ant : hormiga formiga (Cat.); black ant : hormiga negra ; ant nest : hormiguero
In Spain there is supposed to be only one species of poisonous ant (Myrmica rubra laevinoides - hormiga roja chica), although its bite is not serious. Read about ants here on the forum.
Video here of anting (baño de hormigas) with great spotted and green woodpeckers.
Birds such as woodpeckers and crows are particularly fond of this activity. They actively seek out ants which secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid which acts as an insecticide, fungiide, or bactericie. Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente here speculates that they might even do it because they enjoy it.
External links:
bedbug: chinche
bee : abeja;
beetle : escarabajo, escarabat (Cat) dung beetle : escarabajo pelotero, escarabat piloter (Cat); stag beetle: ciervo volante (Lit: flying deer), escanyapolls (Cat) The German car is also un escarabajo
 A stag beetle fighting its way up Montseny, north of Barcelona.
black widow : viuda negra (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus
) 
There are more than 1,700 species of spider in Spain but only three are in way harmful to us. By far, the most dangerous is the black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) which gives a medically-complex and painful bite though it is not fatal. They are commonest in Valencia and Andalucía, and they are a problem in the greenhouse estates of Almeria . The sting of the black widow, along with hysteria, was often responsible for the condition of tarantism, though at the time the much less-potent but more fearsome-looking true tarantula or wolf spider (Lycosa tarantula) was blamed. Wolf spiders are no relation to the much larger bird spiders of South America which have inherited the name, and their sting is weak. The hysteria began at some time during the Middle ages in Taranto in Southern Italy from where it spread out, reaching Spain in the 15th century. Victims were cured by making them dance to a frenzied music: the tarantela. As late 1875, the Spanish Royal Faculty of Medicine was recommending such antics. Other techniques for expelling the spider demon were less kind to the victim. In Corsica , the victim was placed in a sweltering oven, while on the Island of Hierro in the Canaries sufferers were treated with 'internal doses of human excrement'. Much more on things that can bite and sting you here:
External links
bug: chinche
butterfly : mariposa, papillona (Cat)
Mainland Spain and the Balearics are home to 227 species of butterflies (more than half the European total). Moths are less well studied but there are believed to be in excess of 4,000. See below here for a checklist of 219 butterflies found in Spain with their current status (kindly provided by Simon Coombes at the excellent Captain's European Butterfly Guide (Spain)
On the forum:
caterpillar : oruga; eruga (Cat)
As every Spanish child knows, don't even think about handling the hairy caterpillars of the pine processionary moth ( procesionarias in Spanish). If they are touched, their hairs release an extremely nasty allergic skin reaction. Children have been known to go temporarily blind from rubbing their eyes after picking them up. They live in easily identifiable silvery nests in pine trees throughout Mediterranean Spain and get their name from their habit of forming head-to-tail trails as they move across land. Also see Forum on
pine processionary caterpillars
In depth look at the problem of the Pine processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea pityocampa). 30 min 45 sec by forestman Click on play.
More Spain nature videos
|
centipede : ciempiés, centpeus (Cat); megarian banded centipede ( Scolopendra cingulata ) : escolopendra
Black and yellow, grows up to 9cm long and will give you a very nasty sting.
cicada: chicharra, cigarra
cobweb : tela de araña, teranyina (Cat)
cochid bug : cochinilla
cockroach : cucaracha. The English word is Spanish in origin. cricket: grillo
damselfly : caballito del diablo, espiadimonis (Cat) There are 76 species (27 damselflies; 49 dragonflies; 34 genera) of Odonata recorded in mainland Spain. See List of dragonflies & damselflies in Spain (iberianwildlife)
dragonfly : libélula, libèl·lula (Cat)
drone (insect) : zángano
dung beetle : escarabajo pelotero, escarabat piloter (Cat)
earthworm : lombriz, cuc de terra (Cat)
earwig : tijereta; cortapichas (col.), papaorelles (Cat)
flea : pulga, puça (Cat)
fly : mosca;
fruit fly : mosca de la fruta;
horse fly : tábano, tàvec (Cat)
glow-worm : luciérnaga, cuca de llum (Cat(
grasshopper : saltamontes
honeybee : abeja melera
hornet : avispón, vespa xana (Cat)
horse fly : tábano, tàvec (Cat)
house fly : mosca doméstica
ladybird : mariquita, marieta (Cat)
locust (land); lobster (sea) : langosta, llangosta (Cat) See Locusts in Spain
louse : piojo, poll (Cat)
meadow spittlebug: espumadora (Philaenus spumarius)
millipede : milpiés
mosquito: mosquito. Mosquitoes are locally a problem, though they are no longer malarial . See article on Malaria in Spain here.
