Insects of Indonesia: characteristics and examples

The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is a large reddish-brown cockroach of drains and buildings that can carry disease-causing bacteria.

The Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) is a native Indonesian honey bee that nests in cavities, pollinates plants and is kept for honey.

Asian Weaver Ant (Oecophylla smaragdina). Asian weaver ants join leaves into nests with silk produced by larvae; one colony can occupy several nests in a tree.

Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya). Junonia orithya has region-dependent common names and many subspecies; wing eyespots and locality should be recorded together.

Chalky Percher (Diplacodes trivialis). The chalky percher is often seen low to the ground; mature males can differ in colour from females and young individuals.

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the world's largest land arthropod, a giant hermit crab that eats fruit and carrion, threatened by hunting for restaurants.

Great Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina). Great eggflies show sex-linked differences in wing pattern; one photograph cannot represent all population variation.

Great Mormon Swallowtail (Papilio memnon). Female great Mormon swallowtails occur in several colour forms, including mimics; these forms should not automatically be treated as different species.

Lime Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus). Lime swallowtails use citrus among larval host plants; garden records should distinguish eggs, caterpillars and adult butterflies.

Red Percher (Neurothemis ramburii). Neurothemis ramburii is a libellulid; identification requires wing and body pattern rather than generic red colour.

Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemis servilia). Scarlet skimmers are native to East and Southeast Asia with introductions elsewhere; red males do not represent every age or sex.

Slender Skimmer (Orthetrum sabina). The slender skimmer ranges widely from Asia to Australia; its green-and-black pattern and perching behaviour aid recognition.

Straight-edge Red Parasol (Neurothemis terminata). The straight-edge red parasol can use artificial wetlands and ranges from Southeast Asia towards the Lesser Sundas.

Wallace's golden birdwing (Ornithoptera croesus) is a large birdwing butterfly with an orange-gold male, found only in North Maluku, Indonesia.

The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is a black-and-white, day-biting mosquito and the main carrier of dengue virus in Indonesia.