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| White admiral | | ... Eurasian white admiral, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is common in Europe and Asia. Adult white admirals reach wingspans of 45 - 52 mm. The upper surface of their wings is black and brown with white spots, while the underside is more colourful. The hind wings have a double row of dark spots. | | |
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| Long-legged flies reach body lengths of 1-8 mm. Their bodies are colourful and have a metallic sheen. They have clamp-like mouth parts. The lower lip is specially shaped for catching prey. Their antennae vary in shape. They have compound eyes which are very large in many species. | | |
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| A large number of the European species of cobweb spiders belong to the genus Theridion. Some of these species are very striking and colourful. The European cobweb spider species include: southern black widow (Latrodectus mactans), European or Mediterranean black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), Latrodectus hasselti, Carniella brignolii, Chrysso spiniventris, Coleosoma floridanum, Cr... | | |
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| The Harvestmen eat their prey alive. Harvestmen can perceive ultraviolet light, but their eyesight is weak. Some species are covered in colourful ‘spikes’ which are visible under a microscope but the function of these has not yet been explained. In some species the males are darker than the females and are also larger. | | |
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| Brush-footed butterflies reach wingspans of 10 - 100 mm. The upper surface of their wings is usually colourful, while the undersides are rather inconspicuous. Their proboscis is well developed and their antennae are club-shaped. The caterpillars of Nymphalidae have thread-like appendages or ones resembling thorns. Some are hairy and some are hairless. | | |
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| Adult Cleridae reach body lengths of 3-24 mm. Most species are long and oval in shape. Their bodies are shiny, bristly and very colourful, usually red, yellow, orange or blue. The head and pronotum are almost the same width. The neck shield is elongated. For their carnivorous diet, Cleridae have particularly strongly developed mandibles. The antennae in most species are club-shaped,... | | |
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| Males and females of most species have colourful or dark wings. Only a few species (also differong by gender) have no wings. The fine, longitudinal veins in the tips of the fore wings and hind wings are an identifying characteristic. The markings on the wings may be more or less pronounced. Cubita... | | |
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| Meshweb weavers are mostly small spiders with body lengths of up to 4 mm. Besides the many inconspicuously coloured species (usually light brown) there are those which are very colourful. Nigma walckenaeri are green. Many species are slightly hairy. What is special to meshweb weavers is that they do not produce sticky threads to catch prey. Instead, they produce a fine, crinkly silk which is spun into irregularly shaped webs on plan... | | |
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| ...ouration ranges from snow white with red stripes, to pale green, brown, bright yellow or emerald green and they are often attractive looking. The body surface can also be longitudinally striped or spotted. Diaea dorsata usually live on leaves, while colourful species are found on flowers, and darker species on tree trunks or near soil. | | |
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| The larvae (nymphs) of the southern green stink bug hatch after 5 days in summer, or after 2 to 3 weeks in spring. They develop from egg to adult bug within 35 days. They have colourful bodies. Their markings and shape changes after each moult. In the first larval stage (which lasts 3 days), they remain sitting in groups next to their empty eggs without eating. In this way the tiny larvae can combine the power of their defense secr... | | |
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