Ground Dwellers: Complete A-Z List of Crawling Insects
A-Z Guide to Crawling Insects
Discover the fascinating world of insects that primarily crawl or include crawling stages in their life cycle. This list includes insects known for their ground movement rather than flight.
A
- Ant (worker ants)
- Antlion Larva (Doodlebug)
- Aphid (wingless forms)
- Assassin Bug Nymph
- Apple Maggot (larval stage)
B
- Bed Bug
- Beetle Larva (Grub)
- Booklouse
- Bark Beetle
- Bristletail
C
- Cockroach
- Caterpillar (larval stage)
- Carpet Beetle
- Cricket (when not flying)
- Centipede (arthropod, not true insect)
D
- Darkling Beetle
- Dermestid Beetle
- Dragonfly Nymph (aquatic crawling)
- Dobsonfly Larva (Hellgrammite)
E
- Earwig
- Elm Leaf Beetle
- Egg (various insect eggs)
- Earwig Nymph
F
- Firebrat
- Flea (adult and larval stages)
- Fungus Gnat Larva
- Flat Bug
G
- Ground Beetle
- Grasshopper Nymph
- Giant Water Bug (walks underwater)
- Gall Wasp (some wingless forms)
H
- House Cricket
- Harvester Ant
- Hornworm (caterpillar stage)
- Hexapod Larva (six-legged immature insects)
I
- Isopod (Pill Bug/Roly Poly - crustacean, often mistaken)
- Ichneumon Wasp Larva
- Indian Meal Moth Larva
J
- June Beetle Grub
- Jumping Spider (arachnid, not insect)
- Jewel Beetle Larva
K
- Katydid Nymph
- Kissing Bug
- Khapra Beetle
L
- Louse (Head/Body Louse)
- Leaf-footed Bug
- Leaf Miner Larva
- Longhorn Beetle Larva
M
- Mealworm (Darkling Beetle Larva)
- Mantis Nymph
- Millipede (diplopod, not true insect)
- Mole Cricket
N
- Nasute Termite (soldier caste)
- Nymph (general immature insect stage)
- Net-winged Beetle
O
- Oil Beetle Larva (Triungulin)
- Oak Leafroller Caterpillar
- Orb Weaver Spider (arachnid)
P
- Praying Mantis (nymph and some adult species)
- Pill Bug (Isopod - crustacean)
- Potato Beetle
- Psocid (Booklouse)
Q
- Queen Termite (after shedding wings)
- Queen Ant (established, no longer flying)
R
- Roach (Cockroach)
- Rice Weevil
- Root Maggot
- Rove Beetle
S
- Silverfish
- Stick Insect (Walking Stick)
- Stag Beetle Larva
- Scorpion (arachnid)
T
- Termite Worker
- Tick (arachnid)
- Thrips (crawling stage)
- Tiger Beetle Larva
U
- Underwing Moth Caterpillar
- Unstriped Ground Cricket
V
- Velvet Ant (wingless wasp)
- Vinegaroon (whip scorpion - arachnid)
W
- Walking Stick (Stick Insect)
- Weevil
- Wolf Spider (arachnid)
- Woodlouse (Isopod)
X
- Xystodesmid Millipede
- Xylophagous Beetle Larva (wood-eating)
Y
- Yellow Mealworm
- Yucca Plant Bug
Z
- Zebra Spider (jumping spider - arachnid)
- Zorapteran (when wingless)
Note: Some arthropods listed (like spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and isopods) are not technically insects but are often included in general discussions about crawling creatures. True insects have six legs, three body parts, and typically undergo metamorphosis.