Spiders and insects

Insects, arachnids, myriapods, bugs, creepy-crawlies, moths, butterflies and their allies.

What spider is that?

What spider is that?

This guide can help you identify some of our strange and wonderful spiders. It also explains a few of their intriguing habits.
New Zealand’s most popular spiders

New Zealand’s most popular spiders

Spider expert Phil Sirvid gives the low-down on the most popular spiders of the 2010s, as searched for on Collections Online.
The biting truth about white-tailed spiders

The biting truth about white-tailed spiders

Whitetails are blamed for lots of nasty symptoms, and have developed something of a bad reputation, but is it deserved? Bug expert Phil Sirvid sorts fact from fiction.
The genius of bugs
The genius of bugs

You name it, bugs can do it. Over millions of years, they’ve adapted to make the most of every habitat on Earth. We’re only just beginning to discover their secrets.
New Zealand Mosquito Census

New Zealand Mosquito Census

We need your help tracking New Zealand’s native and introduced mosquito species so we can get a better understanding of which species live where and how they’re spreading. Simply catch it, freeze it, and send it!
Fantastic water bears and how to photograph them

Fantastic water bears and how to photograph them

Jean-Claude explains why photographing a water bear is such a ‘bugbear’ and bug expert Phil Sirvid fills us in on exactly what a water bear is, and why they are one of the most indestructible creatures on the planet.
Your bug questions answered
Your bug questions answered

Do spiders sleep? Why are cicadas so loud? Te Papa's bug expert Phil Sirvid answers some of your more unusual questions.

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Spiders and insects

What spider is that?

New Zealand’s most popular spiders

The biting truth about white-tailed spiders

The genius of bugs

New Zealand Mosquito Census

Fantastic water bears and how to photograph them

Your bug questions answered