Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.
Mites are small arachnids. Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as each other's closest relative within Arachnida, rendering the group non-monophyletic. Most mites are tiny, less than 1 mm (0.04 in) in length, and have a simple, unsegmented body plan. The small size of most species makes them easily overlooked; some species live in water, many live in soil as decomposers, others live on plants, sometimes creating galls, while others again are predators or parasites. This last type includes the commercially destructive Varroa parasite of honey bees, as well as scabies mites of humans. Most species are harmless to humans, but a few are associated with allergies or may transmit diseases.
Passiflora, known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family Passifloraceae.
Agrotis segetum, sometimes known as the turnip moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is a common European species and it is found in Africa and across Eurasia except for the northernmost parts.
Manduca quinquemaculata, the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection on their posterior end and their use of tomatoes as host plants. Tomato hornworms are closely related to the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species have similar morphologies and feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae, so either species can be found on tobacco or tomato leaves. Because of this, the plant on which the caterpillar is found does not indicate its species.
Cerapteryx graminis, the antler moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common species throughout most of Europe but is lacking in the very dry southern regions. The northernmost occurrence is Iceland, and above the Arctic circle. It also occurs in Siberia and in North Mongolia. The species has been introduced to North America. In the Alps it rises to an altitude of 2100 meters.
Eupsilia transversa, the satellite, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1766. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic.
The dun-bar is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common Palearctic species.
Hyles lineata, also known as the white-lined sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known as the hummingbird moth because of their bird-like size and flight patterns.
The frosted orange moth is a moth of the family Noctuidae which is found in Europe, Armenia, Syria and east through the Palearctic to western Siberia. It has also been recorded in Algeria. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. The frosted orange is a night-flying species with orange and brown speckled wings allow for perfect camouflage against autumn leaves in the daytime. It is attracted to light and does not come to flowers, and its larva inhabit the stems and roots of the species' food plants.
Cucullia santolinae is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in southern Europe, northern Africa, Turkey, the Caucasus region and Israel.
Amphipoea oculea, the ear moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761 and it is found in most of the Palearctic realm. It is one of four species that are difficult to tell apart, requiring the examination of the genitalia. The larvae feed in the stems and roots of low plants and grasses.
Cucullia absinthii, the wormwood, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It is found from Europe to the Caucasus, Turkey, northern Iran, western Siberia, the Altai mountains, Tien-Shan and Tarbagatai.
The false water betony is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from south-eastern France, through the Alps and bordering mountains east to Romania and Bulgaria. It is also found in Anatolia and Lebanon.
Polymixis xanthomista, the black-banded polymixis, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1819. It is found in western Europe, southern Europe and east to Romania, Hungary and Slovenia and also in North Africa. In the Alps it can be found at up to 2000 metres above sea level.
Cucullia xeranthemi is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. In southern Europe, it is found locally from northern Spain, Italy and southern France to the Balkans. In the east, it is found from Lower Austria and Hungary to southern Russia and western Siberia.
Depressaria marcella is a moth of the family Depressariidae. It is found in France, Spain, Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey and on Sardinia and Sicily. It has also been recorded from Israel, Iran and North Africa.
Scrobipalpa obsoletella, the summer groundling, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, from Iran to Asian Russia (Transbaikal) and Mongolia. It has also been recorded from New Zealand, South Africa and North America, where it is probably an introduced species. The habitat consists of coastal salt marshes and sandy beaches.
Scrobipalpa samadensis, the buck's-horn groundling, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe and Russia.
Haemerosia renalis is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It is found in Spain, France, Italy, Sicily, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Greece. It has also been recorded from the Near East.
