invertebrate no legs 6 legs snails, slugs and earthworms ... · see-through wings very long legs,...

Invertebrates are animals without a backbone. They come in many shapes, sizesand colours. This chart covers what you are most likely to find during an OPALsurvey: insects, arachnids, molluscs, myriapods and crustaceans.

You don’t need fancy equipment to survey bugs. Your eyesare your most important tool, but these may help too:

a magnifier pencil and paper a camera

antennae

legs

a jar (to put bugsin while youidentify them) Main features used in this guide

Start here – how many legs?

Now try to name your invertebrate using this guide

lots of legs

Myriapodsand

crustaceansArachnidsInsectsMolluscs

and annelids

8 legs6 legsno legs

Molluscs and annelidsSnails, slugs and earthworms

Snails• Soft, slimy body • Hard, coiled shell• Shell can vary from asphere, to a flatteneddisc or a pointed spire

Slugs• Soft, slimy body • Do not have a hard, coiled shell(although a few species have atiny disc of shell towards theend of their body)

Earthworms• Long, thin body divided into segments(which look like a series of rings or stripes)

• Thickened ‘saddle’ visible on adult wormssaddle

coiled shell

• There are around 150 species of land snails and slugs inthe UK.

• They belong to a group of molluscs called Gastropodawhich means ‘stomach-foot’!

• Earthworms belong to a group called Annelida – thesegmented worms. There are 27 species in the UK.

• Slugs, snails and earthworms all need to keep their skindamp so that they can breathe. They are particularlyactive at night and when the ground is wet.

• All three groups are a vital food source for many otheranimals, including birds, mammals and amphibians.

Did you know?

Reaching an incredible16cm long, the LeopardSlug (scientific name Limax maximus) is one ofthe UK’s largest slugs.

It eats fungi, rotting plantsand other slugs. Whenmating, a pair of LeopardSlugs will often hang froma thread of mucus (slime).

No legs

Discover more about slugs and snails on theConchological Society’s website www.conchsoc.orgFor earthworms visit www.earthwormsoc.org.uk

InsectsBeetles

• There are over 4,000 species of beetle in the UK.• Beetles belong to a group of insects called Coleoptera.• Beetles can be found in a wide variety of habitats on landand in freshwater.

• Many beetles help to pollinate plants, reduce pests andrecycle nutrients.

• Many beetles eat living plants or fungi, others are activepredators of invertebrates, while some eat dead plantsand animals – even dung!

Did you know?

The Stag Beetle (scientificname Lucanus cervus) isthe biggest beetle in theUK, growing to an amazing7cm long! Their larvae(young) live in rotting woodfor up to seven years, butthe adult beetles only livefor a few months.

6 legs

Love beetles? Why not join the UK LadybirdSurvey? www.ladybird-survey.org

Top tip: Not sure if youhave a beetle or a truebug? Check how the wingcases meet. Beetles havea T-shape, but true bugsusually have an X- or Y-shape.

Common body shapes

InsectsTrue bugs

• Over 1,700 species of true bug have been found in theUK.

• They belong to a group of insects called Hemiptera,which means ‘half-winged’.

• Most true bugs feed by puncturing their food and thensucking up juices using their tube-like mouthparts.

• Many species feed on plants and some can beimportant pests (e.g. aphids).

• Aphids feed on plant sap, which is full of sugars. Theysecrete some of this as honeydew. Ants often feed onthis honeydew and in return protect the aphids frompredators.

Did you know?

The young of froghoppersprotect themselves frompredators and becomingtoo dry by surroundingthemselves in patches offoam bubbles – often called‘cuckoo spit’. They createthese bubbles whilefeeding on plant sap.

6 legs

Discover more about true bugs atwww.britishbugs.org.uk

Discover more about true flies atwww.dipteristsforum.org.uk

Top tip: Unlike true bugs,the wing cases of beetlesmeet in a T-shape.

Common body shapes

‹

‹

InsectsBees, wasps and ants

• Over 7,000 species of bees, wasps, ants and sawflieslive in the UK.

• They belong to a group of insects called Hymenoptera.• Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors over 100 millionyears ago.

• Bees and wasps are incredibly important pollinators, carryingpollen from one plant to the next as they feed on nectar.

• Some (but not all) bees and wasps can sting if they feelthreatened, while Wood Ants defend themselves bybiting and spraying formic acid.

