{"id":41642,"date":"2024-09-06T11:54:09","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T09:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/94e69300-7580-4621-a3eb-5ca39114b83b"},"modified":"2024-09-06T12:27:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T10:27:29","slug":"6-of-the-prettiest-and-possibly-weirdest-insects-in-the-world-that-you-might-not-know","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/6-of-the-prettiest-and-possibly-weirdest-insects-in-the-world-that-you-might-not-know\/","title":{"rendered":"6 of the prettiest – and possibly weirdest – insects in the world that you might not know"},"content":{"rendered":"

There some amazingly beautiful, yet little known, insects on our planet. Stuart Blackman picks a few of his favourites <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 06 September 2024 at 09:54 AM<\/p>

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In the vast world of insects, there are countless hidden gems that often go unnoticed. While butterflies and ladybirds<\/a> often steal the spotlight, many other species rival them in beauty but remain relatively unknown. <\/strong><\/p>

These lesser-known insects boast vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and delicate wings that look as though they\u2019ve been crafted by nature\u2019s finest artisans.<\/p>

Prettiest insects in the world<\/h2>

Picasso bug<\/h3>
By Alandmanson – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=75139200<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Though you could argue that they are more Kandinsky than Picasso, there\u2019s little doubt that these patterns are a work of art. A native of tropical Africa, the Picasso bug belongs to a family of plant bugs that bear an extension to their thorax that protects their wings and abdomen. <\/p>

This \u2018scutellum\u2019 gives the bugs <\/a>a remarkably beetle-like appearance (though unlike the wingcases of beetles, it is composed of a single piece, not divided down the middle). The patterns adorning this canvas probably serve as a toxicity warning to predators. Indeed the bug\u2019s nymphs feed on the flowers of a plant called bitter leaf, which is sought out by sick chimpanzees to rid themselves of parasitic infections. <\/p>

Spun glass caterpillar<\/h3>
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Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren, CC BY 2.0 https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>

It may resemble a cross between some sort of bizarre alien plant and a funky Christmas decoration, but this is neither. <\/p>

This is a spun glass caterpillar, a North American member of the slug moth family \u2013 a name that clearly flatters terrestrial pulmonates. The adults are rather unremarkable little brown jobs, but the larvae\u2026 oh, the larvae! <\/p>

Many of the family\u2019s 1,700-odd species are adorned with all manner of extravagant, intricate spines, bristles and protuberances. What they do have in common with shell-less molluscs is that they glide rather than crawl. <\/p>

Their fleshy walking legs have been all but lost and they lubricate their passage over the vegetation with a slippery trail \u2013 not of slime, heaven forbid, but liquid silk. <\/p>