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The Wild Pest
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Regenerative bugs

Every species in the Wild Files corpus where regenerative is a defining trait.

52 on file

On File
A giant stick insect (Phryganistria chinensis) clinging to a twig, body indistinguishable from the branch.
Curious
Six Legs74
Alias
Phryganistria chinensis

Chinese Giant Stick Insect

Longest insect on Earth — 64 cm. Looks like a twig. Some species haven't needed males in centuries.

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On File
A Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis), large glossy black phasmid with curved abdomen, on a leaf.
Curious
Six Legs85
Alias
Dryococelus australis

Lord Howe Island Stick Insect

Declared extinct in 1920. Found on a sea-cliff in 2001. Now back from the brink.

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On File
An ogre-faced spider (Deinopis spinosa) hanging upside down with a silken net stretched between her front legs.
Curious
Six Legs79
Alias
Deinopis spinosa

Ogre-Faced Spider

Casts a silken net at prey like a fisherman. Sees in starlight. Hears with her legs.

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On File
A carrot rust fly (Psila rosae), small black fly with bright yellow head and legs and slender body, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs76
Alias
Psila rosae

Carrot Rust Fly

Major NA/European carrot pest. Diagnostic rust-colored tunnels through carrot taproots. Detoxifies Apiaceae furanocoumarins.

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On File
A striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma vittatum), small leaf beetle with bright yellow elytra marked by three black longitudinal stripes, six legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs79
Alias
Acalymma vittatum

Striped Cucumber Beetle

Sister pest to spotted cucumber beetle. Yellow-and-black STRIPES instead of spots. Same bacterial wilt vectoring.

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On File
A Pseudacteon obtusus fly, tiny dark phorid fly with distinctive hump-backed thorax and prominent eyes, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs89
Alias
Pseudacteon obtusus

Ant-Decapitating Fly

Tiny parasitoid fly. Larva DECAPITATES fire ants by consuming brain and pupating in detached ant HEAD.

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On File
A codling moth (Cydia pomonella), small grayish-brown moth with subtle darker wing markings and distinctive dark coppery-bronze patch at the wing tip, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs83
Alias
Cydia pomonella

Codling Moth

World's most damaging apple pest — the proverbial 'WORM IN THE APPLE'. $1B+ annual global losses.

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On File
A cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum), small gray-brown moth, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs90
Alias
Cactoblastis cactorum

Cactus Moth

Saved Australia from prickly pear (1925-32) — now THREATENING native NA cactus and Mexican prickly pear agriculture.

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On File
A female Asian blue cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus), reddish-brown tick with slightly bluish coloration, eight legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs83
Alias
Rhipicephalus microplus

Asian Blue Cattle Tick

Most damaging tick species globally. $20-30B annual cattle losses. Successfully eradicated from US in 1943.

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On File
A Klamath weed beetle (Chrysolina quadrigemina), small leaf beetle with brilliant metallic green-or-blue elytra, six legs, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs84
Alias
Chrysolina quadrigemina

Klamath Weed Beetle

Foundational NA weed-biocontrol success. Reduced invasive Klamath weed by 99% in western US in 10 years.

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On File
A male long-horned bee (Eucera longicornis), small bee with antennae longer than the body extending out from the head, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs80
Alias
Eucera longicornis

Long-Horned Bee

Solitary bee with ANTENNAE LONGER THAN HER OWN BODY. Major legume crop pollinator. Honey bee alternative.

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On File
A Trichogramma wasp (Trichogramma pretiosum), tiny yellow-orange parasitoid wasp with large red compound eyes and short clubbed antennae, smaller than a grain of sand, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Trichogramma pretiosum

Trichogramma Wasp

TINY parasitoid wasp (0.3 mm). BILLIONS commercially mass-reared per year for agricultural pest control.

