Insects
Fossil range: Devonian - Recent |
| | Scientific classification | | | | Orders | | Subclass Apterygota Artists illustration of a Devonian scene. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1620x1280, 489 KB) Photo by John Severns. ...
Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Apis mellifica Linnaeus, 1761 The Western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a species of honey bee. ...
Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ...
For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ...
Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ...
Classes & Orders Class Insecta (insects) Class Entognatha The subphylum Hexapoda (from the Greek for six legs) constitutes the largest (in terms of number of species) grouping of arthropods and includes the insects as well as three much smaller groups of wingless arthropods: Collembola, Protura, and Diplura. ...
Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ...
Cover of the tenth edition of Linnaeuss Systema Naturae (1758). ...
Orders Archaeognatha Thysanura Apterygota is a subclass of insects that are small agile insects, distinguised from other insects by their lack of wings now and in their evolutionary history. ...
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Subclass Pterygota Families Machilidae Meinertellidae The Archaeognatha are known as the bristletails, so named because of their three-pronged tails. ...
Families Lepidotrichidae Lepismatidae Maindroniidae Nicoletiidae The insects of the order may be called bristletails, from their three long caudal filaments. ...
Orders Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea (rock crawlers) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids) Phasmatodea (walking sticks, timemas) Embioptera (webspinners) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Superorder Hemipterodea Psocoptera (booklice, barklice) Phthiraptera (lice) Hemiptera (true bugs) Thysanoptera (thrips) Superorder...
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- Superorder Exopterygota
- Superorder Endopterygota
For fossil groups and possible future splits, see below Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) The name Paleoptera has been traditionally applied to those primitive groups of winged insects (most of them extinct) that lacked the ability to fold the wings back over the abdomen as characterizes the...
The mayflies are an order (Ephemeroptera) of insects that grow up in fresh water, and live very briefly as adults, as little as a few hours but more typically a day or two. ...
Suborders Epiprocta (dragonflies), including infraorder Anisoptera (true dragonflies) Zygoptera (damselflies) Reference: ITIS 101593 as of 2002-07-26 Odonata is an order of insects, encompassing dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera). ...
This article is about the insect. ...
Families Amphipterygidae Calopterygidae - Demoiselles Chlorocyphidae - Jewels Coenagrionidae - Pond Damselflies Dicteriadidae - Barelegs Euphaeidae - Gossamerwings Hemiphlebidae - Reedlings Isosticidae - Narrow-wings Lestidae - Spreadwings Lestoididae Megapodagrionidae - Flatwings Perilestidae - Shortwings Platycnemidae - Brook Damselflies Platystictidae - Forest Damselflies Polythoridae - Bannerwings Protoneuridae - Pinflies Pseudostigmatidae - Forest Giants Synlestidae - Sylphs The Damselfly (Suborder Zygoptera) is an insect in the Order...
Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids) Phasmatodea (walking sticks, timemas) Embioptera (webspinners) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Superorder Hemipterodea Psocoptera (booklice, barklice) Phthiraptera (lice) Hemiptera (true bugs) Thysanoptera (thrips) Superorder Endopterygota Miomoptera - extinct Megaloptera (alderflies, etc. ...
Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies, damselflies) Grylloblattodea Plecoptera (stoneflies) Zoraptera Isoptera (termites) Dermaptera (earwigs) Embioptera Dictyoptera (cockroaches, mantids) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, and katydids) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Psocoptera (booklice) Phthiraptera (lice) Mallophaga (Chewing lice) Anoplura (Sucking lice) Hemiptera (true bugs) Homoptera (cicadas, hoppers, aphids, scale insects) Thysanoptera (Thrips, Thunderflies or...
Genera Grylloblatta Galloisiana Grylloblattodea is a small order of extremophile insects that live in the cold on top of mountains. ...
Genera Mantophasma Raptophasma Mantophasmatodea is an order of carnivorous insects discovered in 2002, the first new insect order to be described since 1914. ...
Suborders Antarctoperlaria Arctoperlaria Euholognatha Systellognatha Plecoptera are an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. ...
Families There are 3 suborders and 13 families: Anisembiidae Oligotomidae Teratembiidae . ...
Species Zorotypus barberi Zorotypus brasiliensis Zorotypus buxtoni Zorotypus caudelli Zorotypus ceylonicus Zorotypus congensis Zorotypus cramptoni Zorotypus delamarei Zorotypus guineensis Zorotypus gurneyi Zorotypus hamiltoni Zorotypus hubbardi Zorotypus huxleyi Zorotypus javanicus Zorotypus juninensis Zorotypus lawrencei Zorotypus leleupi Zorotypus longicercatus Zorotypus manni Zorotypus medoensis Zorotypus mexicanus Zorotypus neotropicus Zorotypus newi Zorotypus philippinensis Zorotypus...
Families Suborder Archidermaptera extinct Suborder Forficulina Pygidicranidae Diplatyidae Anisolabididae Labiduridae Apachyidae Spongiphoridae Chelisochidae Forficulidae Suborder Hemimerina Hemimeridae Suborder Arixenina Arixeniidae The earwigs are an order (Dermaptera) of insects characterized by large membraneous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings (thus the literal name of the order - skin wings). The abdomen extends...
