Top 20 Most Common Insects in Perugia
Welcome to our exploration of the top 20 most common insects in Perugia, a place that boasts a variety of landscapes, nurturing unique insect diversity. These creatures, often overlooked, play significant roles in our ecosystem, acting as recyclers, pollinators, and even as pest control. Understanding the intricate relationship between Perugia's environments and its insect inhabitants helps us appreciate their role - pests or not. Let's marvel at these diverse and indispensable species together!
Most Common Insects
1. Scarce swallowtail
Its slow and floating flight pattern makes it easy to identify the scarce swallowtail as it soars over gardens, orchards, and scrublands. The butterfly has a large presence across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The adult lifespan is brief, only two or three weeks. Planting flowers like blackthorn can encourage the butterfly to visit a garden.
2. Wall brown
P. megera L. [— xiphie Boisd. pt (45d). Above reddish yellow, with a black mark which traverses the distal band from the cell of the forewing to the abdominal margin of the hindwing, short black stripes crossing the disc and the cell of the forewing.
3. Meadow brown
The meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) is similar to the Gatekeeper in the way that it rests with its wings open due to the "eye spots" on either end of its wings that ward off predators. While the color is a deep brown, the caterpillar form is a beautiful bright green with little, white hairs and a dark line leading down its back.
4. Old World swallowtail
The old World swallowtail (Papilio machaon) is commonly just called the "swallowtail," giving it the added title of "old world" to distinguish it and remind us that it comes from the "old world" (Asia, Africa, Europe). The upper side of them is a beautiful combination of pure white with black striping, the underside being a brownish version of the same thing. There is blue and two red dots on its back side.
5. Silver-washed fritillary
The silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia) is a beautiful, orange butterfly that is covered in black spots. It earns the "silver-washed" portion of its name through silver streaks you can find running along with it. It produces a scent using "scales" that allows it to distinguish itself when females are trying to locate it.
6. Small heath
It rests with closed wings when not in flight.
7. Common blue butterfly
Despite its common name, only male specimens of common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) can accurately be described as blue; the females are predominately gray-brown, with only a dusting of blue and a scattering of orange spots. The adults live for only three weeks before dying.
8. Southern white admiral
Limenitis reducta has a wingspan of 46–54 mm. The upperside of the wings is brown black with metallic blue shine, large transversal band of white markings and a submarginal line of small blue dots. The blue sheen varies with the angle of light. The ground colour of underside of the hindwings is red, with a silvery basal area, a row of white markings and a row of black spots. A few white cell spots are also present on the underside of the forewings. The caterpillars can reach a length of 1.1 in. They are light green to dull green on the back, red brown on the underside. On the back there are numerous brown thorns.
9. Hummingbird hawk-moth
Named after its resemblance to hummingbirds, the hummingbird hawk-moth feeds on nectar-rich, tube-shaped flowers. This large, fast, buzzing insect is known for its ability to learn colors; its food preferences are based on visual recognition. It is a migratory species that starts its journey in Africa. The hummingbird hawk-moth is considered a lucky omen.
10. Clouded yellow
Colias croceus has a wingspan of 46–54 millimetres (1.8–2.1 in). The upperside of the wings is golden to orange yellow with a broad black margin on all four wings and a black spot near the centre forewing. Usually these butterflies settles with its wings closed, consequently the black margin of the uppersides of the wings is difficultly visible. The underside lacks the black borders and is lighter, with a more greenish tint, particularly on the forewings. In the forewing underside is the same dark spot as on the upperside, but often with a light centre; the hindwing underside has a white centre spot, often with a smaller white or dark dot immediately above it. Sometimes, a row of black dots occurs on the underwings' outer margins, corresponding to where the black border ends on the upperside. Females differ from the males in having yellow spots along the black borders on the upperside. In flight, Colias croceus is easily identifiable by the intense yellow colouring, much brighter than that of the lemon-yellow male common brimstone which also lacks black markings. Like all Colias species they never open their wings at rest. In a small proportion of females (about 5%) the golden upperside colouration is replaced by a pale cream colour. These females have been distinguished as form helice. The pale form helice does not seem to be that distinct as intermediates exist and the variation is to some extent related to humidity during development, with dryer conditions producing paler colouration. These pale forms helice can be confused with Berger's clouded yellow (Colias alfacariensis) and the rarer Pale clouded yellow (Colias hyale). Even the palest C. croceus tends to have more black on the upperside however, in particular on the hindwings. Young caterpillars are yellow-green, with a black head. Later they become completely dark green, with a white red spotted lateral line after the third moult. The pupae are green and have a yellow side stripe. This species is rather similar to Colias myrmidone, Colias chrysotheme, Colias erate, Colias hyale, Colias alfacariensis, Colias caucasica, Colias aurorina.
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