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On File
A caterpillar hunter beetle (Calosoma sycophanta), large ground beetle with brilliant metallic green-and-gold elytra and powerful sickle-like mandibles, six legs, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs84
Alias
Calosoma sycophanta

Caterpillar Hunter Beetle (European Ground Beetle)

Brilliant metallic GREEN-AND-GOLD ground beetle. INTRODUCED to NA in 1905 to control invasive spongy moth.

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On File
California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii) on a citrus leaf surface, small round reddish-brown waxy scale-armor disks covering the leaf, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs82
Alias
Aonidiella aurantii

California Red Scale

Most damaging scale insect pest of CITRUS worldwide. Foundational AUGMENTATIVE biocontrol case study.

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On File
Hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) colonies, dense white wooly waxy masses on the underside of hemlock branches at the base of needle attachments looking like tiny tufts of cotton wool, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs85
Alias
Adelges tsugae

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Catastrophic forest pest. Has killed essentially ALL mature eastern hemlocks across Appalachia.

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On File
Pink hibiscus mealybug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus) colonies, dense white cottony masses on the underside of hibiscus leaves and along stems, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Maconellicoccus hirsutus

Pink Hibiscus Mealybug

Major invasive Caribbean pest. Attacks 200+ plant species. Foundational classical biocontrol case study.

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On File
A Saint Helena giant earwig (Labidura herculeana) preserved museum specimen, large reddish-brown earwig with dramatic dark forceps at the rear, six legs, top view.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs88
Alias
Labidura herculeana

Saint Helena Giant Earwig

LARGEST EARWIG ever known. 8 cm. Endemic to Saint Helena. Now believed EXTINCT (last seen 1967).

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On File
A greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), tiny pale yellow insect with clear wings covered in white pollen-like waxy powder, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs80
Alias
Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Greenhouse Whitefly

Most damaging pest of GREENHOUSE production worldwide. First-ever commercially mass-reared biocontrol target.

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On File
A tawny mole cricket (Neoscapteriscus vicinus), large stout tawny-brown cricket with massive shovel-like front legs adapted for burrowing, six legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Neoscapteriscus vicinus

Tawny Mole Cricket

Major invasive turfgrass pest of southeastern US. Foundational classical biological control case study.

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On File
A pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella), small inconspicuous tan-brown moth with dark wing markings, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Pectinophora gossypiella

Pink Bollworm

Major historical cotton pest. Successfully ERADICATED from US in 2018 — flagship Bt+SIT eradication program.

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On File
A scarlet lily beetle (Lilioceris lilii), oval beetle with brilliant scarlet-red elytra contrasted with black head, legs, and antennae, six legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs80
Alias
Lilioceris lilii

Scarlet Lily Beetle

Brilliant SCARLET-RED beetle. Larvae cover themselves in their own FECAL EXCREMENT for defense.

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On File
A sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis), pale yellow-tan moth with darker wing markings and small forward-projecting palpal 'snout', six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs78
Alias
Diatraea saccharalis

Sugarcane Borer

Major sugarcane pest of the Americas. $300M-$1B annual losses. Foundational biocontrol case study.

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On File
A coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), tiny dark brown bark beetle with short cylindrical body and short antennae, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs85
Alias
Hypothenemus hampei

Coffee Berry Borer

Single most damaging pest of COFFEE worldwide. $500M-$1B annual losses. Detoxifies CAFFEINE with gut microbes.

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On File
A European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), pale yellow-tan moth with darker zigzag bands across the wings, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs80
Alias
Ostrinia nubilalis

European Corn Borer

Major NA corn pest. Primary target of Bt corn alongside corn earworm. Bt deployment dramatically reduced populations.

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On File
A European elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus), small dark reddish-brown beetle with multiply-striated elytra and short antennae, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs83
Alias
Scolytus multistriatus

European Elm Bark Beetle

Primary vector of DUTCH ELM DISEASE. Killed tens of millions of American elms across NA since 1930s.

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On File
A cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae), small day-flying moth with brilliant crimson-red-and-black forewings marked by two red spots and a long red stripe along the wing margin, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs83
Alias
Tyria jacobaeae

Cinnabar Moth

Brilliant CRIMSON-RED-AND-BLACK day-flying moth. Most successful weed-biocontrol species ever introduced to NA.

