Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Bugs
This guide contains spiders, bees, wasps, ants, beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers, flies and other bugs that can be found in the Denver-Boulder Metro Area, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties.
Dogbane Leaf Beetle
Chrysochus auratus, or the dogbane beetle of eastern North America, is a member of the insect subfamily Eumolpinae. It is primarily found east of the Rocky Mountains One of the brightest in its family, it is iridescent blue-green with a metallic copper, golden or crimson shine. Its diet consists of dogbane and milkweed. It measures between 8 and 11 mm (less than 0.5 ...more ↓
Common Asparagus Beetle
The common asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi) is an important pest of asparagus crops both in Europe and in North America. Asparagus is its only food plant. The beetle is about half a centimeter long, metallic blue-black in color with cream or yellow spots on its red-bordered elytra. The larvae are fat gray grubs with dark heads.
Goldenrod Leaf Miner Beetle
Microrhopala vittata, the goldenrod leaf miner, is a species of leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is found in North America.
Golden Tortoise Beetle
The golden tortoise beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata) is a species of beetle in the leaf beetle family, Chrysomelidae. It is native to the Americas.
24-spot Ladybird
Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata (the 24-spot ladybird) is a beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is the only member of the genus Subcoccinella. It has the typical, almost semi-spherical, ladybird shape and is patterned with spots. However it differs from many of the well-known ladybirds in being neither smooth and shiny nor an eater of aphids: the ...more ↓
Spotted Lady Beetle
Coleomegilla maculata, commonly known as the spotted lady beetle, pink spotted lady beetle or twelve-spotted lady beetle, is a large coccinellid beetle native to North America. The adults and larvae feed primarily on aphids and the species has been used as a biological control agent.
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis is a large coccinellid beetle. Its colour ranges from yellow-orange to black, and the number of spots between none and 22. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in South Africa and ...more ↓
Convergent Lady Beetle
Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle, is one of the most common lady beetles in North America and is found throughout the continent. Aphids form their main diet and they are used for the biological control of these pests.
Adonis Ladybird
Hippodamia variegata is a species of black-spotted lady beetles belonging to the family Coccinellidae, subfamily Coccinellinae.
Nine-spotted Ladybug
Coccinella novemnotata, the nine-spotted ladybug or nine-spotted lady beetle, is a species of ladybug native to North America.
Seven-spotted Ladybird
Coccinella septempunctata, the seven-spot ladybird (or, in North America, seven-spotted ladybug or "C-7"), is the most common ladybird in Europe. Its elytra are of a red colour, but punctuated with three black spots each, with one further spot being spread over the junction of the two, making a total of seven spots, from which the species derives both its ...more ↓
Three-banded Ladybug
Coccinella trifasciata, the three-banded lady beetle, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae.
Two-spotted Ladybug
Adalia bipunctata, commonly known as the two-spot ladybird, two-spotted ladybug or two-spotted lady beetle, is a carnivorous beetle of the family Coccinellidae that is found throughout the holarctic region. It is very common in western and central Europe and North America. It is used as a biological control agent.
Spotless Lady Beetle
Cycloneda sanguinea is a widespread species of ladybird beetle in the Americas. This ladybug can be distinguished from others because of it's lack of spots on the elytra.
Cream-spotted Ladybird
The cream-spot ladybird, Calvia quatuordecimguttata, is a species of ladybird in the family Coccinellidae. Its distribution is holarctic, it being found in northern Europe, northern Asia and North America. This ladybird is generally 4 to 5 millimetres (0.16 to 0.20 in) in length and varies in appearance depending on the geographical location. It usually lives in hedgerows ...more ↓
Red-backed Darkling Beetle
Eleodes suturalis, or the red-backed darkling beetle is a species of darkling beetle in the genus Eleodes. Their known range extends from South Dakota to Texas, and are not known to exist west of the Rocky Mountains. They can be easily identified by the distinctive red stripe which goes down the center of their decently flat elytra.
