Insects – Insecten – Caribbean Footprint

Moth species: Black witch moth (Ascalapha odorata)

augustus 27, 2026

Every year, there are certain animal species that trigger a cloud of reactions on social media. The Black Witch Moth is one of them.

Fauna Insects - Insecten

Tiny critters: Orange longhorn beetle (Oxymerus aculeatus)

juli 14, 2026

admin

The Orange longhorn beetle is not officially called that; no popular name has been designated for these animals yet, but we do know that the scientific name is Oxymerus aculeatus, a species belonging to the family Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles).

Fauna Insects - Insecten

Moth species: Fig Sphinx (Pachylia ficus)

juni 5, 2026

admin

Various species of sphinx moths can be found on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. The Fig sphinx (Pachylia ficus) is usually not very numerous on the islands.

Fauna Insects - Insecten

Tiny critters: Cactus lady beetle (Chilocorus cacti)

april 30, 2026

admin

Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao are home to various species of lady bugs, or lady beetles although most people do not really recognize them.

Behaviour - Gedrag Fauna

Help wildlife with a bowl of water

april 28, 2026

admin

More and more nature is being destroyed on the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire for so-called development purposes. As a result, the habitat for many animals is shrinking, and birds, reptiles, and other animal species are increasingly coming to gardens to survive.

Fauna Insects - Insecten

Tiny critters: Needle nose flies (Genus Geron)

april 1, 2026

admin

The taxonomic family Bombyliidae, also known as the Bee flies, is a family of flies whose species are generally very hairy and have a woolly appearance. The family consists of various genera, including the genus Geron, which includes about 180 species worldwide. This genus is also known as the Needle nose flies in English.

Publications

Download nature posters for educational purposes!

januari 25, 2026

admin

The former Museum of Natural History Curaçao designed a total of 3 educational posters for schools in 2019-2020 about the wildlife of the island. These digital posters were designed as PDF documents in A3 formats that could be downloaded and printed for uses in educational settings. These 3 posters are now also available for download on the Caribbean Footprint website.

Fauna Insects - Insecten

What is this caterpillar…?

december 19, 2025

admin

What are the ‘monster’ caterpillars eating the Frangipani. And what is the real name of these trees many are so concerned about.

Fauna Insects - Insecten

Tiny critters: Vagrant grasshopper

november 26, 2025

admin

The ABC Islands are home to countless different species of crickets and grasshoppers, most of which haven’t yet been properly identified because little research has been done. The grasshoppers found on our islands live a mysterious life in nature

Fauna Insects - Insecten

Butterfly species: Basilides hairstreak

oktober 17, 2025

admin

The Basilides hairstreak also called the Megarus Scrub-Hairstreak (Strymon megarus) is a rare butterfly species only found on Curaçao.

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