Suborders and families Suborder Ensifera - crickets Superfamily Gryllacroidea Gryllacrididae - camel crikets Rhaphidophoridae - cave crickets Schizodactylidae - dune crickets Stenopelmatidae - king crickets Superfamily Grylloidea Gryllidae - true crickets Gryllotalpidae - mole cricket Mogoplistidae Myrmecophilidae Superfamily Tettigonioidea Anostostomatidae - king crickets Bradyporidae - armoured crickets Haglidae Phaneropteridae Tettigoniidae - katydids, koringkrieks Suborder Caelifera - grasshoppers, locusts Superfamily Acridoidea Acrididae...
Families Superfamily: Tridactyloidea Cylindrachaetidae Ripipterygidae Tridactylidae Superfamily: Tetrigoidea Tetrigidae Superfamily: Eumastacoidea Chorotypidae Episactidae Eumastacidae Euschmidtiidae Mastacideidae Morabidae Proscopiidae Thericleidae Superfamily: Pneumoroidea Pneumoridae Superfamily: Pyrgomorphoidea Pyrgomorphidae Superfamily: Acridoidea Acrididae Catantopidae Charilaidae Dericorythidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pamphagidae Pyrgacrididae Romaleidae Tristiridae Superfamily: Tanaoceroidea Tanaoceridae Superfamily: Trigonopterygoidea Trigonopterygidae Xyronotidae Grasshoppers are herbivorous insects...
Suborders Agathemerodea Timematodea Verophasmatodea The Phasmatodea are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects (Europe), walking sticks (in the Unites States of America), ghost insects[] and leaf insects. ...
Families Blaberidae Blattellidae Blattidae Cryptocercidae Polyphagidae Nocticolidae Blattodea are insects of the order (formerly Blattaria) that includes cockroaches. ...
Families Mastotermitidae Kalotermitidae Termopsidae Hodotermitidae Rhinotermitidae Serritermitidae Termitidae Reference: Earthlife as of 2002-07-26 A termite (also known as a white ant) is any member of the order Isoptera, a group of social insects that eat wood and other cellulose-rich vegetable matter. ...
Families Chaeteessidae Metallyticidae Mantoididae Amorphoscelidae Eremiaphilidae Hymenopodidae Mantidae Empusidae The order Mantodea (or Praying mantis) consists of between 1,800 and 2,000 species, of which a majority are in Mantidae. ...
Suborders Trogiomorpha (5 families) Troctomorpha (8 families) Psocomorpha (22 families) Psocoptera are an order of insects that are commonly known as booklice or barklice. ...
Families Suborder Terebrantia Merothripidae Uzelothripidae Aeolothripidae Adeheterothripidae Heterothripidae Thripidae Fauriellidae Suborder Tubulifera Phlaeothripidae Thrips (Thysanoptera) are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings (thus the scientific name, from the Greek thysanos (fringe) + pteron (wing)). Other common names include Thunderflies or Thunder bugs. ...
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Suborders Anoplura (sucking lice) Rhyncophthirina Ischnocera (avian lice) Amblycera (chewing lice) Lice (singular: louse) (order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 species of wingless parasitic insects. ...
Suborders Archaeorrhyncha Clypeorrhyncha Prosorrhyncha Sternorrhyncha Hemiptera is a large, cosmopolitan order of insects, comprising some 67,500 known species in three suborders. ...
Look up bug in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Orders Coleoptera (beetles) Diptera (flies and relatives) Hymenoptera (wasps and relatives) Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) Mecoptera Megaloptera Miomoptera (extinct) Neuroptera Raphidioptera (snakeflies) Siphonaptera (fleas) Strepsiptera Trichoptera (caddisflies) The Endopterygota, also known as Holometabola, are insects of the subclass Pterygota which go through distinctive larval, pupal, and adult stages. ...
Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ...
Subfamilies Aenictogitoninae Agroecomyrmecinae Amblyoponinae (incl. ...
For other uses, see Western honey bee and Bee (disambiguation). ...
Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Beetles are the most diverse group of insects. ...
Families Mengenillidae Mengeidae Stylopidae Bohartillidae Corioxenidae Halictophagidae Callipharixenidae Elenchidae Myrmecolacidae Species in the nine families of this small (~600 species) order of insects are parasites in other insects; their hosts include bees, wasps, leafhoppers, silverfish, and cockroaches. ...
Families See text Snakeflies (order Raphidioptera) are a group of insect, under subclass Pterygota. ...
Families Sialidae - Alderflies Corydalidae - Dobsonflies & Fishflies Megaloptera, from the Greek words mega, meaning large, and ptera, meaning wing, is an order of insects containing alderflies, dobsonflies and fishflies. ...
Alderfly is the name given to neuropterous insects of the family Sialidae, related to the ant-lions, with long filamentous antennae and four large wings, of which the anterior pair is rather longer than the posterior. ...
Suborders Megaloptera Raphidioptera Planipennia The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the fishflies, snakeflies, lacewings and antlions. ...
