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.
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.
Red-legged Grasshopper
The Red-legged Grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum) is a species of grasshopper belonging to the genus Melanoplus. It is found in Mexico, United States, and Canada.
Plains Lubber Grasshopper
Brachystola magna, one of the grasshoppers known as plains lubber or western lubber, is a large grasshopper native to southern and central USA and Northern Mexico.
Meadow Spittlebug
Philaenus spumarius, the 'Meadow Froghopper', is a species belonging to the family Cercopidae. The genus name "Philaenus" comes from the Greek "philein" meaning "love", while the species name "spumarius" is derived by the Latin "spuma" = "sparkling", referred to the foam nests. Therefore "Philaenus spumarius" may be translated as "foam lover."
Potato Psyllid
Bactericera cockerelli, also known as the potato psyllid, is a species of psyllid native to southern North America. Its range extends from Central America north to the American Pacific Northwest and parts of Manitoba. It is restricted to the western part of the continent. As its name suggests, it is commonly found on potato and tomato crops, but has a species range that ...more ↓
Cochineal Bug
The cochineal (/kɒtʃɨˈniːl/ koch-i-NEEL or /ˈkɒtʃɨniːl/ KOCH-i-neel; Dactylopius coccus) is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-coloured dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti in the genus Opuntia, feeding on ...more ↓
Oleander Aphid
Aphis nerii is an aphid of the of the family Aphididae. Its common names include oleander aphid, milkweed aphid,sweet pepper aphid, and nerium aphid.
Rose Aphid
Macrosiphum rosae is a species of aphids. It infests rosebushes, especially around new buds.
Big-eyed Toad Bug
Gelastocoris oculatus, the big-eyed toad bug, is a species of toad bug in the family Gelastocoridae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Notonecta
Notonecta, or the common backswimmer, is a genus of backswimmer insects in the family Notonectidae. Species in this genus include:
Spined Assassin Bug
Sinea diadema is a species of assassin bug family (Reduviidae), in the subfamily Harpactorinae. It is native to North America and found in the Midwest in fields, often associated with goldenrod Solidago missouriensis Nuttall.
Pale Green Assassin Bug
Zelus luridus is a species of true bug (harpactorinae). This species uses sticky traps as a predation strategy, which is also common to other species in the genus Zelus. The sticky material is produced by a gland on the leg. This gland develops in the second instar. During the first instar, the nymphs use secretions deposited over the egg batch by the female as the source ...more ↓
Wheel Bug
The wheel bug (Arilus cristatus) is in the family Reduviidae (literally, "hangnail"), which consists of assassin bugs. The species is one of the largest terrestrial true bugs in North America, reaching up to 1.5 inches (38 mm) in length in their adult stage. However, males are smaller in terms of their length and width when compared to females. A characteristic structure is the ...more ↓
Rhynocoris ventralis
Rhynocoris ventralis is a species of assassin bug in the family Reduviidae. It is found in North America.
Masked Hunter
Reduvius personatus or the masked hunter is an insect, belonging to the assassin bug (Reduviidae) family. The name refers to the fact that its nymph camouflages itself with dust. The masked hunter is a predator of small arthropods, including woodlice, lacewings, earwigs, and bed bugs. Although they do not feed on human blood, masked hunters can bite humans in self-defence ...more ↓
Tarnished Plant Bug
The tarnished plant bug (TPB) is one of the most serious pests of small fruits and vegetables in North America. No truly effective or reliable management options currently exist. Growers routinely make 3-5 applications of insecticides each year to control this insect. The cost is $200-$500/acre. Considering the narrow profit margin for today's farmers, these costs are significant. The ...more ↓
Common Bed Bug
Bed bugs are parasitic insects of the cimicid family that feed exclusively on blood. The term most commonly refers to members of the genus Cimex of which Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, is the best known as it prefers to feed on human blood although other Cimex species are specialized to other animals, e.g., bat bugs, Cimex pipistrelli ...more ↓
Common Water Strider
Aquarius remigis, known as the common water strider, is a species of aquatic bug. It was formerly known as Gerris remigis, but the subgenus Aquarius was elevated to generic rank in 1990 on the basis of phylogenetic analysis. Aquarius remigis is found throughout North America, but is most prevalent in the mid-west of the United States.
Charcoal Seed Bug
Melacoryphus lateralis is a species of true bug, one of several called black-and-red seed bug. Black and fringed with red and gray, some call it the charcoal seed bug, due to its resemblance to a dying ember. Native to the deserts of western North American, they have a tendency to appear in large numbers in the late summer.
Large Milkweed Bug
The milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, is a medium–sized hemipteran (true bug) of the family Lygaeidae. It feeds mainly on grains, particularly those of the milkweed. Like all hemiptera, it feeds through a long mouthpart known as a rostrum. O. fasciatus is commonly used in science due to ease of rearing and ease of dissection.
Blue Shieldbug
Zicrona caerulea, common name Blue Shieldbug, is a species of bugs belonging to the Pentatomidae family.
Two-spotted Stink Bug
Perillus bioculatus, the two-spotted stink bug or double-eyed soldier bug, is a species of insect in the family Pentatomidae native to North America. Both the larval and adult stages are specialized predators of eggs and larvae of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). However, the first instar larvae feed by sucking the juices out of potato ...more ↓
Perillus exaptus
Perillus exaptus is a species of predatory stink bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is found in North America.
Brown Stink Bug
Euschistus servus, the brown stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Twice-Stabbed Stink Bug
Cosmopepla lintneriana, the twice-stabbed stink bug, is a species of insect in the Pentatomidae family. Cosmopepla lintneriana was first described in 1798 by Johan Christian Fabricius as Cimex carnifex and then again in 1865 by Thomas as Cosmopepla bimaculata....
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Halyomorpha halys, also known as the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), or simply the stink bug, is an insect in the family Pentatomidae that is native to China, Japan and Taiwan. It was accidentally introduced into the United States, with the first specimen being collected in September 1998. The brown marmorated stink bug is considered to be an agricultural ...more ↓
Green Stink Bug
The green stink bug or green soldier bug (Chinavia hilaris) is a stink bug belonging to the family Pentatomidae.
Say's Stink Bug
Chlorochroa sayi, or Say's stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is found in North America.
Western Conifer Seed Bug
The western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, sometimes abbreviated as WCSB, is a species of true bug (Hemiptera) in the family Coreidae. It was originally native to the warm-temperate western USA (California, Oregon and Nevada) but has in recent times expanded its range and become an invasive species in parts of Europe.
Squash Bug
Anasa tristis of the family Coreidae is a major pest of squash and pumpkins, and is a vector of the cucurbit yellow vine disease (CYVD) bacterium. These bugs can emit an unpleasant odor when disturbed.