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On File
A yellow-faced bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii), fuzzy black-and-yellow bumblebee with bright yellow patch on the face between the eyes, yellow bands on thorax, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs80
Alias
Bombus vosnesenskii

Yellow-Faced Bumblebee

Most widespread western NA native bumblebee. Diagnostic BRIGHT YELLOW FACE PATCH. Pacific NW commercial pollinator.

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On File
A European red wood ant (Formica rufa), reddish-brown head and pronotum with darker brown abdomen, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs79
Alias
Formica rufa

European Red Wood Ant

Massive THATCH-COVERED MOUNDS up to 2m tall. PROTECTED SPECIES across Europe. Major forest pest control.

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On File
An Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), large jet-black beetle with bright white speckled markings on the wing covers and very long alternately black-and-white banded antennae, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs83
Alias
Anoplophora glabripennis

Asian Longhorned Beetle

Invasive wood-boring beetle. Threatens NA maple forests. $700M USDA eradication effort.

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On File
A black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), large jet-black fly with smoky-blue iridescent wings resembling a small dark wasp, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Hermetia illucens

Black Soldier Fly

Larvae are the foundation of MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR global insect-protein industry. Bioconverts waste into feed.

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On File
A Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina), small green mantis with raptorial front legs and triangular head, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs73
Alias
Stagmomantis carolina

Carolina Mantis

Only NATIVE mantis in eastern NA. State insect of SC. Famous for sexual cannibalism.

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On File
A Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina), grayish-brown grasshopper with cryptic dirt-colored markings, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs75
Alias
Dissosteira carolina

Carolina Grasshopper

Cryptic at rest. Reveals BLACK-AND-WHITE BUTTERFLY-LIKE WINGS in flight. Crackling 'hand-clap' wing sound.

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On File
A common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens), fuzzy black-and-yellow bumblebee with a single yellow band at the front of the abdomen, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Bombus impatiens

Common Eastern Bumblebee

Most widespread NA native bumblebee. Foundation of NA commercial bumblebee pollination. BUZZ pollinator.

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On File
A giant tachinid fly (Tachina grossa), large jet-black fly with orange-yellow head and stiff bristly setae across the body, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs85
Alias
Tachina grossa

Giant Tachinid Fly

8,200+ species, all parasitoids of other arthropods. Free natural pest control.

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On File
A cattle warble fly (Hypoderma bovis), brown-and-yellow medium-sized fly resembling a small honey bee, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs84
Alias
Hypoderma bovis

Cattle Warble Fly (Heel Fly)

Larvae burrow into cattle legs, migrate ALONG THE SPINAL CORD, and exit from 'warbles' on the back.

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On File
A European field cricket (Gryllus campestris), large glossy black cricket with brownish wing covers and prominent tail filaments, six legs, side profile.
Curious
Six Legs72
Alias
Gryllus campestris

European Field Cricket

The original 'grasshopper' of Aesop's fable. Glossy black. Sings from burrow entrance.

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On File
A comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album), orange-and-black wings with dramatically ragged irregular edges, dorsal view.
Beneficial
Six Legs77
Alias
Polygonia c-album

Comma Butterfly

White comma mark on hindwing underside. Ragged wing edges mimic a dead leaf. UK comeback species.

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On File
An elephant mosquito (Toxorhynchites rutilus), large mosquito with metallic blue-green body and brilliant orange tail, long down-curving proboscis, six legs.
Beneficial
Six Legs88
Alias
Toxorhynchites rutilus

Elephant Mosquito

Largest mosquito on Earth. Adults DON'T bite. Larvae eat 200+ Aedes mosquito larvae each. Used as biocontrol.

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On File
A male common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus), small butterfly with brilliant iridescent sky-blue wings and thin black borders, dorsal view.
Beneficial
Six Legs76
Alias
Polyommatus icarus

Common Blue Butterfly

Brilliant sky-blue. 75% of her family lives in mutualism with ants. Caterpillar feeds ants honeydew.

