Insects of Greece
Insects, Scorpions & Spiders
Horsefly (Tabanus bovinus)
Description: gray body, red and yellow pattern
Environment: various places
Interesting fact: Bites, sucks blood
Cicada (Cikadetta montana)
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)
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)
Description: green, see through wings
Environment: Near sweet and mixed water, forests
Grasshopper (Acrida mediterranea)
Description: green, big eyes
Environment: bushes
Interesting fact: Flies well but jumps poorly.
Cricket (Empusa pennata)
Size: 6cm
Environment: Warm, humid places with leaves
Interesting fact: Rubs its wings and makes melodic sound
Cricket (Mantis religiosa)
Description: green, or brownish
Environment: bushes, leaves
Stick Insect (Clonopsis gallica)
Description: thin, stick like body with two tentacles
Environment: Forests with leaves
Interesting fact: also called Walking Stick
Ladybird (Occinella quatuordecim pustulata)
Description: yellow with 14 black spots, or black with yellow spots
Ladybird (Occinella septempunctata)
Description: red with seven black spots
Environment: On leaves of various flowers and plants.
Southeuropean Scorpion (Euscorpius flavicaudis)
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)
Description: yellow-brown, red abdomen
Environment: Under stones
Spider (Desidiopsis racovitzae)
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.
