The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the genus Heliocosma is sometimes placed within this superfamily. Many of these are economically important pests. Olethreutidae is a junior synonym. The typical resting posture is with the wings folded back, producing a rather rounded profile.
The beautiful demoiselle is a European damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is often found along fast-flowing waters where it is most at home.
Cutworms are moth larvae that hide under litter or soil during the day, coming out in the dark to feed on plants. A larva typically attacks the first part of the plant it encounters, namely the stem, often of a seedling, and consequently cuts it down; hence the name cutworm. Cutworms are not worms, biologically speaking, but caterpillars.
The family Oedemeridae is a cosmopolitan group of beetles commonly known as false blister beetles, though some recent authors have coined the name pollen-feeding beetles. There are some 100 genera and 1,500 species in the family, mostly associated with rotting wood as larvae, though adults are quite common on flowers. The family was erected by Pierre André Latreille in 1810.
The Sciaridae are a family of flies, commonly known as dark-winged fungus gnats. Commonly found in moist environments, they are known to be a pest of mushroom farms and are commonly found in household plant pots. This is one of the least studied of the large Diptera families, probably due to the small size of these insects and the similarity among species.
The Noctuinae are a subfamily of the family Noctuidae, and is composed of moths. The larvae of many species feed on roots or stems of various grasses. Some are generalist feeders which makes them potential pests.
The Megalopodidae are a small family of leaf beetles, previously included as a subfamily within the Chrysomelidae. One of its constituent subfamilies, Zeugophorinae, has also frequently been treated as a subfamily within Chrysomelidae. The family contains approximately 30 genera worldwide, primarily in the nominate subfamily Megalopodinae, and mostly circumtropical.
Delia radicum, known variously as the cabbage fly, cabbage root fly, root fly or turnip fly, is a pest of crops. The larvae of the cabbage root fly are sometimes known as the cabbage maggot or root maggot. The adult flies are about 1 cm long and are grey in colour, but otherwise resemble the common house fly.
Eristalinae are one of the four subfamilies of the fly family Syrphidae, or hoverflies. A well-known species included in this subfamily is the dronefly, Eristalis tenax.
Gillmeria ochrodactyla is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in Asia and Europe. It was first described by the Austrian entomologists, Michael Denis & Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla, also known as the twin-spot plume is a moth of the Pterophoroidea family found in North Africa, Asia and Europe. It was first described by the Austrian physician and naturalist, Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763. It is one of four similar looking moths.
Trifurcula pallidella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is the type species of the genus Trifurcula. It is found from south-eastern Germany (Bayern), east into Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, adjacent south-eastern Poland, much of Austria, both along the Danube and east and south of the Alps, extending through the Balkans to southern Greece (Peloponnesus) and Crete, eastwards through Ukraine and Russia to the Volga, and one questionable record from Turkey. To the west it occurs in northern Italy almost reaching France, just extending into Switzerland (Ticino), and throughout Italy to Sicily and Corsica.
Trifurcula subnitidella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is widespread in Europe southward to the northern border of the Sahara in Tunisia and eastward to the Crimea and Asia minor.
Hellula undalis, the cabbage webworm or Old World webworm, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is a widespread species which is found from Europe across Asia to the Pacific. It was first described from Italy.
The Russian thistle stem miner moth is a moth of the family Coleophoridae. It is native to North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey. It is an introduced species in the United States in California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona and Hawaii. It has been introduced intentionally as a biological control of invasive Salsola species.
Synanthedon formicaeformis, the red-tipped clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae and can be found in all of Europe, the eastern Palearctic realm, and the Near East. The larvae sometimes form pear-shaped galls on willows. It was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1783.
Ochsenheimeria vacculella, the cereal stem moth, is a moth of the family Ypsolophidae. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Italy and most of the Balkan Peninsula. The species was accidentally introduced into parts of the United States.
Sesamia cretica, the corn stem borer, greater sugarcane borer, sorghum stem borer, stem corn borer, durra stem borer, large corn borer, pink sugarcane borer, sugarcane pink borer, sorghum borer, pink corn borer, maize borer or purple stem borer, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was described by Julius Lederer in 1857. It is found in most of the countries and islands of the Mediterranean basin. The range extends through the Middle East and Arabia to Pakistan, northern India and northern Africa. In the south, the range extends to northern Kenya and northern Cameroon.
A gnat is any of many species of tiny flying insects in the dipterid suborder Nematocera, especially those in the families Mycetophilidae, Anisopodidae and Sciaridae. They can be both biting and non-biting. Most often they fly in large numbers, called clouds. "Gnat" is a loose descriptive category rather than a phylogenetic or other technical term, so there is no scientific consensus on what constitutes a gnat. Some entomologists consider only non-biting flies to be gnats. Certain universities and institutes also distinguish eye gnats: the Smithsonian Institution describes them as "non-biting flies, no bigger than a few grains of salt, ... attracted to fluids secreted by your eyes".
Maguey worms, are one of two species of edible caterpillars that infest maguey and Agave tequilana plants.
