List of fictional arthropods

This list of fictional arthropods is subsidiary to the list of fictional animals. It is restricted to notable insect, arachnid and crustacean characters from the world of fiction.

Literature[edit]

Character Species Work Author Notes
Aragog Spider Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling Aragog was an Acromantula—an enormous, sentient spider capable of speech—who made a unique clicking noise as he moved in search of prey. Hagrid raised him from an egg as a Hogwarts student. In his third year at Hogwarts, Hagrid was caught talking to Aragog in the dungeons by Tom Riddle, who alleged that Aragog was the "Monster of Slytherin" and that Hagrid had opened the Chamber of Secrets.
Archy Cockroach archy and mehitabel et seq Don Marquis Archy was a cockroach who had been a free verse poet in a previous life, and took to writing stories and poems on an old typewriter at the newspaper office when everyone in the building had left. Archy would climb up onto the typewriter and hurl himself at the keys, laboriously typing out stories of the daily challenges and travails of a cockroach.
Arianwen Spider The Snow Spider Jenny Nimmo
Charlotte A. Cavatica Spider Charlotte's Web E. B. White A spider who befriends Wilbur the pig; she at first seems bloodthirsty due to her method of catching food.
The Gnat Gnat Alice Through the Looking-Glass Lewis Carroll The Gnat seems to love jokes; however, he doesn't like telling them himself—he prefers others to tell the jokes.
The Louse and the Flea Louse, Flea The Louse and the Flea Traditional. Characters in a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.
Doris Bee Doris the Buzzy Bee
Madam Octa Spider Cirque du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan Darren Shan A rare if not extinct species of very large spider used by the vampire, Mr. Crepsley, to perform in his stage act, where he communicates with her telepathically. Her venomous bite is extremely deadly, as shown when she bites Steve Leonard and he almost dies (surviving only thanks to antivenin).
Manticore Arachnid A Song of Ice and Fire George R.R. Martin Is said to possess highly toxic venom and is incredibly aggressive and dangerous species of spider. While small, are shown to be incredibly fast and agile. Also portrayed in the TV series adaptation Game of Thrones
Maya Bee Maya the Bee Waldemar Bonsels Main character in a popular series of German children's novels, later adapted into films and TV animated series.
Miss Cassandra Bee Maya the Bee Waldemar Bonsels A strict bee teacher.
Mr. Mosquito Mosquito Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Mutant Mosquitos from Mercury Dav Pilkey The main antagonist of the book. He hates living on Mercury because the extreme temperatures ruin his everyday activities. In order to deal with these issues, he decides to take over Earth with the help of some mutant mosquitoes he created with his fingernails.
Miss Spider Spider Miss Spider David Kirk
Miss Spider Spider James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl
Seven flies Fly The Brave Little Tailor Traditional. The plot of this famous fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm is set in motion by the fact that the tailor kills seven flies in one blow. When he brags about this people assume he is talking about giants, causing the king to send him away on a mission to kill a giant that torments the country.
Shelob Spider The Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien A giant spider from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. She appears at the end of the fourth book, second volume (The Two Towers) of The Lord of the Rings. She is said to be a child of Ungoliant.
Sergeant Stinkbug Stinkbug Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Stupid Stinkbugs from Saturn Dav Pilkey The main antagonist of the book. He is the worst litterbug living on Saturn, and he grows to hate living on Saturn because of how polluted it is. He decides to take over Earth so he can pollute a new planet, but this attempt is not successful.
Ungoliant Spider The Silmarillion J. R. R. Tolkien Described as an evil spirit in the form of a spider. She is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings, and plays a supporting role in The Silmarillion. Her origins are unclear, as Tolkien's writings only reveal than that she is from "before the world". She is one of a few instances, along with Tom Bombadil and the Cats of Queen Berúthiel.