Families Nannochoristidae Boreidae (snow fleas) Siphonaptera (fleas) Meropeidae (earwig flies) Eomeropidae Apteropanorpidae Choristidae Panorpodidae Bittacidae (hanging flies) Panorpidae (scorpion flies) Mecoptera are an order of insects with about 600 species worldwide. ...
For the musician, a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, see Michael Balzary. ...
For other uses, see Flea (disambiguation). ...
Suborders Nematocera (includes Eudiptera) Brachycera Diptera (di - two, ptera - wings), or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. ...
Suborders Nematocera (includes Eudiptera) Brachycera Wikispecies has information related to: Diptera True flies are insects of the Order Diptera (Greek: di = two, and pteron = wing), possessing a single pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax. ...
Suborders [1] Annulipalpia Spicipalpia Integripalpia Caddisflies (Order Trichoptera, from trich, hair, and ptera, wings) are small moth-like insects having two pairs of hairy membranous wings. ...
Trichoptera, or caddis fly as they are more commonly known, can be divided into two groups, those which live in standing water (such as pond and lakes) and those which live in flowing water (rivers and streams). ...
The order Lepidoptera is the second most speciose order in the class Insecta and includes the butterflies, moths and skippers. ...
Superfamilies and families Superfamily Hedyloidea: Hedylidae Superfamily Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae Superfamily Papilionoidea: Papilionidae Pieridae Nymphalidae Lycaenidae Riodinidae A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptora. ...
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ...
| Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined.[1] Insects may be found in nearly all environments on the planet, although only a small number of species occur in the oceans where crustaceans tend to predominate instead. There are approximately 5,000 dragonfly species, 2,000 praying mantis, 20,000 grasshopper, 170,000 butterfly and moth, 120,000 fly, 82,000 true bug, 360,000 beetle, and 110,000 bee, wasp and ant species described to date. Estimates of the total number of current species, including those not yet known to science, range from two million to fifty million, with newer studies favouring a lower figure of about six to ten million.[1][2][3] Adult modern insects range in size from a 0.139 mm (0.00547 in) fairyfly (Dicopomorpha echmepterygis) to a 55.5 cm (21.9 in) long stick insect (Phobaeticus serratipes).[4] The heaviest documented insect was a Giant Weta of 70 g, 2½ oz), but other possible candidates include the Goliath beetles Goliathus goliatus, Goliathus regius and Cerambycid beetles such as Titanus giganteus, though no one is certain which is truly the heaviest.[4] A class is the rank in the scientific classification of organisms in biology below Phylum and above Order. ...
Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ...
For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ...
The hierarchy of scientific classification. ...
Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ...
For the Dutch band, see Crustacean (band). ...
Suborders Epiprocta (dragonflies), including infraorder Anisoptera (true dragonflies) Zygoptera (damselflies) Reference: ITIS 101593 as of 2002-07-26 Odonata is an order of insects, encompassing dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera). ...
Families Chaeteessidae Metallyticidae Mantoididae Amorphoscelidae Eremiaphilidae Hymenopodidae Mantidae Empusidae The order Mantodea (or Praying mantis) consists of between 1,800 and 2,000 species, of which a majority are in Mantidae. ...
Suborders and families Suborder Ensifera - crickets Superfamily Gryllacroidea Gryllacrididae - camel crikets Rhaphidophoridae - cave crickets Schizodactylidae - dune crickets Stenopelmatidae - king crickets Superfamily Grylloidea Gryllidae - true crickets Gryllotalpidae - mole cricket Mogoplistidae Myrmecophilidae Superfamily Tettigonioidea Anostostomatidae - king crickets Bradyporidae - armoured crickets Haglidae Phaneropteridae Tettigoniidae - katydids, koringkrieks Suborder Caelifera - grasshoppers, locusts Superfamily Acridoidea Acrididae...
The order Lepidoptera is the second most speciose order in the class Insecta and includes the butterflies, moths and skippers. ...
Suborders Nematocera (includes Eudiptera) Brachycera Diptera (di - two, ptera - wings), or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. ...
Suborders Archaeorrhyncha Clypeorrhyncha Prosorrhyncha Sternorrhyncha Hemiptera is a large, cosmopolitan order of insects, comprising some 67,500 known species in three suborders. ...
Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Beetles are the most diverse group of insects. ...
Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ...
A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ...
‹ The template below (Unit of length) is being considered for deletion. ...
Diversity 0-2 subfamilies c. ...
Binomial name Dicopomorpha echmepterygis Mockford, 1997 Dicopomorpha echmepterygis is a wasp in the family Mymaridae. ...
A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ...
Ctenomorpha Chronus Ctenomorpha Chronus Medauroidea Extradentata Stick insects are members of the one of the two insect families Phasmatidae and Phylliidae. ...
Binomial name Phobaeticus serratipes (Gray), 1835 The walking-stick species Phobaeticus serratipes (formerly known as Pharnacia serratipes) is the longest known insect, with one female specimen recorded as being 555 mm long - note, however, that this includes the legs fully extended in front and in back, and the actual length...
This article is about the insect. ...
