Insects of Greece

Insects, Scorpions & Spiders

Horsefly (Tabanus bovinus)

horsefly Size: 2,5cm
Description: gray body, red and yellow pattern
Environment: various places
Interesting fact: Bites, sucks blood

Cicada (Cikadetta montana)

cikada Size: 3cm
Description: flat body, see through wings
Environment: Forests
Interesting fact: Lives in the ground as a larvae for years until it grows up. Makes sound by rubbing two organs in the back together. If any kind of danger is felt all cicadas stop singing. See myth about Tithonus

Glow worm (Lampuris mauritania)

glowworm Size: 1,5cm
Description: brown wings, yellow brown body, reflects light in the dark which makes it glow
Environment: Bushes and grass
Interesting fact: Females have no wings.

Dragonfly (Cordulia aenea)

dragonfly Size: 7,5cm
Description: green, see through wings
Environment: Near sweet and mixed water, forests

Grasshopper (Acrida mediterranea)

grasshopper Size: 7,5cm
Description: green, big eyes
Environment: bushes
Interesting fact: Flies well but jumps poorly.

Cricket (Empusa pennata)

Size: 6cm
cricket Description: conic head, golden brown
Environment: Warm, humid places with leaves
Interesting fact: Rubs its wings and makes melodic sound

Cricket (Mantis religiosa)

cricket mantis Size: 7,5cm
Description: green, or brownish
Environment: bushes, leaves

Stick Insect (Clonopsis gallica)

stickinsect Size: 8cm
Description: thin, stick like body with two tentacles
Environment: Forests with leaves
Interesting fact: also called Walking Stick

Ladybird (Occinella quatuordecim pustulata)
ladybird Size: 4mm
Description: yellow with 14 black spots, or black with yellow spots

Ladybird (Occinella septempunctata)
ladybird2 Size: 8mm
Description: red with seven black spots
Environment: On leaves of various flowers and plants.

Southeuropean Scorpion (Euscorpius flavicaudis)

scorpio Size: 3,5cm
Description: brown, end of tail yellowish, sometimes it is yellow
Environment: Under stones in dry places.
Interesting fact: Can be dangerous for children and people in poor health.

Spider (Oecobius annulipes)

spider2 Size: 2mm
Description: yellow-brown, red abdomen
Environment: Under stones

Spider (Desidiopsis racovitzae)

spider Size: 5,5cm
Description: yellow-brown, gray abdomen, flat front
Environment: Close to water surface
Interesting fact: Makes small nets between chalk algae during tide and sinks under surface sometimes.