PNW INSECTS

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  • Fall 2020: the class!
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  • Home
  • About PNW Insects
  • Fall 2020: the class!
  • Contact
Learn about Insects of the Pacific Northwest, USA

Please click on the photo links below for information on the insect species pictured.

​All species websites were developed by students in the taxonomic entomology course at Washington State University!
Website of the month

Click on the photo to learn about
one of the most common mosquitoes in North America: Culex pipiens
(order Diptera, family Culicidae).

website by: Kellen Pautzke, WSU
Picture
Culex pipiens species complex from the WSU entomological collection

Explore our favorite species! ​Many of the student websites feature insects that are widely distributed and have close relatives worldwide. Some species highlighted here are not native to the area and have been introduced from elsewhere, so even if you don't live in the Pacific Northwest, you may see some familiar insects. Click on a photo below to hop to a new page!
Picture
Ischnura cervula
Odonata
dragonflies & damselflies
Mantodea
praying mantids
Picture
Mantis religiosa

Hemiptera
aphids, whiteflies, cicadas, hoppers, true bugs, etc.
Picture
Calladonus geminatus
Picture
Circulifer tenellus
Picture
Acyrthosiphon pisum
Picture
Sitobion avenae
Picture
Daktulosphaira vitifoliae

Picture
Apis mellifera
Picture
Agapostemon femoratus
Picture
Anthophora urbana
Picture
Calopompilus pyrrhomelas
Picture
Bombus appositus
Hymenoptera
​sawflies, bees, ants, & wasps

Diptera
true flies, mosquitoes, gnats, & midges
Picture
Culex pipiens
Picture
Chrysops discalis
Picture
Hermetia illucens
Coleoptera
beetles
Picture
Mogulones crucifer

Lepidoptera
butterflies, skippers, & moths
Picture
Agapeta zoegana
Picture
Pieris rapae
Neuroptera
lacewings, antlions, mantidflies, etc.
Picture
Polystoechotes punctatus


Other Arthropods
spiders, spider mites, scorpions, etc.

Not insects, but some entomologists study these groups, too!
Picturemites: Tetranychus urticae


The photos above were taken by the students in the Taxonomic Entomology course.

As part of the class, the students searched for their insect species of interest in the MT James Entomological Collection, which is our insect museum at WSU. This is a scientific research collection with over 1.5 million specimens. 
​Some students used the microscope + photo system in the museum to take the photos shown above.

species page authors & photo credits for links above (left to right, by row):
Odonata:
Jeremy Roberts. Mantodea: Daniel Gallegos.
Hemiptera: Cesar Reyes Corral, Jillian Foutz, Pooja Malhotra, Megan Blance, Lucas Ripa.
Hymenoptera: Kiersten Ritchie, Stephen Onayemi, Jenny Gan, Kendra Chambless, Mario Luppino.
Diptera: Kellen Pautzke, Danny Marshall, Connor Auth. Coleoptera: Anjila Thapa.
Lepidoptera: Samikshya Aryal, Lara Amiri-Kazaz. Neuroptera: Anna Webb.
A mite in the order Trombidiformes: Anwar Bushnaq.
top photo: View of the native Palouse Prairie in May. This is the Kramer Prairie Ecological Reserve managed by WSU.
The flowers are abuzz with native bees, from sweat bees to bumble bees, many of which have never been studied!
This website was developed for the course "Taxonomic Entomology" (Entom 539) taught in the fall of 2020.
​This is a graduate-level course in the Department of Entomology at Washington State University, taught by insect systematist Dr. Elizabeth Murray. Students from both WSU and the nearby University of Idaho enroll in this class.
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