BIC pen cap, about 1 gram. ...
The ounce (abbreviation: oz) is the name of a unit of mass in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...
Species Goliathus albosignatus Goliathus cacicus Goliathus goliatus Goliathus orientalis Goliathus regius The Goliath beetles are among the largest insects on Earth, in terms of size and weight. ...
Species Goliathus albosignatus Goliathus cacicus Goliathus goliatus Goliathus orientalis Goliathus regius Wikispecies has information related to: Goliathus The Goliath beetles are among the largest insects on Earth, if measured in terms of bulk and weight. ...
Species Goliathus albosignatus Goliathus cacicus Goliathus goliatus Goliathus orientalis Goliathus regius Wikispecies has information related to: Goliathus The Goliath beetles are among the largest insects on Earth, if measured in terms of bulk and weight. ...
Subfamilies Aseminae Cerambycinae Disteniinae Laminae Lepturinae Necydalinae Paradrinae Prioninae Spondylidinae etc. ...
Binomial name Titanus giganteus (Linnaeus, 1771) Wikispecies has information related to: Titan beetle The Titan beetle (Titanus giganteus) is the largest known beetle in the Amazon rainforest and one of the largest insect species in the world. ...
The study of insects (from Latin insectus, meaning "cut into sections") is called entomology, from the Greek εντομος, also meaning "cut into sections".[5] For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ...
Not to be confused with Etymology, the study of the origin of words. ...
[edit] Morphology
 Insect anatomy A- Head B- Thorax C- Abdomen Insects possess segmented bodies supported by an exoskeleton, a hard outer covering made mostly of chitin. The segments of the body are organized into three regions, or tagmata; a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. The head supports a pair of sensory antennae, a pair of compound eyes, one to three simple eyes ("ocelli") and three sets of variously modified appendages that form the mouthparts. The thorax has six legs (one pair per segment) and two or four wings (if present in the species). The abdomen (made up of eleven segments some of which may be reduced or fused) has most of the digestive, respiratory, excretory and reproductive internal structures. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1920x1334, 659 KB) author / autor: Piotr Jaworski, PioM; other info / inne: 17 V 2005r. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1920x1334, 659 KB) author / autor: Piotr Jaworski, PioM; other info / inne: 17 V 2005r. ...
Insects display a wide variety of antennal shapes. ...
An ocellus (plural: ocelli) is a type of photoreceptor organ in animals. ...
Compound eye of a dragonfly Compound eye of Antarctic krill as imaged by an electron microscope A compound eye is a visual organ found in certain arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. ...
This is a dorsal root ganglion (DRG) from a chicken embryo (around stage of day 7) after incubation overnight in NGF growth medium stained with anti-neurofilament antibody. ...
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. ...
Many terrestrial arthropods have evolved a closed respiratory system composed of spiracles, tracheae, and tracheoles to transport metabolic gasses to and from tissue. ...
Spiracles are small openings on the surface of animals that usually lead to respiratory systems. ...
The mesothorax is the middle of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the second pair of legs. ...
The metathorax is the posterior of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the third pair of legs. ...
Wing structure of a dragonfly (family Gomphidae) Insect wings are outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. ...
Wing structure of a dragonfly (family Gomphidae) Insect wings are outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. ...
Hindgut (or epigaster) is the posterior (caudal) part of the alimentary canal. ...
The Malphigian tubule system is a type of excretory system found in Phylum Arthropoda. ...
An insect leg The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. ...
An insect leg The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. ...
An insect leg The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. ...
An insect leg The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. ...
An insect leg The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. ...
The subesophageal ganglion of insects is composed of three pairs of fused ganglia. ...
An exoskeleton is an external anatomical feature that supports and protects an animals body, in contrast to the internal endoskeleton of, for example, a human. ...
Structure of the chitin molecule, showing two of the N-Acetylglucosamine units that repeat to form long chains in beta-1,4 linkage. ...
In invertebrate biology, a tagma (plural tagmata) is a specialized grouping of arthropodan segments, such as head, body, and tail. ...
Diagram of a tsetse fly, showing the head, thorax and abdomen The thorax is a division of an animals body that lies between the head and the abdomen. ...
The abdomen is a part of the body. ...
Insects display a wide variety of antennal shapes. ...
Compound eye of a dragonfly Compound eye of Antarctic krill as imaged by an electron microscope A compound eye is a visual organ found in certain arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. ...
Ocelli is one of the types of photoreceptor organs in animals. ...
The mouthparts of arthropods have evolved into a number of forms, each adapted to a different style of feeding. ...
Look up six in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Wing structure of a dragonfly (family Gomphidae) Insect wings are outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
// In animal physiology, respiration is the transport of oxygen from the ambient air to the tissue cells and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction. ...
Excretion is the process of eliminating waste products of metabolism and other materials that are of no use. ...
[edit] Nervous system Their nervous system can be divided into a brain and a ventral nerve cord. The head capsule (made up of six fused segments) has six pairs of ganglia. The first three pairs are fused into the brain, while the three following pairs are fused into a structure called the subesophageal ganglion. The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions. ...