Comics[edit]

Character Species Work Notes
Amedee Fly Urbanus One of Urbanus' pets. He is able to talk and by far the most intelligent character in the series, bordering to genius.[1]
Bill and Don Lobsters Marvel Comics Two lobsters cybernetically enhanced with intelligence, super-strength, and the ability to survive longer periods of time outside of water. Companions of Gomi.
Bug Daddy and Chile Bugs Pogo
Ferdy the Ant Ant Ferda Mravenec Created by Ondřej Sekora and adapted in an animated TV series in 1984. He is an adventurous, hard working ant who is in love with Miss Ladybird.
Gnorm Gnat Gnat Gnorm Gnat A gnat who Davis says plays the "straight man" who sometimes behaves like the character Walter Mitty.[2]
Serenity/Twinkly Herbert/Dr. Blinkbottom Firefly Homestuck Serenity is a small firefly which speaks Morse Code, to inspire her friends.
Hawthorne Hermit crab Sherman's Lagoon The scheming hermit crab of the strip. He is rude, abrasive, insulting, stingy, and a borderline criminal. Hawthorne, unlike other hermit crabs, prefers a beer can rather than a seashell.
Maya Bee The Adventures of Maya the Bee
Milquestoast Cockroach Bloom County,/Opus/Outlanders
Miz flea Flea Pogo
The Mother Grub Mother Grub Homestuck The Mother Grub is the parental figure of Kanaya, and lays the eggs of the troll species.
Reggie and Alf Unspecified insects Pogo
Rita Ant (Rita Natura) Ant Lionel's Kingdom
Scarrafone Cockroach Pinky An expert in road dustbins.[3]
Weber Ladybird Weber A ladybird in paper hat and star of Gommaar Timmermans' comic series Weber.[4]

Legends[edit]

Character Species Origin Notes
Anansi Spider West Africa Ananse tales are some of the best-known in West Africa[5] The stories made up an exclusively oral tradition, and indeed Ananse himself was synonymous with skill and wisdom in speech.[6] It was as remembered and told tales that they crossed to the Caribbean and other parts of the New World with captives via the Atlantic slave trade.[7]
Arachne Spider Ancient Greece In Greek mythology Arachne was a talented mortal weaver who challenged Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts, to a weaving contest; this hubris resulted in her being transformed into a spider.
Jorōgumo Spider Japan A spider demon who can shapeshift into a seductive woman.

Media[edit]

Film[edit]

Character Species Work Notes
Alpha Scorpion Scorpion The Black Scorpion A giant black scorpion which kills every other giant scorpion and raids Mexico City.
Buzz and Scuzz Horse-fly Racing Stripes Two horse-fly brothers who each have a taste in music.
Caterpillar Caterpillar The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland A yellow caterpillar who helps Elmo whose size is not in potential
Dim Rhinoceros Beetle A Bug's Life A large blue beetle and member of P. T. Flea's circus.
Katy Caterpillar Katy La Oruga A green caterpillar, who is full of curiosity and up for adventure.
Mooch Green bottle fly G-Force A green bottle fly who is a member of the G-Force.
Mothra Giant moth Mothra
Old Joe Spider The Muppet Christmas Carol A large spider.
Onibaba Giant Crustacean Pacific Rim Resembles a crustacean and Japanese temple. It is best known for orphaning Mako Mori during the Kaiju attacks.
Kumonga Giant spider Son of Godzilla

Television[edit]

Character Species Work Notes
Antales A kaiju-like scorpion Ultraman Leo
Banpira A kaiju-like spider Ultraman Nexus
Cococinel Ladybird Cococinel Main character in a French-Belgian children's TV series.
The Killer Bees Killer bees Saturday Night Live A group of bees in a recurring sketch on the show
Maya Bee Maya the Bee Main character in a popular German TV series based on the original novels.
Pepe the King Prawn Prawn Muppets Tonight
Seymour Spider H.R. Pufnstuf One of Witchiepoo's assistants.
Nahoul Bumble Bee Tomorrow's Pioneers the aggressively anti-Semitic bumblebee who acted as co-host for the Hamas-broadcast children's TV series between July and February 2007 when according to the plot he was martyred. Hates cats.

