Top 18 Most Common Insects in Phuket
Insects, a dominant and diverse life form in Phuket, boast a fascinating variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Influenced by diverse geographies, the insect population in Phuket plays a pivotal role in the ecosystem, serving as pollinators, pest controllers, and food sources for larger species. Explore with us the 18 most common insects, witnessing these marvels of nature that are both benefactors and nuisances to our environment.
Most Common Insects
1. Blue moon butterfly
Hypolimnas bolina, the great eggfly, common eggfly or in New Zealand the blue moon butterfly is a species of nymphalid butterfly found from Madagascar to Asia and Australia.
2. Giant golden orb weaver
The giant golden orb weaver (Nephila pilipes) is known for spinning a golden web. Despite that being neat, that isn't the weirdest part about them. Females are known to favor gigantism, causing males to be much smaller than average females. Males are known to have mating plugs which attempt to prevent other males from mating, but the size difference can make this tricky.
3. Spotted zebra butterfly
Male upperside black with the following white streaks and spots. Forewing cell with a small spot at base followed by three obliquely transverse streaks in middle, none extended to either the subcostal or median veins, and two spots near apex; single slender narrow streaks in interspaces la and 2, and two streaks in interspace 1; above these a spot at base followed by a streak in each of the interspaces 3, 4, 6 and 8, an outer spot only in interspace 5, and a basal spot in interspace 7; finally, a complete series of small subterminal spots. Hindwing: a streak in cell with a spot above its outer apex; a streak followed by a spot in each of the interspaces 1, 6 and 7; three elongate spots in interspaces 2 and 3 and two in interspaces 4 and 5; finally, a series of four slender subterminal lunules in interspaces 2 to 5. Underside similar, with similar but slightly broader markings. Female similar, ground colour duller, more fuliginous black; markings similar, on the forewing slightly broader, on the hindwing slightly narrower, than in the male.
4. Black-and-white spiny spider
Female black-and-white spiny spider are 6 - 9 mm wide and possess a hard, shiny abdomen armed with six black conical spines. The upper surface of the abdomen is white to yellowish with variable black or dark brown markings and sigilla. Males are much smaller at 3 - 4 mm and in place of spines have small bumps on their abdomens.
5. Chlorion lobatum
6. Autumn leaf
The larvae are black, with two rows of dorsal white spots. Head with a pair of branched spines; rest of the segments with a dorsal and a lateral row of blue branched spines on each side. The pupae are yellowish with numerous black spots; constricted in the middle; head produced into two points. Male's and female's underside yellowish brown, paling anteriorly to rich golden yellow on the forewing, shading anteriorly into dusky brown on the hindwing. Forewing: the apical half black, following a line from vein 12 opposite the discocellulars, passing through apex of cell, obliquely across middle of interspace 3 and curving down to tornus; a black spot near apex of cell coalescing with the inner margin of 1he black colour; a short, very oblique, broad golden-yellow band, broader in the female than in the male, from middle of costal margin to interspace 5; a spot beyond in line with it in interspace 4; two, sometimes three, minute, preapical white specks; the cilia fulvous (tawny), touched with white, anteriorly. Hindwing uniform; the costal margin broadly as noted above, a subterminal narrow band and narrower terminal line posteriorly, dusky black; a postdiscal black spot in interspaces 2 and 5 respectively; the cilia fulvous. The ground colour varies from reddish to dark greenish brown with irrorations (speckles) of greyish and black scales; apex of the forewing and the terminal margin posteriorly of the hindwing more or less lilacine; forewings and hindwings crossed by a dark narrow discal fascia, generally bordered on the inner side by a greyish line; this fascia bent inwards at right angles above vein 6 of the forewing and in most specimens, bordered internally by a diffuse pale patch and externally by an oblique whitish mark, beyond which is a subcostal white spot, followed by a transverse sinuous postdiscal series of obscure ocelli crossing both wings, each ocellus centred by a minute dot, white on the fore, black on the hindwing. In the male there are generally, but not invariably, a number of whitish spots on the basal areas of both wings. Antennae blackish brown, ochraceous at apex; head, thorax and abdomen dark fulvous brown; beneath, the palpi white, the thorax and abdomen pale brown. Wingspan is about 8 - 9 cm.
7. Thyas honesta
Its wingspan is about 84–104 mm. Head and thorax reddish chestnut in colour, where the third joint of palpi black. Abdomen crimson. Forewings reddish chestnut, slightly irrorated with dark scales. There are traces of a sinuous antemedial line with three specks on it. Reniform greyish, where the lower part more or less completely filled in with black. A curved postmedial series of white specks with an indistinct band beyond it angled at vein 6 and met by a dark streak from the apex. A marginal series of specks present. Hindwings crimson with black sub-marginal medial patch. Larva ophiusine-shaped with an apple-greenish body and finely lined longitudinally with purple-centered double white lines. The dorsolateral pair of conical tubercles are yellowish patched with red. The larvae feed on Careya, Barringtonia and Planchonia species.
8. Coconut skipper
Hidari irava, the coconut skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in southern Myanmar, Thailand, western Malaysia, as well as on Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Sula Islands. The wingspan is 45–55 mm. The larvae feed on Bambusa species and Cocos nucifera.
9. Xyleutes strix
Xyleutes strix is a moth of the family Cossidae. It is found in India, south-eastern Asia, Sundaland, the Philippines, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and New Guinea.
10. Impatiens hawk moth
The impatiens hawk moth can be considered a pest among commercial and residential gardeners. Both the moth and caterpillar feed on several flowering plants, including fuchsias and the Australian native violet. Adult females lay their eggs on the plant’s foliage, ensuring the hatching larvae have a ready food source.
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