• A diverse group of wasps called ‘parasitoids’ reproduceby laying their eggs inside living invertebrates.

Did you know?

Ants are one of the mostabundant organisms onearth. Colonies can exceed1 million individuals. Thispicture shows Wood Ants(scientific name Formicarufa) massing outside theirnest to absorb heat fromthe spring sunshine.

6 legs

Buzzing about bees? Visit the Bees, Wasps andAnts Recording Society website www.bwars.com

Top tip: Don’t confusewasps and hoverflies.

Common body shapes

Photographs: Roger Key (aphids), Alan Stewart (cuckoo spit)

bees

antssawflies

usually lack narrowwaist

wasps

InsectsTrue flies

• There are approximately 7,000 species known from theUK and more are discovered each year.

• True flies belong to a group of insects called Dipterawhich means ‘two-winged’.

• Although we often think of them as pests, true flies areimportant, whether as predators, pollinators of plants, oras food for other animals (like bats and birds). Othershelp break down dead plants and animals.

• There are lots of insects that have the word ‘fly’ in theirnames that aren’t true flies, e.g. dragonfly, butterfly,greenfly and mayfly.

Did you know?

Apart from a few hoverflieswhich can crunch uppollen, all true flies musteat food in liquid form –whether that is nectar,dung, blood, or somethingelse! Mouthparts vary inshape from the long,sucking tubes ofmosquitoes and bee flies,to the disc-shaped‘hoovers’ of blowflies.

6 legs

Top tip: Hoverflies havemuch shorter antennaethan wasps and bees.

Common body shapes

Photograph: Martin Hall (bluebottle mouthparts)

some antshave wings

but mostdo not

Wasp

BumblebeeAntfat furry body

narrow waist

Long antennae

Two pairs of see-through wings

Most have a narrow waist

Bees are often hairy whilewasps and anta are not

‹

InvertebrateIdentification Guide

This guide can be used for the OPAL Bugs Count Surveyand OPAL Biodiversity Survey

Pincer-shaped jaws (can behard to see on smaller beetles)

Hard forewing cases (elytra) toprotect the delicate hindwings

Wing cases meet in a straightline making a T shape

long thin snout

Weevil Otherbeetle

2 or more spots

Ladybird

Wing cases usually meet in an X- or Y-shape (not truefor some true bugs, like aphids and scale insects)

broadshoulders

adults jumpwhendisturbed

young often hide infoam (‘cuckoo spit’)

verysmall

X-shapeShieldbug

Froghopper Aphid

body oftenmetallic in

colour

Antennae often very short

Large eyes (may almost fill the head)

One pair of see-through wings

verylonglegs

often has black and yellow markson body, imitating a wasp

Cranefly

Hoverfly

Blowfly

2047 OPAL guide to invertebrates_Invertebrates 888 x 210 copy 21/04/2015 12:53

Invertebrates are animals without a backbone. They come in many shapes, sizesand colours. This chart covers what you are most likely to find during an OPALsurvey: insects, arachnids, molluscs, myriapods and crustaceans.

You don’t need fancy equipment to survey bugs. Your eyesare your most important tool, but these may help too:

a magnifier pencil and paper a camera

antennae

legs

a jar (to put bugsin while youidentify them) Main features used in this guide

Start here – how many legs?

Now try to name your invertebrate using this guide

lots of legs

Myriapodsand

crustaceansArachnidsInsectsMolluscs

and annelids

8 legs6 legsno legs

Molluscs and annelidsSnails, slugs and earthworms

Snails• Soft, slimy body • Hard, coiled shell• Shell can vary from asphere, to a flatteneddisc or a pointed spire

Slugs• Soft, slimy body • Do not have a hard, coiled shell(although a few species have atiny disc of shell towards theend of their body)

Earthworms• Long, thin body divided into segments(which look like a series of rings or stripes)

• Thickened ‘saddle’ visible on adult wormssaddle

coiled shell

• There are around 150 species of land snails and slugs inthe UK.

• They belong to a group of molluscs called Gastropodawhich means ‘stomach-foot’!

• Earthworms belong to a group called Annelida – thesegmented worms. There are 27 species in the UK.

• Slugs, snails and earthworms all need to keep their skindamp so that they can breathe. They are particularlyactive at night and when the ground is wet.

• All three groups are a vital food source for many otheranimals, including birds, mammals and amphibians.

Did you know?