Slender Lizard Beetle
Acropteroxys gracilis, the slender lizard beetle, is a species of lizard beetle in the family Erotylidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Red Flat Bark Beetle
Cucujus clavipesis known as the flat bark beetle . It is found throughout North America . These are generally found near tree line under bark of dead poplar and ash trees . C. clavipes are described as phloem-feeding and often predators of other small insects, such as wood-boring beetles, and mites . These are usually seen during spring-summer seasons . Having a ...more ↓
Ornate Checkered Beetle
Trichodes ornatus, commonly known as Ornate Checkered Beetle, is a beetle species of checkered beetles belonging to the family Cleridae, subfamily Clerinae which can be found only in North America.
Strawberry Root Weevil
Otiorhynchus ovatus, also called the Strawberry Root Weevil, occurs across Canada and the northern United States and is one of the many species in the weevil family (Curculionidae). Its name comes from its affinity for strawberry plants, which form a large part of its diet. They are, however, known to feed on other plants as well. Occasionally the larvae cause serious damage to ...more ↓
Green Immigrant Leaf Weevil
Polydrusus sericeus is a species of broad-nosed weevils belonging to the family Curculionidae, subfamily Entiminae.
California Prionus
Prionus californicus, commonly known as the California root borer, is a species of insect in the longhorn beetle family (Cerambycidae). It is native to the American west where it is often a pest of orchard and vine crops.
Red-shouldered Pine Borer
Stictoleptura canadensis (also known as the Flower Longhorn Beetle and Red-shouldered Pine Borer) is a species of beetle in the Cerambycidae family, that can be found in Canada and the United States.
Eastern Elderberry Borer
The Elderberry Borer, Desmocerus palliatus, is a species of Cerambycidae that occurs in Eastern North America.
Blackhorned Pine Borer
Callidium antennatum is a species of beetle in the Cerambycidae family. It was described by Newman in 1838.
Locust Borer Beetle
Megacyllene robiniae, commonly known as the locust borer, is a species of cerambycid beetle endemic to eastern North America. It is a serious pest to Robinia pseudacacia, the black locust tree, with which it is sympatric.
Longhorned Beetle
Batyle suturalis is a species of beetle in the Cerambycidae family. It was described by Say in 1824.
Tragidion coquus
Tragidion coquus is a species of beetle in the Cerambycidae family. It was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
Tragidion densiventre
Tragidion densiventre is a species of beetle in the Cerambycidae family. It was described by Casey in 1912.
White-spotted Sawyer
The white-spotted sawyer or spruce sawyer (Monochamus scutellatus) is a common wood-boring beetle found throughout North America. Adults are large-bodied and black, with very long antennae; in males, they can be up to twice the body length, but in females they are only slightly longer than body length. Both sexes have a white spot on the base of the wings, and may have ...more ↓
Milkweed Borer
Tetraopes femoratus is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by LeConte in 1847.
Red Milkweed Beetle
Tetraopes tetrophthalmus, commonly known as the red milkweed beetle, is a beetle in the family Cerambycidae. The binomial genus and species names are both derived from the Latin for "four eyes." As in many longhorn beetles, the antennae are situated very near the eye - in the red milkweed beetle, this adaptation has been carried to an extreme: the antennal base actually ...more ↓
Golden Net-winged Beetle
Dictyoptera aurora, known generally as the golden net-wing or red net-winged beetle, is a species of net-winged beetle in the family Lycidae. It is found in North America.
Chauliognathus deceptus
Chauliognathus deceptus is a species of soldier beetle in the family Cantharidae. It is found in North America.
Eastern Eyed Click Beetle
Alaus oculatus, commonly called the eastern eyed click beetle or eyed elater, is a species of click beetle.
Western Sculptured Pine Borer
Chalcophora angulicollis, known generally as the western sculptured pine borer or sculptured pine borer, is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It is found in North America.
Buprestis confluenta
Buprestis confluenta is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It is found in North America.