The ventral nerve cords make up the nervous system of arthropods. ...
This is a dorsal root ganglion (DRG) from a chicken embryo (around stage of day 7) after incubation overnight in NGF growth medium stained with anti-neurofilament antibody. ...
The subesophageal ganglion of insects is composed of three pairs of fused ganglia. ...
The thoracic segments have one ganglion on each side, which are connected into a pair, one pair per segment. This arrangement is also seen in the abdomen but only in the first eight segments. Many species of insects have reduced numbers of ganglia due to fusion or reduction. Some cockroaches have just six ganglia in the abdomen, whereas the wasp Vespa crabro has only two in the thorax and three in the abdomen. And some, like the house fly Musca domestica, have all the body ganglia fused into a single large thoracic ganglion. Binomial name Vespa crabro L., 1761 For main article see hornet. ...
Binomial name Musca domestica The housefly (Musca domestica Linnaeus) is the most common fly occurring in homes and indeed one of the most widely distributed animals and the most familiar of all flies; it is a pest that can facilitate serious diseases. ...
[edit] Respiration and circulation Insect respiration is accomplished without lungs, but instead insects possess a system of internal tubes and sacs through which gases either diffuse or are actively pumped, delivering oxygen directly to body tissues (see Invertebrate trachea). Since oxygen is delivered directly, the circulatory system is not used to carry oxygen, and is therefore greatly reduced; it has no closed vessels (i.e., no veins or arteries), consisting of little more than a single, perforated dorsal tube which pulses peristaltically, and in doing so helps circulate the hemolymph inside the body cavity. Human respiratory system The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ...
Many terrestrial arthropods have evolved a closed respiratory system composed of spiracles, tracheae, and tracheoles to transport metabolic gasses to and from tissue. ...
In the circulatory system, a vein is a blood vessel that carries blood toward the heart. ...
Section of an artery For other uses, see Artery (disambiguation). ...
In much of the digestive tract, muscles contract in sequence to produce a peristaltic wave which forces food (called bolus while in the esophagus and chyme below the esophagus) along the alimentary canal. ...
Hemolymph (or haemolymph) is the blood analogue used by all arthropods and most mollusks that have an open circulatory system. ...
[edit] Exoskeleton Most higher insects have two pairs of wings located on the second and third thoracic segments. Insects are the only invertebrates to have developed flight, and this has played an important part in their success. The winged insects, and their wingless relatives, make up the subclass Pterygota. Insect flight is not very well understood, relying heavily on turbulent aerodynamic effects. The primitive insect groups use muscles that act directly on the wing structure. The more advanced groups making up the Neoptera have foldable wings and their muscles act on the thorax wall and power the wings indirectly. These muscles are able to contract multiple times for each single nerve impulse, allowing the wings to beat faster than would ordinarily be possible (see insect flight). Wing structure of a dragonfly (family Gomphidae) Insect wings are outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. ...
Invertebrate is an English word that describes any animal without a spinal column. ...
The Dragonfly Insect flight, In the past several million years, flying insects have evolved with amazing flight characteristics and abilities. ...
Orders Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea (rock crawlers) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids) Phasmatodea (walking sticks, timemas) Embioptera (webspinners) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Superorder Hemipterodea Psocoptera (booklice, barklice) Phthiraptera (lice) Hemiptera (true bugs) Thysanoptera (thrips) Superorder...
The Dragonfly Insect flight, In the past several million years, flying insects have evolved with amazing flight characteristics and abilities. ...
Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids) Phasmatodea (walking sticks, timemas) Embioptera (webspinners) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Superorder Hemipterodea Psocoptera (booklice, barklice) Phthiraptera (lice) Hemiptera (true bugs) Thysanoptera (thrips) Superorder Endopterygota Miomoptera - extinct Megaloptera (alderflies, etc. ...
The Dragonfly Insect flight, In the past several million years, flying insects have evolved with amazing flight characteristics and abilities. ...
Their outer skeleton, the cuticle, is made up of two layers; the epicuticle which is a thin and waxy water resistant outer layer and contains no chitin, and another layer under it called the procuticle. This is chitinous and much thicker than the epicuticle and has two layers. The outer being the exocuticle while the inner is the endocuticle. The tough and flexible endocuticle is built from numerous layers of fibrous chitin and proteins, criss-crossing each others in a sandwich pattern, while the exocuticle is rigid and sclerotized. The exocuticle is greatly reduced in many soft-bodied insects, especially the larval stages (e.g., caterpillars). The epicuticle is the outermost portion of the exoskeleton of an insect (and various other arthropods); its exact composition and structure may differ somewhat among different taxa, but certain aspects can be generalized: It is secreted by the epidermis, and is deposited on top of the procuticle via pores that...
The procuticle is the major portion of the exoskeleton of an insect (and various other arthropods); its exact composition and structure may differ somewhat among different taxa, but certain aspects can be generalized: When first secreted by the epidermis, it is soft, pliable, and pale, as much of the chemical...
Sclerites are hardened body parts. ...
A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
This article is about a form of an insect. ...
