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Discover featured species at the Insectarium

Discover the insects and other arthropods currently in the spotlight! Will you be able to spot them during your visit?

Real, live insects

Meeting live insects in our museum offers a unique opportunity to appreciate their beauty and diversity. Wonder is guaranteed, whether you’re exploring the vivariums in the Tête-à-Tête room or the Great Vivarium, where insects live either freely or in semi-contained environments.

Meet these species in the Tête-à-Tête room

Emerald cockroaches

Emerald cockroach

This cockroach lives in the tropical forests of southwest China and northern Vietnam. Nymphs and females display iridescent colors.
Giant green fruit chafer

Giant green fruit chafer

Found in the humid forests of Africa, this flower chafer is one of the largest in the world. A single specimen can weigh as much as a chicken egg.
Gratte-couï bush cricket

Gratte-couï bush cricket

This bush cricket is found in the southeastern Caribbean. Its common name refers to its song, which sounds like an insect rubbing wood.
Halloween hissing cockroach

Halloween hissing cockroach

Also known as the Madagascar hissing cockroach, this species has black and orange-yellow stripes along its body, giving it its distinctive nickname.
Close-up on a Northern walkingstick

Northern walkingstick

This North American walkingstick, green or brown with outstretched legs, is the only species of its kind in Québec.
Orchid praying mantis on a flower

Orchid praying mantis

Thanks to its pastel colors, the orchid mantis can camouflage itself on the orchids of tropical rainforests.
Yellow flying stick with opened wings

Yellow flying stick

This tropical species from western Malaysia spreads its pink wings to startle predators.

To See in the Great Vivarium

Common morpho (Morpho helenor) on a flower

Common morpho

Flying free in the Great Vivarium, the blue morpho is a butterfly from Central and South America with bright colors.
Giant blue scorpion

Giant blue scorpion

Scorpions are nocturnal species that are particularly sensitive to light.
Longwing butterfly

Longwings butterflies

The Heliconius genus includes around 550 butterfly species found across the globe.
Mexican leafcutter ant carries a leaf

Mexican leafcutter ant

This ant species lives in symbiosis with a fungus.
Danaus plexippus plexippus, Québec, Canada.

Monarch

This butterfly is well known for its spectacular migration to Mexico.
North American millipede

North American giant millipede

This is the largest millipede species in Canada.
Close-up on a Northern walkingstick

Northern walkingstick

This herbivorous insect is the only walkingstick species found in Québec.
Owl butterfly

Owl butterfly

Sur leurs ailes, ces papillons ont de larges ocelles qui rappellent des yeux de chouette.
West African whipspider

West African whipspider

Thanks to their flattened bodies, these arachnids can easily slip under rocks or tree bark.

Choosing our insects

The selection of species presented at the Insectarium follows rigorous criteria. Our teams work closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to maintain a living collection of insects and other arthropods.

Ethical considerations are central to how we choose and display our insects. Every presentation is designed with their well-being in mind. This is why the Insectarium has established its own charter for the ethical management of its living collection.