Top 9 Most Common Insects in Cochabamba
Insects, a marvel within Cochabamba's diversified fauna, inhabit the varied regions of this state. Their vibrant presence underlines the rich mosaics of habitats across Cochabamba, telling a tale of biodiversity guided by geographical nuances. Insects, often undervalued, are crucial participants in our ecosystem, as pests or allies. As we unveil the '9 most common insects in Cochabamba' this signifies not only their abundance but their vital interconnectedness with Cochabamba's distinct environments.
Most Common Insects
1. Periander metalmark
Rhetus periander, the Periander metalmark or variable beautymark, is a butterfly of the family Riodinidae. It is found in most of Central America and South America, ranging from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. 
2. Band-eyed drone fly
Eristalinus taeniops can reach a length of 1.09 - 1.4 cm. These hoverflies exhibit a bee-like yellow-black drawing. The thorax has a metallic yellow-brown color and it is densely yellow hairy. Also the scutellum are yellow-brown colored. The abdomen is reddish-yellow, with transversal black bands. The compound eyes have five distinct, vertical, dark stripes. The wings are transparent, usually yellowish-brown at the base, while the halteres are brightly pale yellow colored.
3. Hieroglyphic moth
Diphthera festiva is a butterfly from the spider owls family (Erebidae). The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1775 by Fabricius.
4. Abracris flavolineata
Abracris flavolineata is a right-winged insect from the family locusts (Acrididae). The scientific name of this species was first validly published in 1773 by De Geer.
5. Tersa sphinx
The tersa sphinx (Xylophanes tersa) has stiff wings that make it resemble a small bird. The adults might seem intimidating because their abdomen comes to a sharp point, but they have no stinger and are harmless to humans. The larvae are typically a bright green color or brown color with eye-spots, much different than the dull brown color of the adults.
6. Meneria metalmark
Amarynthis meneria was described by Cramer in 1776.
7. Isognathus caricae
It is similar to Acherontia species and other Isognathus species, from which it can be distinguished by the dark marginal band of the hindwing upperside, which is replaced by a series of black streaks along the veins.
8. Many-banded daggerwing
Marpesia chiron, the many-banded daggerwing, is a species of daggerwings, map butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Central America, North America, and South America. The MONA or Hodges number for Marpesia chiron is 4549.
9. Ello sphinx
Erinnyis ello, the ello sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is distributed from Argentina through Central America to the United States as far north as Nevada. The wingspan is 75–85 mm. The abdomen has gray and black bands. The forewing upperside of the female is pale gray with a few dark dots near the outer margin, while the forewing upperside of the male is dark gray and brown with a black band running from the base to the tip. In both sexes, the hindwing upperside is orange with a wide black border. Adults are on wing year-round in the tropics and southern Florida. Adults feed on the nectar of flowers, including common soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) and Chinese violet (Asystasia gangetica). The larva feeds on a variety of host plants, including papaya (Carica papaya) in the family Caricaceae; poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), Mexican jumping bean (Sebastiania pavoniana), Cnidoscolus urens, and cassava (Manihot esculenta) in the Euphorbiaceae; guavas (Psidium spp.) in the Myrtaceae; and saffron plum (Sideroxylon celastrinum) in the Sapotaceae. The ello sphinx can be parasitized by the braconid wasp Microplitis figueresi.