tiger mosquito: mosquito tigre. The first colony of tiger mosquitoes ( Aedes Albopictus - mosquito tigre ) has finally been detected in Spain, in Sant Cugat de Valles near Barcelona. Mosquito experts have been expecting the insect to reach here for some time. It has been spreading across Europe and reached Italy and France in 1990 . See Tiger mosquitoes and the history of yellow fever and dengue in Spain
moth : polilla ;mariposa nocturna, arna (Cat)
praying mantis: mantis religiosa, pregadéu (Cat) Common in Mediterrenean Spain
scorpion: escorpión; Mediterranean scorpion ( Buthus occitanus ) : escorpión amarillo (or alacrán ) escorpí (Cat
) from here www.aragoneria.com/ (link corrected)
The commonest scorpion in Spain is the Mediterranean scorpion (Buthus occitanus, escorpión amarillo or just alacrán) and though its North African cousin is more dangerous, it will still give you an extremely nasty sting. You might want to think about wearing boots and thick socks if you plan to hike in dry rocky areas (most of wild Spain) as they are by no means rare. The female will make a meal out of the male if food is short on the ground. The European black scorpion is also present in Spain, preferring more northerly and wetter areas. It's sting is short-lived. Scorpions have a bent for resting in your shoes, so be careful.
silkworm : gusano de seda
silverfish : lapisma
slug : babosa; llimac (Cat) lumiaco (Cant); limaco (Arag.)
snail : caracol, caragol (Cat)
spider : araña, aranya (Cat);
wolf spider: araña lobo;
black widow : viuda negra (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) There are more than 1,700 species of spider in Spain but only three are in way harmful to us. By far, the most dangerous is the black widow ( Latrodectus tredecimguttatus ) See above Old world tarantulas (wolf spiders) are found in arid zones such as Los Monegros in Aragon. Their bite can be painful but not dangerous. Finally, the Mediterranean recluse spider ( Loxosceles rufescens ), though less toxic than its African recluse cousins, can give a painful nip.
Oldest spider web in the world found in Teruel
The oldest-known spider web with prey still entrapped has been found preserved in a chunk of amber in Spain. From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5108666.stm ( 22 June 2006)
The mesh of silk strands - snaring the remains of a fly, beetle, mite and wasp - dates back 110 million years to the time of the dinosaurs. The fossil web appears to have been designed along the same lines as the round nets woven by modern spiders. The find, described in Science, sheds light on the early evolution of spiders and the insects they fed on.
The web consists of some 26 silk strands preserved in a thin layer of amber together with an arachnid's prey. Although it is not intact, enough of the web structure has survived to convince its discovers - from the University of Barcelona, Spain, and the American Museum of Natural History, New York, US - that it was probably a classical wheel-shaped, or orb, web. It is possibly the oldest spider web on record; an earlier single strand of spider silk preserved in Lebanese amber has been discovered although it is unclear if this was part of a true web.
"The advanced structure of this fossilised web (from Spain), along with the type of prey that the web caught, indicates that spiders have been fishing insects from the air for a very long time," said Dr David Grimaldi of the American Museum of Natural History.
"Spiders today have a huge impact as predators on insect populations, along with birds and bats."
Flying insects The find from the San Just site in Spain dates back to the Early Cretaceous, a time when Earth was home to the pterosaurs, the largest animals to fly, and many dinosaurs. Winged insects were starting to appear and spread rapidly across the globe. They were probably preyed on by primitive spiders, just as modern spiders that spin orb nets do today.