Reaching an incredible16cm long, the LeopardSlug (scientific name Limax maximus) is one ofthe UK’s largest slugs.

It eats fungi, rotting plantsand other slugs. Whenmating, a pair of LeopardSlugs will often hang froma thread of mucus (slime).

No legs

Discover more about slugs and snails on theConchological Society’s website www.conchsoc.orgFor earthworms visit www.earthwormsoc.org.uk

InsectsBeetles

• There are over 4,000 species of beetle in the UK.• Beetles belong to a group of insects called Coleoptera.• Beetles can be found in a wide variety of habitats on landand in freshwater.

• Many beetles help to pollinate plants, reduce pests andrecycle nutrients.

• Many beetles eat living plants or fungi, others are activepredators of invertebrates, while some eat dead plantsand animals – even dung!

Did you know?

The Stag Beetle (scientificname Lucanus cervus) isthe biggest beetle in theUK, growing to an amazing7cm long! Their larvae(young) live in rotting woodfor up to seven years, butthe adult beetles only livefor a few months.

6 legs

Love beetles? Why not join the UK LadybirdSurvey? www.ladybird-survey.org

Top tip: Not sure if youhave a beetle or a truebug? Check how the wingcases meet. Beetles havea T-shape, but true bugsusually have an X- or Y-shape.

Common body shapes

InsectsTrue bugs

• Over 1,700 species of true bug have been found in theUK.

• They belong to a group of insects called Hemiptera,which means ‘half-winged’.

• Most true bugs feed by puncturing their food and thensucking up juices using their tube-like mouthparts.

• Many species feed on plants and some can beimportant pests (e.g. aphids).

• Aphids feed on plant sap, which is full of sugars. Theysecrete some of this as honeydew. Ants often feed onthis honeydew and in return protect the aphids frompredators.

Did you know?

The young of froghoppersprotect themselves frompredators and becomingtoo dry by surroundingthemselves in patches offoam bubbles – often called‘cuckoo spit’. They createthese bubbles whilefeeding on plant sap.

6 legs

Discover more about true bugs atwww.britishbugs.org.uk

Discover more about true flies atwww.dipteristsforum.org.uk

Top tip: Unlike true bugs,the wing cases of beetlesmeet in a T-shape.

Common body shapes

‹

‹

InsectsBees, wasps and ants

• Over 7,000 species of bees, wasps, ants and sawflieslive in the UK.

• They belong to a group of insects called Hymenoptera.• Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors over 100 millionyears ago.

• Bees and wasps are incredibly important pollinators, carryingpollen from one plant to the next as they feed on nectar.

• Some (but not all) bees and wasps can sting if they feelthreatened, while Wood Ants defend themselves bybiting and spraying formic acid.

• A diverse group of wasps called ‘parasitoids’ reproduceby laying their eggs inside living invertebrates.

Did you know?

Ants are one of the mostabundant organisms onearth. Colonies can exceed1 million individuals. Thispicture shows Wood Ants(scientific name Formicarufa) massing outside theirnest to absorb heat fromthe spring sunshine.

6 legs

Buzzing about bees? Visit the Bees, Wasps andAnts Recording Society website www.bwars.com

Top tip: Don’t confusewasps and hoverflies.

Common body shapes

Photographs: Roger Key (aphids), Alan Stewart (cuckoo spit)

bees

antssawflies

usually lack narrowwaist

wasps

InsectsTrue flies

• There are approximately 7,000 species known from theUK and more are discovered each year.

• True flies belong to a group of insects called Dipterawhich means ‘two-winged’.

• Although we often think of them as pests, true flies areimportant, whether as predators, pollinators of plants, oras food for other animals (like bats and birds). Othershelp break down dead plants and animals.

• There are lots of insects that have the word ‘fly’ in theirnames that aren’t true flies, e.g. dragonfly, butterfly,greenfly and mayfly.

Did you know?

Apart from a few hoverflieswhich can crunch uppollen, all true flies musteat food in liquid form –whether that is nectar,dung, blood, or somethingelse! Mouthparts vary inshape from the long,sucking tubes ofmosquitoes and bee flies,to the disc-shaped‘hoovers’ of blowflies.

6 legs

Top tip: Hoverflies havemuch shorter antennaethan wasps and bees.