Emerald Ash Borer
Agrilus planipennis, commonly known as the emerald ash borer, is a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to northeastern Asia that feeds on ash species. Females lay eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed underneath the bark of ash trees to emerge as adults in one to two years. In its native range, it is typically found at low densities and does not cause ...more ↓
gold-and-brown rove beetle
Ontholestes cingulatus, known generally as the gold-and-brown rove beetle or carrion beetle, is a species of large rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae.
Hairy Rove Beetle
Creophilus maxillosus belongs to the order Coleoptera and is most commonly referred to as the hairy rove beetle. The rove beetles are a large family, having almost 2,900 species in North America. This species can be found in woods and wherever carrion is found, usually from the spring to autumn months. These active beetles fly swiftly or run rapidly over the ground with the tip ...more ↓
Yellow-bellied Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus guttula is a burying beetle described by Motschulsky in 1845.
Margined Burying Beetle
For the species misidentified by Gistel in 1857 and declared a new species under the name Nicrophorus marginatus, but later corrected, see Nicrophorus tomentosus
Tomentose Burying Beetle
Gold-necked carrion beetle, Nicrophorus tomentosus, is a species of burying beetle that was described by Friedrich Weber in 1801. The beetle belongs to the Silphidae family which are carrion beetles. The beetles have sensitive antennae that contain olfactory organs. Thus, the beetle can locate dead animals (carcass), and then as the name suggests, can bury them. However, ...more ↓
Northern Carrion Beetle
Thanatophilus lapponicus, the northern carrion beetle, is a species of carrion beetle in the family Silphidae. It is found in Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China), Central America, and North America.
Ten-lined June Beetle
The ten-lined June beetle, also known as the watermelon beetle, is a scarab beetle, living in the western United States and Canada. The adults are attracted to light and feed on foliage but do not damage the plants. They can make a hissing sound when touched or otherwise disturbed, which can resemble the hissing of a bat. This sound is made by their wings pushing down, forcing ...more ↓
Japanese Beetle
The beetle species Popillia japonica is commonly known as the Japanese beetle. It is about 15 millimetres (0.6 in) long and 10 millimetres (0.4 in) wide, with iridescent copper-colored elytra and green thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan, where it is controlled by natural predators, but in America it is a serious pest of about 200 species of plants, ...more ↓
Cottonwood Stag Beetle
Lucanus mazama is a beetle of the family Lucanidae. Its common name is the Cottonwood Stag Beetle. It is considered "scaraboid" but is not necessarily confined to deserts. They are often found in the wood chip ground covering at playgrounds. It is located primarily in the western and southwestern United States.
Thermometer Cricket
Oecanthus fultoni, also known as the snowy tree cricket, or thermometer cricket, is a species of tree cricket from North America. Before 1960, the name Oecanthus niveus was wrongly applied to this species.
Mormon Cricket
The Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) is a large insect that can grow to almost 8 cm (3 inches) in length. It lives throughout western North America in rangelands dominated by sagebrush and forbs.
Pallid-winged Grasshopper
The pallid-winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis) is a common grasshopper of the family Acrididae, native to the deserts of western North America from British Columbia to Argentina. They are more active during the summer months, and their pale, mottled coloration makes them hard to see against surfaces such as the granite often found in the gravel of dry river beds. ...more ↓
Carolina Grasshopper
Dissosteira carolina, the Carolina grasshopper, Carolina locust, black-winged grasshooper, road-duster or quaker, a large band winged species of grasshopper which ranges widely in North America inhabiting weedy grasslands.
Rainbow Grasshopper
Dactylotum bicolor, also known as the rainbow grasshopper, painted grasshopper, or the barber pole grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is native to the United States, Canada and northern Mexico and exhibits aposematism (warning coloration). It was first described by the German entomologist Toussaint de Charpentier in ...more ↓
Differential Grasshopper
The differential grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis) is a species of grasshopper belonging to the genus Melanoplus found throughout northern Mexico, central United States and southern Ontario, Canada. It is considered a pest in most of its range.
Two-striped Grasshopper
The Two-striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) is a species of grasshopper belonging to the genus Melanoplus. It is considered a pest species to the United States and Canada.
