Insect Quiz

Compiled by Bill Grange

Simply name the insects using the clues provided. I am only after common names, but by all means put in the scientific ones if you know them. A ‘general’ name, as opposed to the precise species will be acceptable.

All the insects were photographed in Derby and Derbyshire.

There are no prizes, but, hopefully, you will obtain some satisfaction from getting at least some of the questions right!

1. A species of shield bug, because of its shape, named after the head-gear worn by a senior member of the clergy.

2.  A tiny relative of the much larger cicadas of warmer countries,it is one of a number of insects with a double name, including a component of foliage and a mode of locomotion.

3. A bizarre-looking creature, named after the shape of the mating organ at the end of the abdomen of the male, shown here.

4. A delicate looking insect, which has a fearsome larva, a voracious consumer of aphids. They are named after the intricate veining of the wings, alluding to a type of fabric famously manufactured in Nottingham.

5. A bee, commonly seen in early spring, one of the ‘solitary species that make vertical shafts in the ground in which they lay their eggs. It is named after the colour of the hairs which cover the body of the female, shown here.

6. A species of bumblebee that has only recently colonised Britain. Its name incorporates what we call a large woody plant.

7. A hover fly which has acquired a common name reflecting an item of sportswear, from the markings on its thorax.

8. A hover fly, which has a common name alluding to a superhero, again from the markings on its thorax.

9. A hover fly, named because of its main coloration, the same as that of a preserve eaten at breakfast.

10. A moth with a name referring to the dark marks on each forewing. Cupid and his bow comes to mind.

11. Another moth with a name derived from its markings. Think of a large mammal with something growing out of its head.

12. This moth is named the chevron markings on each of its wings. Think geometry and another name for sunglasses.

13. A species of grasshopper but, because it spends its time at low level, the first part of its name is something else.

14. A species of bush cricket which has only recently spread to our region from South-east England. It is named after a German entomologist with a name which recalls a flowering shrub.

15. A fierce predator of a beetle with a name which alludes to an animal pulling an old form of transport belonging to ‘The Prince of Darkness’.

16. A species of large ladybird which has made an unwelcome (because of its voracious appetite for a wide range of other insects) appearance Britain in recent years. It is named after the best-known of the comic servant characters in the Italian Commedia dell'arte. It comes in a bewildering number of different colour forms, of which, the one shown here is the most common one.

17. A beetle commonly found visiting flowers. It is named after its bright red coloration, recalling the uniforms worn by  members of one of the Britaih armed forces in times past.

18. A beetle in which the male has three forwardly directed spikes. Its name derives from a half man - half other animal of Greek mythology, which roamed a system of tunnels on one of the Mediterranean islands.

Photos by Bill Grange

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