Animation[edit]

Character Species Work Notes
Atom Ant Ant The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show A superhero, created by Hanna-Barbera in 1965. Atom costarred in The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show (sharing top billing with Secret Squirrel). In syndication, Atom Ant aired alongside Precious Pupp and The Hillbilly Bears.
B.A.H. Humbug Insect fictional The Stingiest Man in Town
Barry B. Benson Honey bee Bee Movie Barry B. Benson (Voiced by Jerry Seinfeld) is "just an ordinary bee" in a hive in Sheep Meadow, Central Park in New York City.
Bim Heimlich Caterpillar A Bug's Life An overweight caterpillar who speaks with a German accent and longs to be a butterfly.
Bug-Bug Lightning bug PB&J Otter A little lightning bug that turns out to be Baby Butter’s best friend.
Bumble Bumblebee Fifi and the Flowertots Bumble, also known as Fuzzbuzz in the United States, is Fifi's best friend who isn't good at landing.
Cecil Caterpillar The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue A caterpillar who helps Timmy and Jenny on their journey.
Charmy Bee Bee Sonic the Hedgehog
Charotte Honey bee Jewelpet A yellow and brown striped honey bee who is the Challenging Spirit (in the case of Jewelpet Twinkle, she symbolizes the Confusion Removal). She wears a flower-shaped purple jewel necklace and a purple crystal bow on her head. She has fuchsia antennae and her stinger is thistle-colored.
Chip and Skip Dung beetle Camp Lazlo Two unintelligent, revolting, clueless and dumb beetle twins.
Crazy Joe Hermit crab Shark Tale Voiced by David P. Smith, he is a deranged hermit crab who lives in a dumpster near the Whalewash.
Cri-Kee Cricket Mulan A cricket who is a sidekick of Mushu.
Digit Cockroach An American Tail
Echizen Crab Crab Sabagebu!
Eugene H. Krabs[8] Crab SpongeBob SquarePants The greedy, money-loving founder and owner of the Krusty Krab restaurant, where SpongeBob works as a frycook.[9]
Francoeur Flea A Monster in Paris
Gregory Cricket Dragon Ball Z
Jiminy Cricket Cricket Pinocchio The Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" (Italian: Il Grillo Parlante), a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940. Originally an unnamed, minor character in Collodi's novel
Dee Dee, Joey and Marky Cockroaches Oggy and the Cockroaches The three main character cockroaches from the show.
Flik Ant A Bug's Life An individualist and would-be inventor.
Flip (Philip) Grasshopper Maya the Bee A wise friend of Maya and Willy
Frank Tarantula The Loud House The school’s pet tarantula.
Hal Cockroach WALL-E A cockroach who is WALL-E's friend.
Hardcase Tiger beetle Turbo Fast A tiger beetle who envies Turbo's fame and wishes to outrace him, even resorting to cheating. He does not tolerate losing, and even threatens to ravage Turbotown until he wins a race.
Hayaku Cricket Turbo Fast A Japanese cricket who pretends to be in love with Turbo in order to beat him.
Herbert Flea T.U.F.F. Puppy A tough, strict and good-natures flea who is the leader of T.U.F.F.
Herman Beetle Bootle Beetle A beetle with his life represented in flashbacks. Commonly Donald serves as his nemesis.
Hopper Grasshopper A Bug's Life The main antagonist of the film who is the ruthless leader of the grasshopper gang.
Hova Ant The Ant Bully A worker ant who is assigned to teach Lucas about the ways of the ant.
Hutch the Honeybee Honeybee The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee The son of a Queen bee, Hutch is separated from his mother when his native beehive is destroyed by an attack of wasps. The series follows Hutch as he searches for his missing mother, in the midst of a frequently hostile nature.[10]
Jacques Cleaner Shrimp Finding Nemo A French-accented cleaner shrimp who likes to clean the tank.
Jeff Spider The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy A giant spider who believes Billy is his father.
Larry the Lobster Lobster SpongeBob SquarePants A muscular red lobster who frequently lifts weights at Goo Lagoon.
Maggie Pesky Fly The Buzz on Maggie A 13 year old teenage fly who dreams of becoming a rock star. She attends Buzzdale Academy with her best friend Rayna Cartflight and her arch nemesis Dawn Swatworthy. She has her mother and father named Frieda and Chauncey Pesky, her little sister who is a maggot named Bella Pesky, and has her younger and older brothers named Pupert and Aldrin Pesky. She is voiced by Jessica DiCicco.
Master Mantis Chinese mantis Kung Fu Panda The five furious kung fu voice by Seth Rogen
Maya Bee Maya the Bee The good, fair and happy protagonist of the series.
Miss Cassandra Bee Maya the Bee A strict bee teacher.
Ms. Tarantula Redknee tarantula The Bad Guys A sharp-tongued, equally sarcastic expert hacking redknee tarantula also known as "Webs" or "Mata Hairy" and the only female of the gang.
Pepe the King Prawn Prawn The Muppets
Pinchy Lobster The Simpsons A lobster Homer buys to fatten up and eat in the episode Lisa Gets an "A".
Ray Firefly The Princess and the Frog Ally of Tiana and Prince Naveen.
Sebastian Crab The Little Mermaid (full name Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian), he is a red Jamaican crab, the servant of King Triton.
Sheldon J. Plankton Planktonic copepod SpongeBob SquarePants Owner of the Chum Bucket and arch enemy of Mr. Krabs. He is always trying to steal the Krabby Patty Secret Formula but is always unsuccessful. He often thinks and speaks of evil anarchist points of view and wishes to rule the world. He sells chum which is disgusting slop of innards and blood that is often used to attract sharks and other predatory fish. He has a computer wife named Karen, who is actually a "W.I.F.E." (Wired Integrated Female Electroencephalograph). Karen usually gives Plankton ideas to steal the Krabby Patty formula, which he often censors out and takes them as his. Plankton and Karen's marital relationship is often shown as very dysfunctional. His first appearance was in "Plankton!".
Spike Bee Cartoon Disney Shorts A small aggressive bee who is frequently an enemy of Donald and Pluto. In many of his appearances he is on a quest to gather food. He is a one-time friend to Donald in the Disney short Let's Stick Together (1952)
Tamatoa Coconut Crab Moana A giant crustacean who is the main antagonist to Moana and Maui when they visit Lalotai (The Realm of Monsters). Notable for collecting gold treasure which he sings a song about.
Taxi Crab Crab Jungle Junction A crab who runs a smoothie shop
The Ants Ant Happy Tree Friends A family of ants are the recurring characters who kills or tortures Sniffles. The Ants get revenge by torturing and killing the anthropomorphic anteater in the most sadistic ways possible, most notably in Crazy Ant-ics, Tongue Twister Trouble, A Hard Act to Swallow, Suck It Up and Tongue in Cheek.
Wally B. Bumblebee The Adventures of André & Wally B. Wally B. is a large quadrupedal bee who teases André after the latter woke up. Although Wally B. is a drone bee, he has a stinger that bends once stung.
Wanna-Bee Bee T.U.F.F. Puppy Wanna-Bee is a member of F.L.O.P.P. who first appeared in "The Spelling Bee", where he temporarily operated his stand-alone villain career as the Spelling Bee.
Wilbur Grasshopper Cartoon Disney Shorts Goofy’s tamed grasshopper.
Willy Bee Maya the Bee The lazy, clumsy and cowardly best friend of the protagonist.
Z Ant Antz An individualistic but meek worker ant.
Zipper Fly Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers A friends fly not speaking
Zorak Mantis Space Ghost/Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Video games[edit]