The 110-million-year-old spider web snared three of the four orders of flying insect, suggesting that the evolution of spiders and flying insects is inextricably linked.
"Biodiversity of spiders increases over geological time at a very similar rate to that of insects, which basically suggests that as insects are evolving, the spiders are evolving too," said fossil spider expert Dr David Penney of Manchester University, UK, who published details of a similar find last week.
Single origin A second paper published in the current edition of Science also sheds light on the early evolution of spiders. Some have suggested that the orb web is an example of covergent evolution - when something evolves independently at different times in history, in this case twice. But the new genetic study suggests all orb-web spinners share some key silk-making proteins, indicating a single evolutionary origin. Coupled with fossil evidence, this suggests that the great ancestors of modern spiders were weaving webs as long ago as 136 million years ago. |
stag beetle: ciervo volante (Lit: flying deer)
stick insect: insecto palosting : agujón
tick: garrapata, paparra (Cat)
wasp : avispa; vespa (Cat) potter wasp : avispa alfarera; digger wasp; avispa excavdora; paper wasp: avispa papelera: (Polistes gallicus); sand digger wasp: avispa zapadora (Ammophila sabulosa) spider wasp: avispa arañera; wasp's nest : avispero
water boatman: zapatero
weevil : gorgojo
worm : gusano, cuc (Cat);
silkworm: gusano de la seda
|
Checklist of 219 butterflies of the 227 species found in Spain with their current status (kindly provided by Simon Coombes at the excellent Captain's European Butterfly Guide (Spain)
Hesperiidae
Erynnis tages Common
Carcharodus alceae Common
Carcharodus lavatherae Unsure
Carcharodus floccifera Unsure
Carcharodus baeticus Common
Spialia sertorius Common
Muschampia proto Common
Pyrgus carthami Common
Pyrgus sidae Rare
Pyrgus andromedae Unsure
Pyrgus cacaliae Rare
Pyrgus malvae Common
Pyrgus serratulae Common
Pyrgus onopordi Unsure
Pyrgus cirsii Common
Pyrgus cinarae Rare
Pyrgus armoricanus Unsure
Pyrgus alveus Unsure
Pyrgus bellieri Unsure
Heteropterus morpheus Widespread
Carterocephalus palaemon Rare
Thymelicus lineola Common
Thymelicus sylvestris Common
Thymelicus acteon Common
Hesperia comma Common
Ochlodes venata Common
Gegenes pumilio Rare
Gegenes nostrodamus Widespread
Borbo borbonica Rare
Papilionidae
Zerynthia rumina Common
Parnassius mnemosyne Rare
Parnassius apollo Common
Iphiclides podalirius Common
Papilio machaon Common
Pieridae
Leptidea sinapis complex Common
Anthocharis cardamines Common
Anthocharis euphenoides Common
Zegris eupheme Common
Euchloe belemia Common
Euchloe crameri Common
Euchloe tagis Common
Euchloe charlonia Rare
Aporia crataegi Common
Pieris brassicae Common
Pieris mannii Local
Pieris rapae Common
Pieris ergane Rare
Pieris napi Common
Pontia callidice Rare
Pontia daplidice complex Unsure
Colotis evagore Rare
Colias phicomone Widespread
Colias croceus* Widespread
Colias alfacariensis Common
Gonepteryx rhamni Common
Gonepteryx cleopatra Common
Hamearis lucina Common
Lycaenidae
Lycaena phlaeas Common
Lycaena helle Rare
Lycaena virgaureae Common
Lycaena tityrus Common
Lycaena alciphron Common
Lycaena hippothoe Widespread
Thecla betulae Widespread
Neozephyrus quercus Common
Laeosopis roboris Common
Tomares ballus Common
Callophrys rubi Common
Callophrys avis Local
Satyrium w-album Widespread
Satyrium pruni Rare
Satyrium spini Common
Satyrium ilicis Common
Satyrium esculi Common
Satyrium acaciae Common
Lampides boeticus Common
Cacyreus marshalli Common
Leptotes pirithous Common
Tarucus theophrastus Rare
Zizeeria knysna Widespread
Cupido minimus Common
Cupido osiris Common