Common body shapes

Photograph: Martin Hall (bluebottle mouthparts)

some antshave wings

but mostdo not

Wasp

BumblebeeAntfat furry body

narrow waist

Long antennae

Two pairs of see-through wings

Most have a narrow waist

Bees are often hairy whilewasps and anta are not

‹

InvertebrateIdentification Guide

This guide can be used for the OPAL Bugs Count Surveyand OPAL Biodiversity Survey

Pincer-shaped jaws (can behard to see on smaller beetles)

Hard forewing cases (elytra) toprotect the delicate hindwings

Wing cases meet in a straightline making a T shape

long thin snout

Weevil Otherbeetle

2 or more spots

Ladybird

Wing cases usually meet in an X- or Y-shape (not truefor some true bugs, like aphids and scale insects)

broadshoulders

adults jumpwhendisturbed

young often hide infoam (‘cuckoo spit’)

verysmall

X-shapeShieldbug

Froghopper Aphid

body oftenmetallic in

colour

Antennae often very short

Large eyes (may almost fill the head)

One pair of see-through wings

verylonglegs

often has black and yellow markson body, imitating a wasp

Cranefly

Hoverfly

Blowfly

2047 OPAL guide to invertebrates_Invertebrates 888 x 210 copy 21/04/2015 12:53 Page 1

What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth? Nothing really! They are veryclosely related and there is no one feature that separates the two. The following tipswill help you decide, but there are always a few species that break the rules!

InsectsButterflies and moths

• There are over 2,500 species of moth in the UK butfewer than 60 species of butterfly!

• They both belong to a group of insects called Lepidoptera.• Adult moths and butterflies feed by sucking liquids suchas nectar through a straw-like tube called a proboscis.

• Butterflies and moths are important pollinators, as wellas being a vital food source for other animals. In Britain,Blue Tit chicks eat an estimated 35 billion mothcaterpillars every year.

• Moths are often disliked because it is thought they eatclothes and other woollen fabrics. In fact, only two of the2,500 species of moths in the UK are likely to eat clothes.

Did you know?

Despite their gentlefluttering flight, somebutterflies and moths likethis Red Admiral (scientificname Vanessa atalanta)migrate all the way fromsouthern Europe or NorthAfrica to the UK. Theyarrive here in spring, breedover the summer and mostleave again in autumn.

6 legs

Discover more about these insects on the ButterflyConservation website www.butterfly-conservation.org

butterfly

caterpillar

moth

Butterflies • usually fly during the day • have ‘clubs’ (lumps) onthe end of their antennae • rest with wings closed vertically abovetheir bodyMoths • usually fly at night but some fly during the day • havepointed and often feathery antennae • rest with their wings foldedflat over their body

‘clubs’ on antennaeno ‘clubs’ on

antennae

caterpillars developinto adult butterflies

and moths

Crickets and grasshoppers have long back legs that are strengthened for jumping.Earwigs have a pair of pincer-shaped claspers called ‘cerci’ at the end of theirbrown body.

InsectsCrickets, grasshoppers and earwigs

• There are 33 species of cricket and grasshopper in theUK and seven species of earwig.

• Crickets and grasshoppers belong to a group calledOrthoptera, meaning ‘straight-winged’. It refers to theway they hold their wings in a line along their back.

• Earwigs belong to a closely related group calledDermaptera.

• Grasshoppers only eat plants, while crickets and earwigseat other invertebrates as well as plants.

• Crickets sing (‘chirp’) by rubbing their back legs againsttheir wings, or drumming them on a surface. Grasshopperschirp by rubbing their wings together.

• Earwigs don’t live in ears!

Did you know?

The Mole Cricket(scientific name Gryllotalpagryllotalpa) is one of theUK’s weirdest, rarest andmost spectacularinvertebrates. Like moles,they use their shovel-likefront legs to dig tunnelsthrough the soil. MoleCrickets live almostentirely underground,eating the roots of plantsas well as invertebratesthat live in soil.

6 legs

Want to discover more about grasshoppers, cricketsand their relatives? Visit www.orthoptera.org.uk

Earwig

large pincers atend of body

Photographs: Robert Thompson, Matt Berry, David Green

Grasshoppers have short antennae, much shorter thantheir body

Crickets have long antennae, usually longer than their body

longbrownbody

Lacewings have clear wings, which are held like a tent over the body when resting.

InsectsLacewings

Insect larvae (young)

Many insects go through a four stage life-cycle: egg - larva - pupa - adult. The larvaeand pupae can be difficult to identify, as they do not always look like the adult.

