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.
The small tortoiseshell is a colourful Eurasian butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Adults feed on nectar and may hibernate over winter; in warmer climates they may have two broods in a season. While the dorsal surface of the wings is vividly marked, the ventral surface is drab, providing camouflage. Eggs are laid on the common nettle, on which the larvae feed.
The silver gull is the most common gull of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull, which also lives in Australia.
The large yellow underwing is a moth, the type species for the family Noctuidae. It is an abundant species throughout the Palearctic realm, one of the most common and most familiar moths of the region. In some years the species is highly migratory with large numbers appearing suddenly in marginal parts of the range.
The shark is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The southern hawker or blue hawker is a species of hawker dragonfly.
Ornithoptera alexandrae, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, is the largest species of butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans slightly in excess of 25 cm to 28 cm. This birdwing is restricted to the forests of the Oro Province in eastern Papua New Guinea.
The black-capped social weaver is a sparrow-like species of bird that has been assigned to the weaverbird family. It was originally described by Fisher and Reichenow, and later re-classified by the latter to the genus Pseudonigrita. Adults have a large black cap, ivory-colored bill, red eyes, brown back and wings, blackish-brown tail, white throat and underparts with a black midline, and dark horn-colored legs. It breeds in colonies and roofed nests with an entrance at the bottom in thorny trees such as acacias are constructed by the male from grass stems. It is found in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. It is sometimes kept and bred in captivity.
Ligdia adustata, the scorched carpet, is a moth of the family Geometridae.
Hemaris gracilis, the slender clearwing or graceful clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote and Coleman Townsend Robinson in 1865.
Oxyptilus ericetorum is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is found in most of Europe, east to Siberia.
Oxyptilus pilosellae is a moth of the family Pterophoridae first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1841. It is found in most of Europe, east to Russia and Asia Minor. It was released as a biological control agent for Hieracium in New Zealand in 1998.
Oxyptilus parvidactyla, also known as the small plume, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in Africa, Asia and Europe. It was first described by Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1811.
Crombrugghia distans, also known as the Breckland plume is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in Africa, Asia and Europe. It was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1847.
Capperia ningoris is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is found in North America, including California, Oregon and Alberta.
Crombrugghia kollari is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is found in Spain, Italy, France, Austria and Switzerland and has also been recorded from southern Russia and Turkey. It is an Alpine species.
Crombrugghia tristis is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is found in most of Europe, except the Benelux, Great Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia. It is also known from southern Siberia, Asia Minor and central Asia. The habitat consists of sandy areas overgrown with Hieracium.
Aethes tesserana is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in most of Europe, the Near East and northern Iran.
Celypha rurestrana, the hawkweed marble, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It was described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1843. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Lithuania, Ukraine and the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is also found in Turkey.
Hamadryas iphthime, the ringless blue cracker or brownish cracker, is a species of cracker butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It was first described by Henry Walter Bates in 1864. It is found in Mexico, Central America and parts of northern South America.