[edit] Development
 Hoverflies mating in flight Most insects hatch from eggs, but others are ovoviviparous or viviparous, and all undergo a series of moults as they develop and grow in size. This manner of growth is necessitated by the inelastic exoskeleton. Moulting is a process by which the individual escapes the confines of the exoskeleton in order to increase in size, then grows a new and larger outer covering. In some insects, the young are called nymphs and are similar in form to the adult except that the wings are not developed until the adult stage. This is called incomplete metamorphosis and insects showing this are termed hemimetabolous. Holometabolous insects show complete metamorphosis, which distinguishes the Endopterygota and includes many of the most successful insect groups. In these species, an egg hatches to produce a larva, which is generally worm-like in form, and can be divided into five different forms; eruciform (caterpillar-like), scarabaeiform (grublike), campodeiform (elongated, flattened, and active), elateriform (wireworm-like) and vermiform (maggot-like). The larva grows and eventually becomes a pupa, a stage sealed within a cocoon in some species. There are three types of pupae; obtect (the pupa is compact with the legs and other appendages enclosed), exarate (where the pupa has the legs and other appendages free and extended) and coarctate (where the pupa develops inside the larval skin). In the pupal stage, the insect undergoes considerable change in form to emerge as an adult, or imago. Butterflies are an example of an insect that undergoes complete metamorphosis. Some insects have even evolved hypermetamorphosis. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1600x1067, 262 KB) Hoverflies mating in midair. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1600x1067, 262 KB) Hoverflies mating in midair. ...
In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ...
Ovoviviparous animals develop within eggs that remain within the mothers body up until they hatch or are about to hatch. ...
A viviparous animal is an animal employing vivipary, a method of reproduction in which the embryo develops inside the body of the mother from which it gains nourishment, and not from an egg. ...
Ecdysis is the molting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). ...
A Pieris rapae larva An older Pieris rapae larva A Pieris rapae pupa A Pieris rapae adult Metamorphosis is a process in biology by which an individual physically develops after birth or hatching, and involves significant change in form as well as growth and differentiation. ...
Hemimetabolism, also called incomplete metamorphism, is a term used to describe insects with a specific type of life cycle, including three distinct stages: the embryo, nymph, and the adult stage, or the imago. ...
Holometabolism, also called complete metamorphism, is a term applied to insect groups to describe the specific kind of insect development which includes four life stages - as an embryo, a larva, a pupa and an imago. ...
Orders Coleoptera (beetles) Diptera (flies and relatives) Hymenoptera (wasps and relatives) Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) Mecoptera Megaloptera Miomoptera (extinct) Neuroptera Raphidioptera (snakeflies) Siphonaptera (fleas) Strepsiptera Trichoptera (caddisflies) The Endopterygota, also known as Holometabola, are insects of the subclass Pterygota which go through distinctive larval, pupal, and adult stages. ...
A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) pupa Chrysalis redirects here: for other meanings see Chrysalis (disambiguation). ...
Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) pupa Chrysalis redirects here: for other meanings see Chrysalis (disambiguation). ...
The imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis, or after emergence from pupation where the metamorphosis is complete. ...
Hypermetamorphosis is the form of metamorphosis done by certain beetles, notably Meloidae and Rhipiphoridae, and the Strepsiptera. ...
Some insects (parastic wasps) show polyembryony where a single fertilized egg can divide into many and in some cases thousands of separate embryos. Other developmental and reproductive variations include haplodiploidy, polymorphism, paedomorphosis (metathetely and prothetely), sexual dimorphism, parthenogenesis and more rarely hermaphroditism. A haplodiploid species is one in which one of the sexes has haploid cells (cells containing one copy of each chromosome) and the other has diploid cells (cells containing two copies of each chromosome). ...
In biology, polymorphism can be defined as the occurrence in the same habitat of two or more forms of a trait in such frequencies that the rarer cannot be maintained by recurrent mutation alone. ...
Paedomorphosis is a biological term describing the retention of ancestral infantile or juvenile traits in an adult organism. ...
Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in both color and size, between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Asexual reproduction. ...
An intersexual is a person (or individual of any unisexual species) who is born with genitalia and/or secondary sexual characteristics of indeterminate sex, or which combine features of both sexes. ...
[edit] Behaviour
 Platymeris biguttata ("Twin-spotted assassin bug") with prey Many insects possess very sensitive and/or specialized organs of perception. Some insects such as bees can perceive ultraviolet wavelengths, or detect polarized light, while the antennae of male moths can detect the pheromones of female moths over distances of many kilometres. There is a pronounced tendency for there to be a trade-off between visual acuity and chemical or tactile acuity, such that most insects with well-developed eyes have reduced or simple antennae, and vice-versa. There are a variety of different mechanisms by which insects perceive sound, and it is by no means universal; the general pattern, however, is that if an insect can produce sound, then it can also hear sound, though the range of frequencies they can hear is often quite narrow (and may in fact be limited to only the frequency that they themselves produce). Some nocturnal moths can perceive the ultrasonic emissions of bats, a mechanism which helps them avoid predation. Certain predatory and parasitic insects can detect the characteristic sounds made by their prey/hosts. Bloodsucking insects have special sensory structures that can detect infrared emissions, and use them to home in on their hosts. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3888 × 2592 pixel, file size: 7. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3888 × 2592 pixel, file size: 7. ...