Cupido lorquinii Local
Cupido argiades Widespread
Cupido alcetas Local
Celastrina argiolus Common
Pseudophilotes baton Common
Pseudophilotes abencerragus Local
Scolitantides orion Widespread
Glaucopsyche alexis Common
Glaucopsyche melanops Common
Iolana iolas Local
Maculinea arion Widespread
Maculinea nausithous Rare
Maculinea alcon Local
Maculinea rebeli Local
Plebeius hesperica Local
Plebeius argus Common
Plebeius idas Common
Plebeius pyrenaica Rare
Plebeius glandon Local
Aricia eumedon Local
Aricia cramera Common
Aricia agestis Common
Aricia morronensis Local
Aricia nicias Rare
Polyommatus semiargus Common
Polyommatus escheri Common
Polyommatus dorylas Common
Polyommatus golgus Rare
Polyommatus nivescens Widespread
Polyommatus amandus Widespread
Polyommatus thersites Common
Polyommatus icarus Common
Polyommatus eros Local
Polyommatus daphnis Widespread
Polyommatus bellargus Common
Polyommatus coridon Widespread
Polyommatus caelestissima Widespread
Polyommatus hispana Unsure
Polyommatus albicans Common
Polyommatus fabressei Local
Polyommatus ripartii Widespread
Polyommatus dolus Widespread
Polyommatus fulgens Rare
Polyommatus damon Common
Nymphalidae
Libythea celtis Widespread
Argynnis paphia Common
Argynnis pandora Common
Argynnis aglaja Common
Argynnis adippe Common
Argynnis niobe Common
Issoria lathonia Common
Brenthis ino Common
Brenthis daphne Common
Brenthis hecate Common
Boloria eunomia Rare
Boloria euphrosyne Common
Boloria selene Common
Boloria dia Common
Boloria pales Widespread
Boloria napaea Rare
Vanessa atalanta* Widespread
Vanessa cardui* Widespread
Inachis io Common
Aglais urticae Common
Polygonia c-album Common
Araschnia levana Local
Nymphalis antiopa Common
Nymphalis polychloros Common
Euphydryas desfontainii Common
Euphydryas aurinia Common
Melitaea cinxia Common
Melitaea phoebe Common
Melitaea aetherie Rare
Melitaea trivia Common
Melitaea didyma Common
Melitaea diamina Widespread
Melitaea deione Common
Melitaea parthenoides Common
Melitaea athalia Common
Limenitis camilla Common
Limenitis reducta Common
Charaxes jasius Widespread
Apatura ilia Local
Apatura iris Widespread
Satyridae
Pararge aegeria Common
Lasiommata megera Common
Lasiommata petropolitana Rare
Lasiommata maera Common
Lopinga achine Rare
Coenonympha arcania Common
Coenonympha glycerion Common
Coenonympha dorus Common
Coenonympha pamphilus Common
Pyronia tithonus Common
Pyronia cecilia Common
Pyronia bathseba Common
Aphantopus hyperantus Common
Maniola jurtina Common
Hyponephele lycaon Common
Hyponephele lupinus Common
Erebia euryale Widespread
Erebia manto Local
Erebia epiphron Widespread
Erebia triaria Common
Erebia gorge Local
Erebia gorgone Local
Erebia epistygne Widespread
Erebia cassioides Widespread
Erebia hispania Widespread
Erebia pronoe Local
Erebia lefebvrei Local
Erebia zapateri Local
Erebia neoridas Widespread
Erebia oeme Rare
Erebia meolans Common
Erebia palarica Local
Erebia pandrose Local
Erebia sthennyo Local
Melanargia russiae Common
Melanargia galathea Common
Melanargia lachesis Common
Melanargia occitanica Common
Melanargia ines Common
Satyrus ferula Local
Satyrus actaea Common
Minois dryas Local
Hipparchia fagi Common
Hipparchia alcyone Common
Hipparchia semele Common
Hipparchia statilinus Common
Hipparchia fidia Common
Arethusana arethusa Common
Brintesia circe Common
Chazara briseis Common
Chazara prieuri Local
Pseudochazara hippolyte Local
Danaus plexippus Rare |
Ant in Spanish
Ants in Iberia
Iberian ants
How do you say ant in Spanish?
hormiga traducción en inglés
bedbug translation Spanish
chinche in English
how do you say bee in Spanish?;
Spanish translation of bee
hpw do you say beetle in Spanish?;
escarabajo en English
Are there poisonous spiders in Spain ?
