Longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae)

…….Scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae)

…….Stag beetles (Lucanidae)

…….Water beetles (several families)

…….Weevils (Curculionoidea)

…….Other beetles

…….Checkered Beetles (Cleridae)

…….Rove beetles (Staphylinidae)

Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera)

…….Blues & Coppers (Lycaenidae)

…….Nymphs (Nymphalidae)

…….Skippers (Hesperiidae)

…….Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

…….Whites & Yellows (Pieridae)

Cicadas (Hemiptera, Cicadoidea)

Cockroaches (Blattodea, several families)

Dragonflies & Damselflies (Odonata)

…….Damselflies (Zygoptera)

…….Dragonflies (Anisoptera)

Grasshoppers, Crickets & Katydids (Orthoptera)

…….Crickets (several families)

…….Grasshoppers (several families)

…….Katydids (Tettigoniidae)

Leafhoppers & planthoppers (Hemiptera, several families)

Moths (Lepidoptera)

…….Anthelid moths (Anthelidae)

…….Case moths (Psychidae)

…….Concealer moths (Oecophoridae)

…….Curved-horn moths (all Gelechioidea except Oecophoridae)

…….Emperor moths (Saturniidae)

…….Geometer moths (Geometridae)

…….Hawk moths (Sphingidae)

…….Noctuoid moths (except Arctiinae)

…….Pyralid or Snout Moths (Pyralidae & Crambidae)

…….Sun moths (Castniidae)

…….Swift and Ghost moths (Hepialidae)

…….Tiger moths (Arctiinae)

…….Tortricid moths (Tortricidae)

…….Wood moths (Cossidae)

…….Other moths

Praying mantises (Mantodea)

Primitive insects

…….Silverfish (Zygentoma)

…….Springtails (Collembola)

…….Other primitive insects

Psyllids, lerps, aphids & whiteflies (Hemiptera, several families)

Sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta)

Scale insects & mealybugs (Hemiptera, Coccoidea)

Stick insects (Phasmatodea)

True bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera)

…….Assassin bugs (Reduviidae)

…….Shield, Stink & Jewel Bugs (Pentatomoidea)

…….Water & Shore Bugs (several families)

…….Other true bugs

True flies (Diptera)

…….Bee flies (Bombyliidae)

…….Blow flies (Calliphoridae)

…….Bristle Flies (Tachinidae)

…….Crane flies, midges, mosquitoes & gnats (several families)

…….Flower-loving flies (Apioceridae)

…….Hover flies (Syrphidae)

…….Long-legged Flies (Dolichopodidae)

…….March or Horse flies (Tabanidae)

…….Mydas flies (Mydidae)

…….Pelecorhynchid flies (Pelecorhynchidae)

…….Robber flies (Asilidae)

…….Stiletto flies (Therevidae)

…….Tangle-vein flies (Nemestrinidae)

…….Other true flies

Wasps (Hymenoptera, Apocrita)

…….Flower wasps (Scoliidae & Tiphiidae)

…….Parasitic wasps (numerous families)

…….Potter wasps (Vespidae, Eumeninae)

…….Sand or digger wasps (Crabronidae & Sphecidae)

…….Social or paper-nest wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae & Vespinae)

…….Spider wasps (Pompilidae)

…….Other wasps

…….Velvet Ants (Mutillidae)

Other insects

…….Plant Lice (Psocodea, Pscoptera, several families)

…….Caddisflies (Trichoptera)

…….Dobsonflies & Alderflies (Megaloptera)

…….Earwigs (Dermaptera)

…….Mayflies (Ephemeroptera)

…….Scorpionflies and Hangingflies (Mecoptera)

…….Stoneflies (Plecoptera)

…….Termites (superfamily Termitoidea)

…….Thrips (Thysanoptera)

…….Webspinners (Embioptera)

…….Fleas (Siphonaptera)

…….Lice (Psocodea, Phthiraptera, several families)

Lacewings (Neuroptera)

…….Antlions (Myrmeleontidae)

…….Brown Lacewings (Hemerobiidae)

…….Green Lacewings (Chrysopidae)

…….Other Lacewings (several families)

Unidentified Insect Galls

…….Acacia Galls

…….Eucalyptus Galls

…….Other Plant Galls

SPIDERS

Huntsman spiders (Sparassidae)

Jumping or peacock spiders (Salticidae)

Wolf spiders (Lycosidae)

Other hunting spiders

Orb-weaving spiders (several families)

Trapdoor, Funnelweb or Mouse spiders (Mygalomorphae)

Other web-building spiders

Water spiders (Pisauridae)

OTHER ARTHROPODS

Centipedes (Chilopoda)

Crustaceans (Crustacea)

…….Freshwater Crayfish

…….Other Crustaceans

Harvestmen (Opiliones)

Millipedes (Diplopoda)

Mites and Ticks (Acarina)

Scorpions (Scorpionidae)

Other Arachnids (Arachnida)

Symphyla (Garden Centipedes)

OTHER INVERTEBRATES 

Molluscs (Mollusca)

…….Snails & Slugs (Gastropoda)

…….Other Molluscs

Segmented Worms (Annelida)

…….Earthworms (Oligochaeta)

…….Leeches (Hirudinea)

…….Other Segmented Worms

Flatworms (Platyhelminthes)

Velvet worms or Peripatus (Onychophora)

Other worms

Proboscis or Ribbon Worms (Nemertea)                                         

January 2025