Character Species Work Notes
Beetley Beetle Kirby Triple Deluxe A beetle who first appeared in Kirby Triple Deluxe as an enemy. In Kirby Star Allies, he returns as enemy but this time a friend.
Bugzzy Stag Beetle Kirby A stag beetle who first appeared in Kirby's Adventure. As a mini-boss, he fights Kirby with his grapple moves.
Buck Bumble Bee Buck Bumble (N64)
Bzzit Mosquito Rayman A pink mosquito Rayman encounters in Anguish Lagoon as a mini boss. After Rayman defeats him, they soon become friends fast, Bzzit helping him cross the rest of the lagoon by offering a ride on his back.
Contessa Black widow spider Sly 2: Band of Thieves While the majority of her is a black widow spider, she has the upper body of a human and the pincers of a scorpion as well.
Charmy Bee Sonic the Hedgehog Charmy Bee (チャーミー・ビー, Chāmī hachi) is a bee who is the "scatter-brained funny-kid" of the Chaotix.[11] He is cheerful, curious, playful, careless, and greatly energetic, often talking about things no one else cares about.[12] Charmy's fooling around makes the rest of the detective agency staff look professional, and he is generally seen as a "cute mascot".[13] Despite an innocent,[12] good-natured and light-hearted personality, he uses his stinging tail on rare occasions that he gets angry.[12][13] In addition being a playable character in Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, he made cameos in both Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games installments as a referee.
King Zing[14] Bee Donkey Kong Country King Zing (キングB, Kingu Bī) is the giant king of the Zingers, fought in the Krazy Kremland level in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest as the game's third boss, and the same level in Donkey Kong Land 2 as the fifth boss.
Moskito Mosquito Rayman Moskito is a red giant mosquito, fought in the Moskito's Nest level, the last of the Dream Forest's levels, in Rayman as the game's first boss.[15] In some releases he uses Bzzit's color scheme.
Murfy Greenbottle Rayman Murfy is a greenbottle who appeared for the first time in the video game Rayman 2: The Great Escape, where he is nicknamed the "flying encyclopaedia". He has a hasty nature and he appears bored with his job.
Queen B.[16] Bee Donkey Kong Country Queen B. is the giant queen of the Zingers, fought in the Bumble B Rumble level in Donkey Kong Country as the game's third boss.
Queen Bee Bee Mario Queen Bee is the queen of the Honeyhive Galaxy and the Honeyhop Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. She is an extremely large Bee who is the rightful ruler of the Worker Bees. She also appeared in Mario Kart 7 as an unlockable racer, being one of the heaviest characters in the game.
Queen Sectonia Wasp Kirby Triple Deluxe An evil queen wasp who is a main antagonist of Kirby Triple Deluxe.
Roger Samms Cockroach Bad Mojo An entomologist with his soul and mind transferred into the body of cockroach and is forced to travel through the dangerous dilapidated bar he lives in.
Zapper Cricket Zapper: One Wicked Cricket A pretty mean and manipulative cricket, who uses his little grub brother as a TV aerial.
Shial Spider Blood A giant spider that serves as the second boss of Blood, she is implied to be the mother of all other standard spider enemies as her main attack is birthing more spiders. she guards one of the chosen, Gabriel.
ShLep Fly My Singing Monsters A Dreamythical monster with "Lucky Charms" inside. When its verse plays, it jiggles around. Generating an "Ekpiri Rattle" Sound.