What are insect larvae? Most insects reproduce by laying eggs. The young thathatch from these eggs are of two types:1 Larvae look very different from the adults. They feed and grow, then their skinhardens and they turn into a pupa. Inside the pupa, they undergo a completechange, before hatching as adults.

2 Nymphs look quite like small versions of the adult. To grow, they moult theirhard skin several times, each time getting bigger and looking more like the adult.

6 legs

Legs hardto see

lacewing

long antennae

butterfly caterpillar

stag beetle larva

ladybird larvaclick beetle larva

ground beetle larvabluebottle fly

larva (maggot)bluebottle fly

pupa

moth caterpillars

Butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars)

Beetle larvae True fly larvaeand pupae

Spiders and harvestmen have eight legs. Many spiders build webs to catch prey.Harvestmen feed on a range of plant and animal matter.

Myriapods (centipedes and millipedes) are often found at ground level, but sometimesclimb onto plants. Crustaceans (such as woodlice) have 14 legs and an armoured body.

ArachnidsSpiders and harvestmen

• The UK has 27 species of harvestmen and 650 speciesof spider.

• All UK spiders are predators of invertebrates, especiallyinsects. They immobilise them with venom injectedthrough their jaws (‘fangs’).

• Not all spiders use silken webs to catch their prey. Someactively hunt, and others are ambush predators that sitin likely places and wait for prey to pass by.

• Harvestmen are at their most abundant and visibleduring the late summer and early autumn – the traditionalcrop ‘harvest time’.

• Harvestmen do not produce silk or venom, but canproduce a pungent smell to put off predators.

Did you know?

8 legs

Discover more at the British ArachnologicalSociety’s website www.britishspiders.org.uk

Thin, wispy cobwebs inyour house, garage or shedmay well belong to theDaddy Long-legs Spider(scientific name Pholcusphalangioides). Originally atropical species, it hasspread around the world.In the UK it prefers to liveindoors and inoutbuildings. It eats a widerange of invertebrates,including other spiders!

Myriapods and crustaceansWoodlice, centipedes and millipedes

usually grey

dark brown or black

• There are 39 species of woodlouse, 57 species ofcentipede and 60 species of millipede in the UK.

• Woodlice, centipedes and millipedes are not closelyrelated. Centipedes belong to a group called Chilopoda,millipedes to the Diplopoda, and woodlice arecrustaceans in a group called Isopoda.

• All have a large number of legs, but not thousands!• They live on damp ground surfaces, among fallen leavesand decaying logs, and under objects like plant pots.

• Woodlice and millipedes mainly eat dead or damaged plants.• Centipedes eat other invertebrates, which they immobiliseusing venom injected from a pair of poison claws near

their head.

Did you know?

Eating a woodlouse wasonce thought to curestomach ache (but don’ttry this at home).Woodlice have been givenmany different nicknamesincluding slaters,cheeselogs, chiggypigs,pry lludw andgammerzows!

Lots oflegs

Discover more at the British Myriapod and IsopodGroup's website www.bmig.org.uk

There are well over 30,000 different species of invertebrate in the UK, so this guidecannot possibly show them all. If you find an invertebrate you cannot identify, recordit as ‘other’ and check our website for further help.

Learn more about insects – join the Amateur Entomologists’Society www.amentsoc.org.

For more help with identification visit ispotnature.org.

Written by Martin Harvey, Gill Stevens, John Tweddle, Lucy Carter and Simon Norman.

Colour artwork © Chris Shields 2010. Photographs © Harry Taylor, Roger Key, Alan Stewart,Martin Hall, Robert Thomson, Matt Berry, David Green.

Woodlice • body divided into manysegments • 7 pairs of legs • ovalshaped body (when viewed from above)• some woodlice can roll into a ball

Centipedes • long, thin body dividedinto many segments • at least 15pairs of legs, but can have manymore • 1 pair of legs on each bodysegment • usually orange or yellowHarvestmen have

one small body partwhich is round or ovalshaped (unlikespiders which havetwo body parts)

longthinlegs

Spider bodies are clearly dividedinto two parts:

The front part is called thecephalothorax (and includes the head)

The back part is called the abdomen

two pairsof legs persegment

one pair of legsper segment

Can’t find a match?

Millipedes • long, thin bodydivided into segments • usuallyless than 50 pairs of legs • 2 pairsof legs on each body segment• pill millipedes can roll into a ball

To learn more about UK invertebrates, visit www.opalexplorenature.org/bugscount.

