Last year it was the Blue Banded Bee, Amegilla cingulata; what insect will it be this year? The ABC Insect of The Year is back. Vote for your favourite insect from the nominations below!
Insects are so important to life on earth. Bees pollinate flowers to ensure native flora continue to set seed, and food crops provide good yields. Other insects are deadly predators, killing off other bugs that can spread disease or damage plants. Some insects are specialised recyclers and turn decomposing plants and dung into nutrient-rich soil.
Six entomological experts selected six remarkably different finalists for the 2025 ABC Australian Insect of the Year.
There are at least 200,000 insect species in Australia; some are only recently described, such as the Bird-Dropping Beetle. Others we don’t yet know exist – and some of those will go extinct before we discover them. Insects make up 95 per cent of the described animal species worldwide and are crucial to life on earth!
The 2025 finalists are:
Bird dropping beetle (Excastra albopilosa)
The unusual bird-dropping beetle was only discovered and described in 2024, and was initially mistaken as a bird dropping.
Duck-billed Christmas beetle (Anoplognathus monatus)
There are about 36 different Christmas beetles, with 35 of them found in only Australia.
These iridescent beetles are becoming less commonly seen, but can be abundant seasonally in summertime. They feed on Eucalyptus leaves, and their grubs hatch underground as caterpillars.
Giant rainforest mantis (Heirodula majuscula)
Mantis are amazing predators, eating grasshoppers, moths and caterpillars, and play a vital role in keeping populations of pest insects to manageable low levels. They have excellent vision in all directions and react quickly to catch their prey. Avoid using insecticides to protect these hunters.
Graphic flutterer dragonfly (Rhyothemis graphiptera)
Dragon flies are the acrobats of the skies. The graphic flutterer is one of the most spectacular. Dragonflies are predators, both in their nymph (juvenile) stage and adult form. They live around water, and can be affected if there is too much nutrient run-off into water. They kill their prey by biting them on the head, and are excellent predators of fruit flies and mosquitoes.
Greengrocer cicada (Cyclochila australasiae)
The sounds of summer wouldn’t be complete without the greengrocer cicada. The nymphs remain in soil for up to seven years, and emerge to feed and mate and lay eggs within two months. The adults need flowing sap for food. Cicadas aerate soil and are a vital food source for birds, reptiles, bats, spiders, possums and more. Have you heard them in recent summers?
Mountain katydid (Acripeza reticulata)
This large insect is a master of disguise, with a fancy-dress costume. It has brown colouring to blend in with the natural environment in the high country, but when threatened, it lifts its wing covers to startle its prey with iridescent blue and orange stripes. It also releases a pungent compound made from the native fireweed daisies it eats.
You can vote for the winning insect via an online poll during October here:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-03/2025-australian-insect-of-the-year-finalists/105660068#poll
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