Butterflies & Moths
I think it interesting to have these as hunter pets. I mean, at least wasps and beetles have mouth parts that could bite or stingers - so there must be a magical aspect to Moths or... they are just some tough mother 'effers (Tough moth-er 'effers?)
I use their existence in WOW as hunter pets to support my "Moth Clause" defense when suggesting any animal or plant or mineral can be a hunter pet - if a moth can be one, then anything else can be one too. I can't think of an animal that inspires less terror. There are equivalents: sea cucumbers, daffodils, sun beams, Twilight vampires, paper (from rock-paper-scissors.) 
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The color variations seen to the left are totally within the realm of possibility since their Earth counterparts are a vivid array of color and style. 
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Wasps
There are over 100,000 species of wasps and they are either solitary or social in nature. Social wasps form colonies and build nests in trees, in houses, even underground. They will defend that nest against any intruders and most wasps have a powerful and painful sting. Most of the "wasps" in game are social "hive" wasps congregating around underground hives. In our world, almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their numbers. So, many of them are predators that hunt other insects and small animals. They are a good choice to use as a hunter pet, makes sense. Naturally their special ability is Sting. 
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 Cuckoo Wasp - Pseudomalus species - Nigel Jones - flickrcc
Wasp - Cerceris rufopicta - cwulmer - flickrcc
wasp_0079 - mondays child - flickrcc
Wasp - BWJones - flickrcc
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Beetles
I enjoyed using these guys as my tank pet. They seem to have some good personality. |
Beetles
The noble scarab and the dung beetle are a part of this group. They do wonderful work to decompose dead material and turn it back into rich, fertile soil.
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Fireflies
Apparently the successful way to catch these guys is to kick them. 
Just taking a nap in one of the inns. It was raining out, so perfect weather to just find a peaceful moment. And there were even fireflies in a jar by the bed. Such wonderful little additions to game play that make me smile.
Valley of the Four Winds - Paoquan Hollow
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 firefly - Lottery Monkey - flickrcc
Oooh, look, I'm so special, my butt glows... Fireflies (or lightening bugs as I grew up calling them) are in the bee family, though they do not have stingers. Instead their lower abdomen is modified to produce light. This is done through chemical means (Bioluminescence!) and may be yellow, green, or pale-red. There are bout 2,000 species and all live in temperate or tropical climates. The flickering lights are often used in courtship between males and females. 
firefly - Lottery Monkey - flickrcc
Firefly - plj_johnny - flickrcc
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Ravagers
Jointed legs, hard exoskeleton - I'm calling these guys insects (even if they only have 4 legs, instead of 6.)
Silithids
Jointed legs, hard exoskeleton, 6 legs - I'm also calling these guys insects.
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A disturbing discovery...
I was recently made aware of a colony of Silithids who had survived the flooding of Thousand Needles. I just had to check it out to see if it was true and sure enough, there they were. So, apparently, silithids can breathe underwater. The wasp versions hovered above the water (to forever fly over but never land?) A rarespawn even walked the old dig site.
I was recently made aware of a colony of Silithids who had survived the flooding of Thousand Needles. I just had to check it out to see if it was true and sure enough, there they were. So, apparently, silithids can breathe underwater. The wasp versions hovered above the water (to forever fly over but never land?) A rarespawn even walked the old dig site.
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Dragonflies
Dragonfly - Mamboman1 - flickrcc
See, now, a dragonfly could do much more damage than a moth. I've been bitten by a dragonfly, it hurts (when I was a kid I used my budding ninja skills to catch one right out of mid-air. It was not as impressed with my leet-ness and simply folded over and bit into my finger. I never caught one again.)
Other reasons they would be better hunter's pets - Their ability to maneuver through the air is much more precise. Butterflies and moths just seem to flutter about where as dragonflies are mosquito catching machines, they are hunters themselves.
5/3/2013 Update! - I have found Dragonflies in Pandaria. Right now they are just background flare, you cannot interact with them in any way, but they are definitely Dragonflies. It is a start. One day we will have them as hunter pets, oh yes, one day.
Other reasons they would be better hunter's pets - Their ability to maneuver through the air is much more precise. Butterflies and moths just seem to flutter about where as dragonflies are mosquito catching machines, they are hunters themselves.
5/3/2013 Update! - I have found Dragonflies in Pandaria. Right now they are just background flare, you cannot interact with them in any way, but they are definitely Dragonflies. It is a start. One day we will have them as hunter pets, oh yes, one day.
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Dragonfly - mick_hedley - flickrcc
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Also, I found these little guys flying around some terraced pools in the north section of The Valley of the Four Winds - the "Pools of Purity". They look to be a cross between dragonflies and praying mantis (some of the species have adapted to look like orchids so that they can hide and ambush prey from within the flower.) One species in particular -the Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) could be partial inspiration. You can't interact with them, they just flit around.
orchid mantis - Lozula - flickrcc
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orchid mantis on walk - Lozula- flickrcc - Yes, this is a praying mantis - beautiful, deadly camouflage.
Eye detail - Carl N San Diego - flickrcc
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