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On File
A firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus), bright red elytra with bold black spots and bands, six legs, on a tree base.
Curious
Six Legs77
Alias
Pyrrhocoris apterus

Firebug

Bright red-and-black aggregating bug. Discovery of juvenile hormone traces to her in 1966.

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On File
An American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus), large beetle with bright orange-red pronotum and orange-marked elytra against glossy black body, six legs.
Curious
Six Legs81
Alias
Nicrophorus americanus

American Burying Beetle

Buries dead mice. Both parents care for the brood. Endangered species recovery success.

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On File
A cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi), small dark red-brown scale insect with distinctive fluted white waxy egg sac protruding from the rear, on a green citrus stem.
Curious
Six Legs85
Alias
Icerya purchasi

Cottony Cushion Scale

Almost destroyed California citrus in 1888. Saved by 130 imported Australian ladybeetles. Founded biocontrol.

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On File
A New World screwworm fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax), small metallic blue-green body with characteristic three dorsal black stripes and orange head, six legs, side profile.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs92
Alias
Cochliomyia hominivorax

New World Screwworm Fly

Larvae eat living flesh. Eradicated from US by sterile-male flooding in 1966. Foundational pest control success.

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On File
A boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis), small grayish-brown weevil with elongated snout, six legs, side profile.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Anthonomus grandis

Boll Weevil

Devastated US cotton — $22 billion in damage. Has a statue in Alabama. ERADICATED from the US in 2010.

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On File
A Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis), oval yellow-orange beetle with 8 black spots on each elytron, six legs, dorsal view.
Outlaw
Six Legs73
Alias
Epilachna varivestis

Mexican Bean Beetle

A vegetarian ladybeetle. Skeletonizes bean leaves. Major US bean crop pest.

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On File
A spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) male, brown moth with intricate dark wing markings and feathered antennae, side profile.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs83
Alias
Lymantria dispar

Spongy Moth (formerly Gypsy Moth)

Renamed from 'gypsy moth' in 2022. Released in Massachusetts in 1869. Has defoliated tens of millions of acres.

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On File
An Anopheles gambiae mosquito, slender body resting at upward-tilted angle with proboscis extended forward.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Anopheles gambiae

Anopheles Mosquito (Malaria Vector)

Sole vector of human malaria. Kills 600,000 a year. Most deadly animal on Earth, by impact.

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On File
A black fly (Simulium damnosum), small humped dark gray-black fly with short proboscis and broad clear wings.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Simulium damnosum

Black Fly (Buffalo Gnat)

Bites livestock and humans in clouds. African subgroup vectors river blindness. Public-health success story.

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On File
An Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), large brown domed carapace with hinged abdomen and long pointed telson tail.
Curious
Six Legs96
Alias
Limulus polyphemus

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

450 million years old, blue-blooded living fossil, used to test every vaccine on Earth for endotoxins.

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On File
A woolly bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella), fuzzy black-and-rust banded caterpillar curled slightly on a leaf.
Beneficial
Six Legs80
Alias
Pyrrharctia isabella

Woolly Bear (Isabella Tiger Moth)

The folklore weather caterpillar. Survives -90°C using natural antifreeze. Arctic cousin needs 7 years to grow up.

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On File
A harvestman (Phalangium opilio), small oval body with no waist segmentation and eight extremely long thin legs spread evenly.
Beneficial
Six Legs74
Alias
Phalangium opilio

Harvestman (Daddy Long-Legs)

TRUE daddy long-legs. NOT a spider. No venom. No silk. Eats solid food. 410 million years old.

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On File
A wētāpunga (Deinacrida heteracantha), enormous brown cricket-like insect with thick body, six stout legs, and long antennae.
Curious
Six Legs83
Alias
Deinacrida heteracantha

Wētāpunga (Giant Wētā)

Heavier than a sparrow. Endemic to one NZ island. The mammal-substitute insect of an island without mammals.

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