Pictures of rainforest insects

Images of rainforest insects taken by Rhett Ayers Butler. Last updated: January 2, 2023.

Turquoise insect with orange legs

Shield bug [madagascar_masoala_0517]

Bug [costa_rica_siquirres_0066]

Leaf-mimicking praying mantis

Tortoise Beetle family Chrysomelidae subfamily Hispinae (Orange and yellow beetle with black spots)

Giant ceiba borer (Euchroma giganteum)

Katydid [madagascar_masoala_0727]

Blue morpho with its wings closed

Leaf-mimicking praying mantis [suriname_1024a]

Tiger Longwing (Heliconius hecale) [Orange yellow and black butterfly]

Black caterpillar with off-white stripes; yellow spines; and orange antenna

Soldier army ants

Katydid [costa_rica_siquirres_0285]

White a dark red-stripped butterfly

Cicada emerging from nymph skin

Blue leafhopper

Leaf-mimicking insect

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0430]

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0430]

Blue-eyed dragonflies

Amazonian wax-tailed fulgorid (Lystra lanata)

Glasswinged butterfly (Greta oto)

Pseudophasma unicolor stick insect [costa-rica-d_0421]

Pseudophasma unicolor stick insect [costa-rica-d_0421]

Brown grasshoppers mating

Transparent moth

Orange planthopper [madagascar_maroantsetra_0133]

Amazonian cicada

Katydid [costa_rica_siquirres_0878]

Green leafhopper insect with polka dots

Glasshopper [costa_rica_siquirres_0737]

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0305]

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0305]

Transparent-winged butterfly (Greta oto)

Assassin Bug family Reduviidae (Red bug)

Black orange and light blue butterfly on a Heliconia leaf possibly Ithomia pellucida or the "Blue transparent"

Black blue and orange butterfly in Colombia

Butterfly [madagascar_masoala_0492]

Blue-eyed dragonflies

Glasshopper [costa_rica_siquirres_0797]

Bee approaching a bird-of-paradise flower

Blue-eyed dragonflies

Poisonous Automeris moth caterpillar displaying its neon green but venemous spines

Meneria Metalmark (Amarynthis meneria)

Orb spider eating a cicada

Butterfly in the Amazon rainforest canopy

Grasshopper devouring a leaf while mating

Yellow and black banded caterpillar

Orange-spotted tigerwing butterfly (Mechanitis polymnia)

Red-orange beetle

Green grasshopper with an orange abdomen

Damselfly [costa_rica_la_selva_0595]

Katydid [costa_rica_siquirres_1043]

Leaf-mimicking praying mantis [suriname_1008]

Red black yellow and white caterpillar

Blue morpho with its wings closed

Orange planthopper [madagascar_maroantsetra_0144]

Skimmer family Libellulidae (Rasberry dragonfly)

Giant brown Long-horned Beetle (Callipogon lemoinei) (female)

Katydid [costa_rica_siquirres_0926]

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0308]

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0308]

Isabella's Heliconian (Eueides isabella)

Nymphalidae transparent-winged butterfly in a Colombian cloud forest

Leaf-cutter ant

Transparent butterfly of the Nymphalidae family (Subfamily Satyrinae)

Purple flowers in forest understorey

Grasshopper [costa_rica_la_selva_1318]

Insect [costa_rica_la_selva_1716]

Blue-eyed fly [madagascar_masoala_0593]

Giant Metallic Ceiba Borer

Borer? [madagascar_masoala_0930]

Blue and black butterfly

Orange green black yellow and turquoise grasshopper

Rainbow grasshopper

Pair of "rainbow" grasshoppers

Green grasshopper

Clear-wing butterfly (Pseudohaeterea hypaesia) in Colombia

Blue morpho butterfly

Stick insect [madagascar_masoala_0919]

Katydid [costa_rica_siquirres_0392]

Nest of Tetragonisca angustula stingless bees family Apidae tribe Meliponini

Green and brown grasshopper with yellow markings and a black head

Caligo sp or Owl Butterfly with its wings closed

Turquoise blue and yellow weevil

White butterfly with blue eyes

Orange and yellow beetle

Butterfly with pink and transparent wings in Costa Rica

Isabella's Tiger (Eueides isabella) in the Costa Rican forest

Blue morpho with its wings closed

Donald Trump hairstyle caterpillar

Brown grasshopper

White palm grubs

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0886]

