Identifying Invertebrates with Spots

Home	Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

Click on arrows to show pull-down menus:

Common Invertebrates with Spots

If spots are prominent or numerous (speckles), this is the page to look at. Go back to color/pattern menu:

Big Spots


Female Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle (Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae), Durham, 7/13/06.	Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae), Durham, 5/7/08	Spotted Ladybug Beetle (Coleomegilla maculata, subfamily Coccinellinae), with what seem to be eggs. Durham, NC, 8/26/10	Convergent Ladybug Beetle (Hippodamia convergens, subfamily Coccinellinae), Durham, NC, 9/13/08. Found in a power line cut.	Twice-stabbed Ladybug Beetle (Chilocorus stigma, Chilocorinae subfamily), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC, 5/19/08. A view of one of this tiny (2 mm) beetle's two red spots.


Male shining leaf beetle (Neolema sexpunctata, Criocerinae subfamily), Durham, NC, 7/1/07. A very tiny beetle, about 3 mm long.	Female shining leaf beetle (Neolema sexpunctata, Criocerinae subfamily), Durham, 5/6/09. Spots can vary in size and shape.	Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Durham, NC, 7/15/09	Fourteen-spotted Leaf Beetle (Cryptocephalus guttulatus), about 4 mm long. Durham, NC, 7/31/10


Cocklebur Weevil (Rhodobaenus quinquepunctatus), Durham, 7/8/08	Flea beetle (Capraita sexmaculata, Alticini tribe, Galerucinae subfamily, Chrysomelidae family). A kind of leaf beetle.	Cylindrical Leaf beetle (Babia quadriguttata, tribe Clytrini, subfamily Cryptocephinae), Durham, 6/2/06.	Leaf beetle (Cryptocephalus quadriplex, Cryptocephalini tribe, Cryptocephalinae subfamily). Durham, NC, 5/17/08. Similar to the Babia quadriguttata, but 1) smaller and 2) with capitate antennae, which are longer.


Margined Leather-wing Beetle (Chauliognathus marginatus). Wing maintenance, Durham swamp, 7/2/05. Notice the leg over the wing. Almost an inch long.	Tumbling flower beetle (Hoshihananomia octopunctata). These photos illustrate the odd head shape (flat on the bottom) and how that head moves. This beetle was about 5 mm long.	Leafhopper (Erythroneura osborni), Durham, NC, 8/10/08. Photo taken at night.


Female Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), Durham, 8/4/04. Seen mostly in the NC mountains, much less commonly in the Piedmont.	Hackberry Emperor	Summer form Question Mark, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/9/07. Medium-sized.	Female Sachem, Durham, 6/28/04, on white clover blossom. Here you have a ventral view of the left wing and a dorsal view of the right one.	Cabbage White (Pieris rapae, Pierini tribe and Pierinae subfamily): Pictured is an adult and a small larva on one of their favorite foods: cabbage. These butterflies are major cabbage family pests, but are not often seen away from these crops.


Common Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala), Duke Forest, Gate 12, 9/29/05. This butterfly lay down on its side in an apparent attempt to hide.	Little Wood Satyr or Viola's Wood Satyr, depending on which side of the controversy you are on, Durham, 6/9/05. This butterfly, in contrast, posed patiently on a front yard in my neighborhood.	Little Wood Satyr, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 6/4/08	Northern Pearly Eye (Lethe anthedon anthedon), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 8/9/09. Dorsal view.	Northern Pearly Eye. Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 8/18/08	Southern Pearly Eye, Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/25/08. Is brown in bright light.	Appalachian Brown, Haw River State Park, Rockingham County, NC, 5/13/08


Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia), Raleigh, NC, 9/26/10. Photo taken by Matthew Schneider.	Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/1/09


Bee Fly (Xenox tigrinus), Duke Gardens, Durham, NC, 6/20/10	Tachinid fly (Xanthomelanodes genus), Durham, NC, 5/30/09	Male horse fly (Tabanus molestus, Jordan Lake Gameland, Chatham County, NC, 6/19/07. Species ID thanks to "JBurger."	Horse fly (Tabanus trimaculatus), Durham, NC, 7/2/08	Female Golden-backed Snipe Fly, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 4/25/07


Eyed Click Beetle, (Alaus oculatus), Durham, 5/18/06	Yellow-and-black Garden Spider, Durham, NC, 10/10/09, with prey.	Two adult female Black Widow Spiders. The big one on the right (maybe pregnant) was much more reclusive and had made a rare trip outside this dark hiding place. The other disappeared after a couple of days.	Adult female Black Widow, Durham, NC, 7/22/09. Note dorsal red spots on abdomen.	Female Golden Silk Spider (Nephila clavipes), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 9/16/07.


Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata), Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 6/11/05.	Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella), Durham, 8/21/05.	Mating Halloween Pennants, Occoneechee Mountain, Orange County, NC, 8/12/06.	Sparkling Jewelwing (Calopteryx dimidiata). This insect may appear to be all blue or all green. The key is the partially black wing. See other damselflies.	Adult Narrow Barklouse (Graphosocus cruciatus), about 2 mm long, caught in flight. Greenville, SC, 6/11/10. In order of lower to higher taxa, it's classified as belonging to Stenopsocidae, Caeciliusetae, Psocetae, Psocomorpha and Psocodea, according to the relevant Tree of Life Web page. According to this page, Psocodea replaces the traditional Psocoptera order.	White Flannel Moth (Norape ovina), caterpillar, Umstead State Park, Wake County, NC, 9/5/04. Like the Puss Moth caterpillar, this caterpillar is poisonous.

Speckles or Little Spots

Argus Tortoise Beetle (Chelymorpha cassidea, tribe Stolaini, subfamily Cassidinae ), north shore of Ocracoke Island, 5/15/05. This beetle was about half an inch long.

One-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela unipunctata), Haw River State Park, Guilford & Rockingham Counties, NC, 5/31/08. One little white spot on each side, but definitely an identifying mark!

Green Six-spotted Tiger Beetle, with 10 spots, Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC, 3/19/10. Not all of these beetles have white spots, and they may have as many as eight.

Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon), Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Rd. access, Orange County, NC, 2/28/06. This butterfly had the richest blue of any azure I've seen.

Here is a butterfly in the same genus as the Monarch: the Queen (Danaus gilippus). But what a difference! No black veins on this side, just a sprinkling of white spots. Fort Fisher State Recreational Area Basin Trail, New Hanover County, NC, 8/27/03.

Lots of speckles here!Mangora maculata, Durham, NC, 8/1/07. This appears to be the same species as the spider on the immediate left. Genus ID thanks to Jeff Hollenbeck. Species ID thanks to John and Jane Balaban.

Female Golden Silk Spider (Nephila clavipes), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 9/16/07.

Speckled Sharpshooter (Paraulacizes irrorata), Durham, NC, 5/18/08


Treehopper (Telamona decorata), with what appears to be an early instar true bug nymph. The treehopper seemed to be protecting it, or maybe just holding it captive.	Same treehopper departing with nymph. Telamona decorata ID confirmed by Andy Hamilton.	Adult Citrus Flatid Planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa), NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 7/17/09	Adult Citrus Flatid Planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa), Durham, NC, 8/15/09. This one had seen a lot of action, looked like an old rug up close.	Leafhopper (Bandara genus), Durham, NC, 8/14/08	Leafhopper (Erythroneura comes), Durham, NC, 8/10/08. Photo taken at night.

Like what you see?
1) Order products
2) Request new ones