Spanish beetles
dung beetle in Spanish
escarabajo pelotero en inglés
Spanish translation stag beetle
black widow bites in Spain
black widow Spain
black widow translation Spanish
Latrodectus tredecimguttatus in Spain
wolf spider in Spain
Lycosa tarantula in Spain
Are there tarantulas in Spain ?
Translation Wolf spiders
Wolf spider bites
Bug in Spanish
papillona en angles
how do you say moth in Spanish?
Translation Spanish caterpillar
Caterpillars in Spain
Pine processionary caterpillar in Spain
Spain Thaumetopoea pityocampa
Pine processionary caterpillar translation
Centipedes in Spain
Centipede stings Spain
Spanish translation Centipedes
Scolopendra cingulata Spain
How do you say cicada in Spanish?
How do you say cobweb in Spanish?
Spanish cobwebs
tela de araña en ingles?
cochid bug in Spain
Spanish cockroach
Translation cucaracha
Spanish cricket
Crickets in Spain
damselfly in Spain
Spain damselflies in Spain
How do you say damselfly in Spanish?
How do you say dragonfly in Spanish?
Iberian dragonflies
Drone Spanish
Spanish dung beetle
Spain earthworm
Earthworms Spain
Iberian earthworms
How do you say earthworm in Spanish?
Spanish libélula
Earwigs in Spain
Iberian earwigs
Spanish earwigs
Spanish Translation of Earwig
What is a cortapichas?
What is a tijereta?
How do you say fly in Spanish?
Spanish translation of fly
Flies in Spain
Iberian flies
fruit fly Spanish translation
horse fly Spanish translation
horse flies in Spain
Spain horse flies stings
English tábano
How do you say glow-worm in Spanish?
Spanish translation glow-worm
Glow-worms Spain
Grasshoppers in Spain
Spanish grasshoppers
Honeybees in Spain
Hornets in Spain
Iberian hornets
Hornet stings in Spain
Spanish hornets: avispón, vespa xana (Cat)
How do you say house fly in Spanish?
How do you say ladybird in Spanish?
Spanish ladybird translation
Spanish locusts
What is locust in Spanish?
Spanish louse
Louse in Spain
meadow spittlebug Spanish translation
Philaenus spumarius Spain
Spanish translation millipede
Mosquitoes Spain
Spanish Mosquitoes
malarial Mosquitoes Spain
Are there Mosquitoes in Spain ?
Spanish moths
Translation moth in Spanish
polilla in English
praying mantis Spanish translation
scorpion Spanish translation
Buthus occitanus Spain
European black scorpion in Spain
Common scorpions in Spain
Are there scorpions in Spain ?
silkworm in Spain
Spanish silkworm
Spain silkworm translation
Silkworms in Spain
silverfish Spanish translation
how do you say slug in Spanish?
Slugs in Spain
Common Spanish slugs
Spanish snails
Common Spanish spiders
Spider bites Spain
Mediterranean recluse spider Spain
Loxosceles rufescens Spain
How do say web in Spanish
Spanish spider webs
Spain stag beetle
stag beetle Spanish translation
ciervo volante English
Spanish translation stick insect:
Ticks in Spain :
Tick in Spanish
Wasps in Spain
Spain potter wasp
digger wasp in Spain Polistes gallicus Spain
Spain Ammophila sabulosa
Spanish translation of wasp's nest
water boatman in Spanish
What does zapatero mean?
Translation of zapatero
Weevils in Spain
Spanish weevil
Spanish worm
Worms in Spain
|