Great resources for identifying bugs include the OPALiSpot website www.ispotnature.org, and the NaturalHistory Museum’s identification forumswww.nhm.ac.uk/identification.

Look after yourself and the bugs you find• Handle bugs gently. Only pick them up when necessary and always put them backwhere you found them.

• If you put a bug in a jar to look at it, don’t keep it for too long, or leave it in the sun.• Always act in a safe and careful manner and tell someone where you are going.• See the Field Notebook for further advice.


What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth? Nothing really! They are veryclosely related and there is no one feature that separates the two. The following tipswill help you decide, but there are always a few species that break the rules!

InsectsButterflies and moths

• There are over 2,500 species of moth in the UK butfewer than 60 species of butterfly!

• They both belong to a group of insects called Lepidoptera.• Adult moths and butterflies feed by sucking liquids suchas nectar through a straw-like tube called a proboscis.

• Butterflies and moths are important pollinators, as wellas being a vital food source for other animals. In Britain,Blue Tit chicks eat an estimated 35 billion mothcaterpillars every year.

• Moths are often disliked because it is thought they eatclothes and other woollen fabrics. In fact, only two of the2,500 species of moths in the UK are likely to eat clothes.

Did you know?

Despite their gentlefluttering flight, somebutterflies and moths likethis Red Admiral (scientificname Vanessa atalanta)migrate all the way fromsouthern Europe or NorthAfrica to the UK. Theyarrive here in spring, breedover the summer and mostleave again in autumn.

6 legs

Discover more about these insects on the ButterflyConservation website www.butterfly-conservation.org

butterfly

caterpillar

moth

Butterflies • usually fly during the day • have ‘clubs’ (lumps) onthe end of their antennae • rest with wings closed vertically abovetheir bodyMoths • usually fly at night but some fly during the day • havepointed and often feathery antennae • rest with their wings foldedflat over their body

‘clubs’ on antennaeno ‘clubs’ on

antennae

caterpillars developinto adult butterflies

and moths

Crickets and grasshoppers have long back legs that are strengthened for jumping.Earwigs have a pair of pincer-shaped claspers called ‘cerci’ at the end of theirbrown body.

InsectsCrickets, grasshoppers and earwigs

• There are 33 species of cricket and grasshopper in theUK and seven species of earwig.

• Crickets and grasshoppers belong to a group calledOrthoptera, meaning ‘straight-winged’. It refers to theway they hold their wings in a line along their back.

• Earwigs belong to a closely related group calledDermaptera.

• Grasshoppers only eat plants, while crickets and earwigseat other invertebrates as well as plants.

• Crickets sing (‘chirp’) by rubbing their back legs againsttheir wings, or drumming them on a surface. Grasshopperschirp by rubbing their wings together.

• Earwigs don’t live in ears!

Did you know?

The Mole Cricket(scientific name Gryllotalpagryllotalpa) is one of theUK’s weirdest, rarest andmost spectacularinvertebrates. Like moles,they use their shovel-likefront legs to dig tunnelsthrough the soil. MoleCrickets live almostentirely underground,eating the roots of plantsas well as invertebratesthat live in soil.

6 legs

Want to discover more about grasshoppers, cricketsand their relatives? Visit www.orthoptera.org.uk

Earwig

large pincers atend of body

Photographs: Robert Thompson, Matt Berry, David Green

Grasshoppers have short antennae, much shorter thantheir body

Crickets have long antennae, usually longer than their body

longbrownbody

Lacewings have clear wings, which are held like a tent over the body when resting.

InsectsLacewings

Insect larvae (young)

Many insects go through a four stage life-cycle: egg - larva - pupa - adult. The larvaeand pupae can be difficult to identify, as they do not always look like the adult.

What are insect larvae? Most insects reproduce by laying eggs. The young thathatch from these eggs are of two types:1 Larvae look very different from the adults. They feed and grow, then their skinhardens and they turn into a pupa. Inside the pupa, they undergo a completechange, before hatching as adults.

2 Nymphs look quite like small versions of the adult. To grow, they moult theirhard skin several times, each time getting bigger and looking more like the adult.

6 legs

Legs hardto see

lacewing

long antennae

butterfly caterpillar

stag beetle larva

ladybird larvaclick beetle larva

ground beetle larvabluebottle fly

larva (maggot)bluebottle fly

pupa

moth caterpillars

Butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars)

Beetle larvae True fly larvaeand pupae

Spiders and harvestmen have eight legs. Many spiders build webs to catch prey.Harvestmen feed on a range of plant and animal matter.