Senses are the physiological methods of perception. ...
“UV†redirects here. ...
This article treats polarization in electrodynamics. ...
Insects display a wide variety of antennal shapes. ...
Fanning honeybee exposes Nasonov gland (white-at tip of abdomen) releasing pheromone to entice swarm into an empty hive A pheromone is a chemical that triggers an innate behavioural response in another member of the same species. ...
Ultrasound is sound with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing, approximately 20 kilohertz. ...
“Chiroptera†redirects here. ...
Image of two girls in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false-color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves. ...
 Sensillae: sensory structures on insects Most insects lead short lives as adults, and rarely interact with one another except to mate, or compete for mates. A small number exhibit some form of parental care, where they will at least guard their eggs, and sometimes continue guarding their offspring until adulthood, and possibly even actively feeding them. Another simple form of parental care is to construct a nest (a burrow or an actual construction, either of which may be simple or complex), store provisions in it, and lay an egg upon those provisions. The adult does not contact the growing offspring, but it nonetheless does provide food. This sort of care is typical of bees and various types of wasps. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 603 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (677 × 673 pixel, file size: 51 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Insect ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 603 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (677 × 673 pixel, file size: 51 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Insect ...
“Parental care†redirects here. ...
A few such insects also have a well-developed number sense, among the solitary wasps that provision with a single species of prey. The mother wasp lays her eggs in individual cells and provides each egg with a number of live caterpillars on which the young feed when hatched. Some species of wasp always provide five, others twelve, and others as high as twenty-four caterpillars per cell. The number of caterpillars is different among species, but it is always the same for each sex of larvae. The male solitary wasp in the genus Eumenes is smaller than the female, so the mother of one species supplies him with only five caterpillars; the larger female receives ten caterpillars in her cell. She can in other words distinguish between both the numbers five and ten in the caterpillars she is providing and which cell contains a male or a female. Species many (>100 species + subspecies) Eumenes is the type genus of the subfamily Eumeninae (potter wasps) of Vespidae. ...
[edit] Social behaviour
 A termite mound made by the cathedral termite Social insects, such as the termites, ants and many bees and wasps, are the most familiar species of eusocial animal. They live together in large well-organized colonies that may be so tightly integrated and genetically similar that the colonies of some species are sometimes considered superorganisms. It is sometimes argued that the various species of honey bee are the only invertebrates (and indeed one of the few non-human groups) to have evolved a system of abstract symbolic communication (i.e., where a behaviour is used to represent and convey specific information about something in the environment), called the "dance language" - the angle at which a bee dances represents a direction relative to the sun, and the length of the dance represents the distance to be flown. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 703 KB) Summary Photo taken and supplied by Brian Voon Yee Yap. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 703 KB) Summary Photo taken and supplied by Brian Voon Yee Yap. ...
Eusociality is the phenomenon of reproductive specialisation found in some species of animal, whereby a specialised caste carries out reproduction in a colony of non-reproductive animals. ...
Families Mastotermitidae Kalotermitidae Termopsidae Hodotermitidae Rhinotermitidae Serritermitidae Termitidae Wikispecies has information related to: Isoptera Termites, known as white ants, are a group of social insects usually classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera. ...
Subfamilies Aenictogitoninae Agroecomyrmecinae Amblyoponinae (incl. ...
For other uses, see Western honey bee and Bee (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Wasp (disambiguation). ...
Meat Eater ant colony swarming Fire ants Eusociality is the phenomenon of reproductive specialization found in some animals. ...
A group of organisms, such as an insect colony, that functions as a social unit. ...
The honeybee is a colonial insect that is often maintained, fed, and transported by farmers. ...
Honey bees learn and communicate in order to find food sources and for other means. ...
Only those insects which live in nests or colonies demonstrate any true capacity for fine-scale spatial orientation or "homing" - this can be quite sophisticated, however, and allow an insect to return unerringly to a single hole a few millimetres in diameter among a mass of thousands of apparently identical holes all clustered together, after a trip of up to several kilometres' distance, and (in cases where an insect hibernates) as long as a year after last viewing the area (a phenomenon known as philopatry). A few insects migrate, but this is a larger-scale form of navigation, and often involves only large, general regions (e.g., the overwintering areas of the Monarch butterfly). This article refers to the process of hibernation in biology. ...
In animal behaviour philopatry is the tendency of a migrating animal to return to a specific location in order to breed or feed. ...
Insect migration is the seasonal movement of insects, particularly those by species of dragonflies, beetles, butterflies and moths. ...
Table of geography, hydrography, and navigation, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ...
Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a well-known North American butterfly. ...
[edit] Light production and vision A few insects, notably the beetles of the family Lampyridae have evolved light generating organs. They are also able to control this light generation to produce flashes and some species use the light to attract mates. Genera Curtos Cyphonocerus Drilaster Ellychnia Hotaria Lampyris Lucidina Luciola - (Japanese fireflies) Photinus - (common eastern firefly) Photuris Pristolycus Pyractomena Pyrocoelia Stenocladius Fireflies (family Lampyridae), also known as lightning bugs, are nocturnal, luminous beetles. ...