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0886]

Orange planthopper

Transparent-winged butterfly in Costa Rica

Green grasshopper

Katydid [costa_rica_siquirres_0889]

Green grasshopper with silver eyes

Red black and white butterfly - Scarlet Peacock (Anartia amathea)

Multicolored grasshopper

Pill Millipede (Green color)

Thoas Swallowtail (Papilio thoas) -Yellow and black swallowtail butterfly

Damselfly [costa_rica_la_selva_0591]

Giant ceiba borer (Euchroma giganteum)

Moth on the underside of a leaf caught by the sun

Orange-pink and yellow leafhopper

Furry red caterpillar

Turquoise fly with black wings and bright red eyes

Glasshopper [costa_rica_siquirres_1040]

Roach [madagascar_masoala_0926]

Leaf-mimicking praying mantis [suriname_1023]

Rainforest roach

Orange-spotted tigerwing butterfly (Mechanitis polymnia)

Orange and black caterpillar

Colorful grasshopper

Black skimmer (family Libellulidae) with red posterior parts (abdominal segments)

Green-blue bee [costa_rica_la_selva_0174]

Blue leafhopper [costa_rica_la_selva_0409]

Amazonian praying mantis

Tail-less whip scorpion (Amblypygid sp)

Mossy stick insect [madagascar_perinet_0310]

Pterodictya reticularis latern fly. Identification courtesy of Garrett Herth who said the following: 'Order: Hemiptera Family: Fulgoridae. Lantern flies are the most primitive form of cicadas and are not able to produce sound. Some species excrete a type of white wax from the rear of the abdomen which trails after them in long strings or bunches. The wax is secreted regularly and is eaten by certain species of small butterflies whose larvae live on the bodies of lantern flies. These insects have acquired the name lantern flies chiefly because of one particular species from South America the Surinam lantern fly Fulgora laternaria which was said to be able to give out light from the outgrowth on its head.'

Leaf-cutter ant

Glowing Elateridae click beetle

Multicolored grasshopper

Turquoise blue and yellow weevil [costa_rica_osa_0110]

Group of Male Perrhybris pamela butterflies feeding on minerals in clay along the Rio Tambopata

Yellow, orange, and red grasshopper

Dragonfly [costa_rica_osa_0215]

Blue morpho butterfly [costa_rica_la_selva_0360]

Yellow-legged wasp

Red and black insect

Blue-eyed dragonflies

White butterfly

Green mantid [madagascar_masoala_0905]

Transparent butterfly (Pseudohaeterea hypaesia) in Colombia. This

Grasshopper [costa_rica_la_selva_0565]

Urania leilus day-flying or diurnal moth

Giant ceiba borer (Euchroma giganteum)

Yellow caterpillar

Orange and yellow beetle

Blue-eyed dragonflies

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0075]

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0075]

Green grasshopper with an orange abdomen [costa_rica_4746a]

Moth [madagascar_masoala_0085]

Sleeping Caligo sp or Owl Butterfly

Insect [costa_rica_la_selva_1723]

Orange white and black clear-winged butterfly (Greta oto) in the Amazon

Black orange and light blue butterfly possibly Ithomia pellucida or the "Blue transparent"

Reddish-brown stick insect

Rasberry dragonfly

White palm grubs

Butterfly [costa_rica_la_selva_0799]

Io Moth (Automeris io) caterpillar

Giant red-eyed green katydid

Brilliantly-colored wing of the Madagascan sunset moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus)

Bug [costa_rica_siquirres_1070]

Orange-spotted tigerwing butterfly (Mechanitis polymnia)

Camouflaged grasshopper

Dusky Titi Monkey (Callicebus spp.)

Assassin bug [costa_rica_la_selva_1479]

Lasaia agesilas butterfly

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0433]

Stick insect [costa_rica_siquirres_0433]

White furry caterpillar with yellow head and two orange spots at base of head

Orange-spotted tigerwing butterfly (Mechanitis polymnia)

Walking stick with green and brown segments

Walking stick with green and brown segments

Wasps clustered on a leaf

Orange planthopper [madagascar_maroantsetra_0141]

Butterfly [costa_rica_siquirres_0798]

Leaf-mimicking praying mantis [suriname_1020a]

This photo collection of rainforest insects is part of Mongabay's library of 150,000 plus images. Other images may be available beyond those displayed on this page.

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