Myriapods (centipedes and millipedes) are often found at ground level, but sometimesclimb onto plants. Crustaceans (such as woodlice) have 14 legs and an armoured body.

ArachnidsSpiders and harvestmen

• The UK has 27 species of harvestmen and 650 speciesof spider.

• All UK spiders are predators of invertebrates, especiallyinsects. They immobilise them with venom injectedthrough their jaws (‘fangs’).

• Not all spiders use silken webs to catch their prey. Someactively hunt, and others are ambush predators that sitin likely places and wait for prey to pass by.

• Harvestmen are at their most abundant and visibleduring the late summer and early autumn – the traditionalcrop ‘harvest time’.

• Harvestmen do not produce silk or venom, but canproduce a pungent smell to put off predators.

Did you know?

8 legs

Discover more at the British ArachnologicalSociety’s website www.britishspiders.org.uk

Thin, wispy cobwebs inyour house, garage or shedmay well belong to theDaddy Long-legs Spider(scientific name Pholcusphalangioides). Originally atropical species, it hasspread around the world.In the UK it prefers to liveindoors and inoutbuildings. It eats a widerange of invertebrates,including other spiders!

Myriapods and crustaceansWoodlice, centipedes and millipedes

usually grey

dark brown or black

• There are 39 species of woodlouse, 57 species ofcentipede and 60 species of millipede in the UK.

• Woodlice, centipedes and millipedes are not closelyrelated. Centipedes belong to a group called Chilopoda,millipedes to the Diplopoda, and woodlice arecrustaceans in a group called Isopoda.

• All have a large number of legs, but not thousands!• They live on damp ground surfaces, among fallen leavesand decaying logs, and under objects like plant pots.

• Woodlice and millipedes mainly eat dead or damaged plants.• Centipedes eat other invertebrates, which they immobiliseusing venom injected from a pair of poison claws near

their head.

Did you know?

Eating a woodlouse wasonce thought to curestomach ache (but don’ttry this at home).Woodlice have been givenmany different nicknamesincluding slaters,cheeselogs, chiggypigs,pry lludw andgammerzows!

Lots oflegs

Discover more at the British Myriapod and IsopodGroup's website www.bmig.org.uk

There are well over 30,000 different species of invertebrate in the UK, so this guidecannot possibly show them all. If you find an invertebrate you cannot identify, recordit as ‘other’ and check our website for further help.

Learn more about insects – join the Amateur Entomologists’Society www.amentsoc.org.

For more help with identification visit ispotnature.org.

Written by John Tweddle, Lucy Carter, Martin Batson, Martin Harvey and Gill Stevens.

Colour artwork © Chris Shields 2010. Photographs © Harry Taylor, Roger Key, Alan Stewart,Martin Hall, Robert Thomson, Matt Berry, David Green.

Woodlice • body divided into manysegments • 7 pairs of legs • ovalshaped body (when viewed from above)• some woodlice can roll into a ball

Centipedes • long, thin body dividedinto many segments • at least 15pairs of legs, but can have manymore • 1 pair of legs on each bodysegment • usually orange or yellowHarvestmen have

one small body partwhich is round or ovalshaped (unlikespiders which havetwo body parts)

longthinlegs

Spider bodies are clearly dividedinto two parts:

The front part is called thecephalothorax (and includes the head)

The back part is called the abdomen

two pairsof legs persegment

one pair of legsper segment

Can’t find a match?

Millipedes • long, thin bodydivided into segments • usuallyless than 50 pairs of legs • 2 pairsof legs on each body segment• pill millipedes can roll into a ball

To learn more about UK invertebrates, visit www.opalexplorenature.org/bugscount.

Great resources for identifying bugs include the OPALiSpot website www.ispotnature.org, and the NaturalHistory Museum’s identification forumswww.nhm.ac.uk/identification.

Look after yourself and the bugs you find• Handle bugs gently. Only pick them up when necessary and always put them backwhere you found them.

• If you put a bug in a jar to look at it, don’t keep it for too long, or leave it in the sun.• Always act in a safe and careful manner and tell someone where you are going.• See the Field Notebook for further advice.


invertebrate no legs 6 legs snails, slugs and earthworms ... · see-through wings very long legs,...

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