Other[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Willy Linthout".
  2. ^ Davis, Jim. 20 Years & Still Kicking!: Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection. New York: Ballantine Books, 1998, p. 14.
  3. ^ "Massimo Mattioli".
  4. ^ "GoT".
  5. ^ Haase, Donald (2008). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 31. ISBN 978-0-313-33441-2.[1]
  6. ^ See for instance Ashanti linguist staff finial in the Metropolitan Museum of Art which relates to the saying "No one goes to the house of the spider Ananse to teach him wisdom."
  7. ^ Cynthia James (2004). "Searching for Ananse: From Orature to Literature in the West Indian Children's Folk Tradition--Jamaican and Trinidadian Trends". Trinidad University of the West Indies. Archived from the original (Word Document) on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2008-12-16. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ "Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants". nick.com. Nickelodeon. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  9. ^ Brown, Arthur (2008). Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons!. USA: Arthur Brown. p. 85. ISBN 978-1435732483.
  10. ^ "Tatsunoko Pro". Tatsunoko Productions. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  11. ^ Sega (2003). "Team Chaotix". Sonic Heroes Manual. Sega. pp 12
  12. ^ a b c "Sonic Channel". Characters: Charmy. Sega. Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  13. ^ a b Sega (2003). "Team Chaotix". Sonic Heroes Manual. Sega. pp 13
  14. ^ "Super Mario Wiki page for King Zing". Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Nintendo. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  15. ^ Ubi Soft staff, ed. (1995). Rayman Atari Jaguar instruction manual. Ubi Soft. pp. 23–24. C3669T.
  16. ^ "Super Mario Wiki page for Queen B." Donkey Kong Country. Nintendo. Retrieved April 2, 2015.