Top 17 Most Common Insects in Gulf Shores
Insects, fascinating creatures with noteworthy diversity, have adapted well to the diverse environments of Gulf Shores. Their pivotal role in local ecosystems ranges from natures laborers to feared pests. This guide will help uncover the 17 most common insects enriching, and sometimes troubling, Gulf Shores. Get ready for a bug-filled extravaganza!
Most Common Insects
1. Blue crab
Thanks to its sapphire blue claws, blue crab is famous for its attractive appearance. Despite its lovely looks, the crab shows aggressive nature when it feels threatened. Blue crab has important commercial value and it's harvested for culinary use. Many people find its meat to be sweet and delicious.
2. Blue dasher
The name Pachydiplax longipennis implies that the blue dasher has long wings due to the "longipennis" section literally translating to it. But this would be misleading, as the insect does not have particularly long wings. Instead, they stick out with vibrant blue colors. The dasher part of their name may be in reference to their voracious diet, as they can eat up to 10 percent of their body weight daily.
3. Eastern pondhawk
The eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) has much in common with American fishermen, they love living near the sides of ponds. They are a beautiful insect that is easy to distinguish when it comes to different genders. Females are bright green with bands around the abdomen and the males are bright blue with a green face.
4. Monarch butterfly
The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is the most recognizable butterfly in North America. It is best known for its appearance, but should be better known for the fact that it has a 3000-mile migration that takes the butterfly 4 generations to complete. Their diet is also a natural deterrent for predators, as they eat milkweed, a poison that induces vomiting.
5. Atlantic ghost crab
6. Little blue dragonlet
Erythrodiplax minuscula or Erythrodiplax connata minuscula is a species of dragonfly of the genus Erythrodiplax from the subfamily Sympetrinae. It occurs in the eastern United States and Argentina.
7. Common Buckeye
The common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) has distinguishable target-shaped spots on its dark wings, along with patches of orange and white. It produces multiple generations each year as it migrates to sunny landscapes. When it flies, it moves rapidly in an irregular pattern, often low to the ground.
8. Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
The eastern Lubber Grasshopper ( Romalea microptera) is the most distinctive grasshopper within the south-eastern United States. This large and brightly colored insect can emit a noxious dark-colored foamy secretion from the thorax when it is disturbed. A bird would feel very regretful after ate this insect by mistake.
9. Anopheles crucians
Anopheles crucians is a mosquito that exists in aquatic environments under areas with little light presence. The preferred environment for A. crucians is areas with acidic water such as that found in cypress swamps. The mosquito breeds in semipermanent and permanent pools, ponds, lakes and swamps. It may be a vector for malaria. Walter Reed Biosystematic Unit Characteristics, Bionomics, Medical Importance GeoSpecies Knowledge Base University of Wisconsin 
10. Thinstripe hermit crab
Thinstripe hermit crab (Clibanarius vittatus) is a species of hermit crab that lives in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the western parts of the Atlantic. Like other hermit crabs, it chooses and resides in discarded shells of sea gastropods. The thinstripe hermit crab is distinguished from its cousins by the white-grey stripes and streaks seen all over its body, especially the legs.
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