Top 20 Most Common Insects in Las Vegas

The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1861 by Hagen.

The upperside is copper brown with dull blue at the bases of both wings. The underside of the hindwing is copper brown with white at the base; the fringe mostly white, with 3 small black spots near base, and a row of black spots at outer margin. The wingspan is 1.2 - 2 cm.

The queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of 70–88 mm (2.8–3.5 in). It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and reddish ventral wing surface fairly similar to the dorsal surface. The ventral hindwings have black veins and small white spots in a black border. The male has a black androconial scent patch on its dorsal hindwings. It is found throughout the tropics and into the temperate regions of the Americas, Asia and Africa. It can be found in meadows, fields, marshes, deserts, and at the edges of forests. This species is possibly a close relative to the similarly colored soldier butterfly (or tropic queen; Danaus eresimus); in any case, it is not close to the plain tiger (Danaus chrysippus) as was long believed. There are seven subspecies. Females lay one egg at a time on larval host plants. Larvae use these plants as a food source, whereas adult butterflies feed mainly on nectar from flowers. Unpalatability to avian predators is a feature of the butterfly; however, its level is highly variable. Unpalatability is correlated with the level of cardenolides obtained via the larval diet, but other compounds like alkaloids also play a part in promoting distastefulness. Males patrol to search for females, who may mate up to 15 times a day. Male organs called hair-pencils play an important role in courtship, with males with lower hair-pencil levels being selected against. These hair-pencils may be involved in releasing pheromones during courtship that could attract female mates.

Males have a lustrous red head and thorax. The abdomen of both genders is brilliant green. The female may have either green or copper colored marks on the thorax.

The upperside of the wings are white and marked with black and gray, more so on the female than on the male. The underside of the hindwings is marked with extensive yellow-brown veins. The wingspan is 3 - 4.5 cm . In its pre-adult form, the egg is orange, and mature larvae are black dotted and bluish green to gray with a yellow dorsal, lateral and sublateral stripe. The pupa overwinters, and varies in color from blue-gray to cream.

The pallid-winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis) is a brownish insect that enjoys the heat of the desert. Their body seems to agree, as the color of their abdomen and wings blends in well with the gravel of dry river beds. When it isn't hiding in these river beds, it is searching for small tufts of grass to eat in the desert.

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.

The erythemis collocata is a dragonfly species of the genus Erythemis from the subfamily Sympetrinae. Its circulation area extends over the west of the USA and Mexico. The status of the species is partly controversial, and it is considered by some to be a subspecies erythemis simplicicollis collocata. In the latest publications, however, it is currently considered as a separate species.

The golden paper wasp (Polistes aurifer) is a type of wasp that is widespread and has a complex social structure where everyone contributes to the community. They are part of a group called the paper wasps, meaning they mix their saliva with dead wood in order to construct their nests.