Most insects except some species of cave dwelling crickets are able to perceive light and dark. Many species have acute vision capable of detecting minute movements. The eyes include simple eyes or ocelli as well as compound eyes of varying sizes. Many species are able to detect light in the infrared, ultraviolet as well as the visible light wavelengths. Colour vision has been demonstrated in many species. An ocellus (plural: ocelli) is a type of photoreceptor organ in animals. ...
Compound eye of a dragonfly Compound eye of Antarctic krill as imaged by an electron microscope A compound eye is a visual organ found in certain arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. ...
[edit] Sound production and hearing Insects were the earliest organisms to produce sounds and to sense them. Soundmaking in insects is achieved mostly by mechanical action of appendages. In the grasshoppers and crickets this is achieved by stridulation. The cicadas have the loudest sounds among the insects and have special modifications to their body and musculature to produce and amplify sounds. Some species such as the African cicada, Brevisana brevis have been measured at 106.7 decibels at a distance of 50 cm (20 in).[4] Some insects, such as the hawk moth, can hear ultrasound and take evasive action when they sense detection by bats. Some moths produce clicks and these were earlier thought to have a role in jamming the bat echolocation, but it was subsequently found that these are produced mostly by unpalatable moths to warn the bats, just as warning colouration is used visually.[6] These calls are also made by other moths involved in mimicry.[7] Families Acrididae Charilaidae Dericorythidae Eumastacidae Euschmidtiidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pamphagidae Pneumoridae Pyrgacrididae Pyrgomorphidae Romaleidae Tanaoceridae Tetrigidae Thericleidae Tridactylidae Tristiridae The Caelifera are a family of herbivorous insects of the order Orthoptera, commonly called grasshoppers in English. ...
Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit of measurement that expresses the magnitude of a physical quantity (usually power) relative to a specified or implied reference level. ...
Genera Macroglossinae Smerinthinae Sphinginae etc. ...
The bright colours of this Yellow-winged Darter dragonfly serve as a warning to predators of its noxious taste. ...
Plate from Henry Walter Bates (1862) illustrating Batesian mimicry between Dismorphia species (top row, third row) and various Ithomiini (Nymphalidae) (second row, bottom row). ...
Very low sounds are also produced in various species of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, mostly through the use of wing movement or friction at the joints of appendages. The order Lepidoptera is the second most speciose order in the class Insecta and includes the butterflies, moths and skippers. ...
For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). ...
Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ...
Most soundmaking insects also have tympanal organs that can perceive airborne sounds. Most insects are also able to sense vibrations transmitted by the substrate. Communication with substrate-borne vibrational signals is widespread among insects because of the size constraints in producing air-borne sounds.[8] Insects cannot effectively produce low-frequency sounds, and high-frequency sounds tend to disperse more in a dense environment (such as foliage), so insects living in such environments communicate primarily using substrate-borne vibrations.[9] The mechanisms of production of vibrational signals are just as diverse as those for producing sound in insects. Look up vibration in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
“Foliage†redirects here. ...
The Madagascar hissing cockroach has the ability to press air through the spiracles to make a hissing noise, and the Death's-head Hawkmoth makes a squeaking noise by forcing air out of their pharynx. Binomial name (Schaum, 1853) Hissing roaches kept as pets. ...
Species Acherontia atropos Acherontia styx Acherontia lachesis Variations in the Deaths head pattern The name Deaths-head Hawkmoth usually refers to one of the three species (, and ) of moth in the Acherontia genus. ...
The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the neck and throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and cranial, or superior, to the esophagus, larynx, and trachea. ...
[edit] Chemical communication In addition to the use of sound for communication, a wide range of insects have evolved chemical means for communication. These chemicals, termed semiochemicals, are often derived from plant metabolites include those meant to attract, repel and provide other kinds of information. While some chemicals are targeted at individuals of the same species, others are used for communication across species. The use of scents is especially well known to have developed in social insects. A semiochemical is a generic term used for a chemical substance or mixture that carries a message. ...
[edit] Locomotion
[edit] Flight -
Insects are the only group of invertebrates to have developed flight. The evolution of insect wings has been a subject of debate. Some proponents suggest that the wings are para-notal in origin while others have suggested they are modified gills. In the Carboniferous age, some of the Meganeura dragonflies had as much as a 50 cm (20 in) wide wingspan. The appearance of gigantic insects has been found to be consistent with high atmospheric oxygen. The percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere found from ice core-samples was as high as 35% compared to the current 21%. The respiratory system of insects constrains their size, however the high oxygen in the atmosphere allowed larger sizes.[10] The largest flying insects today are much smaller and include several moth species such as the Atlas moth and the White Witch (Thysania agrippina). The Dragonfly Insect flight, In the past several million years, flying insects have evolved with amazing flight characteristics and abilities. ...
Binomial name Attacus atlas (Linnaeus, |
