Top 20 Most Common Insects in Florence
Insects, remarkable beings known for their wide range of sizes and antennae, make for an exciting part of Florence's rich biodiversity. They play pivotal roles, including pollinating plants and regulating pests. In this guide, we reveal the 'Top 20 Most Common Insects' that call Florence their home, shedding light on projects both beneficial and bothersome.
Most Common Insects
1. Seven-spotted ladybug
Seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata), known in North America as the "seven-spotted ladybug," is the most common species of ladybird in Europe and the official state insect of five U.S. states. While not native to North America, it has established itself there after being introduced to control aphid populations. Its bright coloring deters predators, and it may also play dead or secrete foul-smelling liquids to discourage consumption.
2. Western honey bee
Western honey bee（Apis mellifera） is the most common species of honeybee in the world. Among the first domesticated insects, its cultural and economic impact on humanity has been vast and far-reaching, providing honey, wax and its services as a pollinator. Western honey bee faces challenges worldwide, such as colony collapse disorder, and populations are thought to be decreasing.
3. Crowned orbweaver
A common species of orb-weaver, crowned orbweaver (Araneus diadematus) builds large and noticeable webs. Only the females build webs, and they may prey upon their mates before, during or after engaging in sexual intercourse. Crowned orbweaver is reluctant to bite humans and will not do so unless scared or provoked. It avoids danger by vibrating in its web until it becomes a blur, confusing predators.
4. Lorquin's admiral
The lorquin's admiral has brown-black wings, each with a row of white spots across it. Its forewings have orange tips. The wingspan is 4.5 - 7 cm; females are generally larger than males. Larvae are usually yellow with a patch of white on the back. 
5. Eight-spotted skimmer
The eight-spotted skimmer (Libellula forensis) is identified by the eight black markings on its wings. It is occasionally confused with the Twelve-spotted skimmer that is sometimes called the Ten-spotted skimmer. You may attempt to desperately count the number of spots on these fast-moving skimmers, but the major differentiation in this one is the lack of black tips on their wings.
6. Yellow-spotted millipede
Harpaphe haydeniana reach a length of 4 - 5 cm when mature. The upper surface of the body is black to olive green, and is distinctively marked along the sides with patches of a yellowish colour. Harpaphe haydeniana has approximately twenty body segments, bearing a total of 30 (males) or 31 (females) pairs of legs. The difference between males and females is due to one pair of legs on the seventh segment in males being modified to form gonopods used for sperm transfer.
7. The striped shore crab
The striped shore crab spends half of its time out of the water, usually hiding in small cracks among rocks. It is well adapted to semi-terrestrial life and said to be able to thrive on land for up to 70 hours. When night falls and its predators are not active, the the striped shore crab emerges out from rock cervices, seeking food.
8. Yellow-faced bumble bee
The yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) is known for its mostly black body with a yellow face. Their population is not dropping, but continued expansion of urban human populations is causing some difficulty for this bee to make nests. But what it does find it tends to monopolize due to its early arrival in the season.
9. Isabella Tiger Moth
The isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) grows into the Isabella Tiger Moth. In folklore, the amount of brown on their band is said to determine the length of the upcoming winter. Over the winter it freezes completely. It prevents the damage of tissue by producing a liquid that preserves the tissue.
10. Dungeness crab
Despite its extremely hard shell, the dungeness crab is able to sense touch through the tiny hairs that cover its body. It is also able to regrow limbs when bitten off. A highly prized seafood, the dungeness crab is considered a delicacy and preferred over the Red rock crab (Cancer productus) due to its meatier limbs. It is the no.1 "single species" fishery in the state of Oregon, while the town of Port Angeles, WA, celebrates the Annual dungeness crab festival each year in October.
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