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Bring us your Bugs page

Adelaide bug list

This page provides a list of common invertebrates that can be seen around Adelaide. It is organised by seasons because different invertebrate species are abundant at different times of the year.

Summer

  • Giant Grey Wood Moth (Endoxyla affinis)
    (previously known as Xyleutes lituratus)
  • Bristle Flies (Rutilia spp.)
  • Red-eyed Cicada (Psaltoda moerens)
  • Blue Ant (Diamma bicolor)
  • Banded Bee (Amegilla sp.)
  • Christmas Beetle (Anoplognathus spp.)
  • Crusader Bug (Mictis profana)
  • Tailed Emperor Butterfly (Polyura pyrrhus sempronius)
  • Robber-fly (various species)
  • Mud Wasp (Sceliphron laetum)

Autumn

  • Case-making Caterpillar (Clania ignobilis)
  • Vine Hawk Moth Caterpillar (Hippotion celerio)
  • Inch Ant (Myrmecia gulosa)
  • Tree Cricket (Gryllacrididae spp.)
  • Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa sp.)
  • Processionary Caterpillars (various species)
  • Giant Swift Moth (Trictena argentata)
  • Dingy Swallowtail (Papilio anactus)
  • Wanderer Butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus)
  • Pittosporum Bug (Pseudapines geminata)

Winter

  • Gum Snout-nosed Moth Caterpillar (Entometa fervens)
  • Cottony Cushion Scale (Icerya purchase)
  • Saw Wasp Caterpillars (Perga spp.)
  • Green Lacewings (Chrysopa spp.)
  • Red-shouldered Phasmid (Tropidoderus childreni)
  • Woolly Bear Caterpillar (Spilosoma glatignyi)
  • Leaf-eating Beetle (Paropsis spp.)
  • Granny Moth Caterpillar (Dasypodia selenophora)
  • Looper Caterpillars (various species)
  • Praying Mantids (various species)

Spring

  • Green Carab Beetle (Calosoma schayeri)
  • Cup Moth Caterpillar (Doratifera spp.)
  • Gum-leaf Skeletoniser (Uraba lugens)
  • Gum Moth Caterpillar (Antheraea helena)
  • Thrips (Thripidae spp.)
  • Rat-tailed Maggot (Eristalis tenax)
  • Honeybee Swarms (Apis mellifera)
  • Tussock Moth Caterpillar (Teia anartoides)
  • Winged Termites (various Isoptera species)
  • Grapevine Moth Caterpillar (Phalaenoides glycinae)

Information for this page was provided by the South Australian Museum from their publication:
Morris, B. & Valero, J.M. (1993) When to see common Adelaide insects.

Click here for a pdf version of this factsheet

 

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