Top 11 Most Common Insects in Cabo San Lucas
Insects, with their various shapes, sizes, and vibrant colors, are a unique part of Cabo San Lucas's diverse environment. Geography plays a monumental role in insect biodiversity, like how Cabo San Lucas's coastal and desert regions host different insect populations. These creatures, despite their small size, play vital roles in our ecosystem, acting as both pests and beneficial insects - influencing the harmony of Cabo San Lucas's flora and fauna. Stay tuned as we unveil the 'Top 11 most common insects' in this fascinating region.
Most Common Insects
1. Red rock crab
Grapsus grapsus is a typically shaped crab, with five pairs of legs, the front two bearing small, blocky, symmetrical chelae (claws). The other legs are broad and flat, with only the tips touching the substrate. The crab's round, flat carapace is slightly longer than 8 centimetres (3.1 in). Young G. grapsus are black or dark brown in colour and are camouflaged well on the black lava coasts of volcanic islands. Adults are quite variable in colour; some are muted brownish-red, some mottled or spotted brown, pink, or yellow.
2. Black Witch
The black Witch (Ascalapha odorata) is given this spooky name because its part in folklore being associated with misfortune or death. In the novel, The Silence of the Lambs, they were placed in the mouths of the victims of Buffalo Bill. They can be identified with darker colorings and undertones of purple and pink.
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. 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.
5. California spiny lobster
California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) is a crustacean - a lobster, native to Baja California's coasts. It has no claws, only two large antennae. These lobsters are nocturnal and hide during the day with only their antennae protruding from their shelters, where they often aggregate in groups. This is a highly popular fishery species for both commercial and recreational fishing.
6. Giant Crab Spider
The giant Crab Spider is a large spider native to the tropics; the largest reported individual had a leg span of 30 cm. This cosmopolitan spider is highly valued in some areas, as it's able to catch cockroaches and other indoor pests. Reportedly, it hunts even scorpions and bats. This spider is venomous and sometimes bites humans, but it's considered harmless.
7. Gray sanddragon
The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1873 by McLachlan in Selys.
8. 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.
9. Mormon metalmark
In general, the butterfly has a wingspan of 2.5 - 3.5 cm, with males being slightly smaller than females. Females are further differentiated from males by their number of functional legs; females possess three pairs, while males do not utilize their shortened forelegs and thus only have two. The Canadian populations have been described as having white checked dark brown wings, a gray body, green eyes, and black and white banded antennae. There is a reddish tint towards the base of the forewings, and the ventral side of the wings are gray.
10. Large orange sulphur
The wingspan is 6 - 9 cm. The upper surface of the males is bright orange without markings. There are two female forms, a pink-white and yellow-orange form. The underside of the forewings of both sexes has a straight submarginal line. There are two seasonal forms: the winter form has heavier underside markings.
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