1. Characteristics and Orders
Insects
Characteristics and Orders

2. What You Should Know About Insects …

3. Taxonomy
Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Arthropoda
Class - Insecta

4. Arthropods
Include: spiders (Arachnids), ticks, scorpions, millipedes, crustaceans, horseshoe crab, centipedes and of course INSECTS 4

5. Insects Are Arthropods
Insects are the largest group of Arthropods - 900,000 different species
On the planet for 350,000,000 yrs
Jointed appendages (bendable)
Segmented bodies
Exoskeleton of Chitin
that must be molted to grow

6. All Insects Have… Three body regions – head, thorax, and abdomen
One pair antenna (head)
Six legs or 3 pairs (thorax)
One-two pairs of wings (thorax)

8. Head 2 antennae (feel, hear and smell) 1,000 sensory cells
(One species of moth can smell one molecule EIGHT miles away)
2 compound eyes - each has 30,000 lenses
3 ocelli - simple eyes to sense light and dark
Special mouthparts - several specific designs

9. Antenna One Pair on head Jointed Sensory (smell) Called “feelers”
Filiform most common shape (segments = size)
Come in many shapes
FILIFORM

10. Antenna Modifications- Draw a couple

11. Mouth part types Draw a sample of each
Chewing, sucking, piercing, lapping and sponging

12. Chewing

13. Youtube video

14. Sucking

15. Youtube video

16. Piercing

17. Youtube Video

18. Lapping

19. Youtube video

20. Sponging

21. Youtube video

22. Thorax
3 pair of jointed legs covered in sensory hairs. They are more than 110x more sensitive than our tongues.
2 pair of wings, if present

23. Insect Legs
Examples: Digging, jumping, predatory and swimming

24. There are ALWAYS SIX legs, and they are attached to the THORAX
Count the Legs!
There are ALWAYS SIX legs, and they are attached to the THORAX

25. Wings or No Wings Most adults have 2 pairs
Some insects are wingless (silverfish, fleas, some termites and ants)

26. A network of Veins strengthens wings MEMBRANEOUS (clear) WINGS
More on Wings
A network of Veins strengthens wings
MEMBRANEOUS (clear) WINGS

27. Some Wings Are Covered With Powdery Scales
BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS

28. Wings May Be Modified Order Diptera (flies)
2nd pair of wings modified into HALTERES
Used for balance
Makes flies hard to catch!

29. Beetle Wings Meet in straight line down the abdomen
ELYTRA
Hard Forewing called Elytra
Meet in straight line down the abdomen
Membranous hindwings folded underneath (flight)

30. Abdomen
Houses reproductive organs and digestive system

31. Evolution of Insects

32. 1. Oldest All insects began as wingless
Less than 1 % of insects belong to this category
They go through incomplete metamorphosis
SILVERFISH: THYSANURA

33. Youtube: Silverfish

34. 2. Development of Wings
They have wings, but they can not fold them = harder to escape predators
Still go through incomplete metamorphosis

35. Youtube: Dragonfly

36. 3. Development of Flexing Wings
They have wings and can fold them. This allows them to go more places.
Incomplete metamorphosis
Examples: Grasshopper, praying mantids

37. Youtube: Mantid

38. 4. Complete Metamorphosis
Egg-larva-pupa- adult
80% of insects
Completely different animal
Key factor to increasing diversity and survival
Taps two different food sources

39. Youtube: Complete Metamorphosis

40. Why Study Insects? 10 million insects for every human on Earth.
Over 90% of all animals are invertebrates

41. Insects are helpful Decompose waste
Control other insects- good ones eat bad
Pollination
Make products: silk and honey
Till soil

42. Insects are harmful
Spread disease - yellow fever, rocky mountain fever
Destroy crops- 90 billion dollars worth of damage each year
Locust attack- 10 billion left devastation miles wide and long

43. CIRCLE THE INSECTS

44. INSECT ORDERS
INSECTS WITH WINGS

45. Why Can’t I Call All of Them Bugs?
EVERY BUG is an insect, but NOT ALL INSECTS are bugs!
True BUGS are in the Order HEMIPTERA
Posterior thorax is triangular; called SCUTELLUM
Last 3rd of wing CLEAR

46. Which of these are BUGS?
ALL

47. More Hemipterans Assassin Bug Water Boatman Giant Water Bug
Leaf Hopper

48. Coleoptera Called beetles Tough exoskeleton Forewings called Elytra
Fly with membranous hindwings
Larva called grubs
Cucumber beetle
Ladybird beetle
Rhinoceros beetle

49. Ephemeroptera Called Mayflies Juveniles are aquatic; called naiads
Adults found near water & don’t feed
Adults reproduce & die in 24 hours
Soft bodies with 2 long Ceri (tail fibers)
ADULT
NAIAD

50. Diptera Contains mosquitoes & flies One pair functional wings
Club-shaped halteres for balance
Bodies often hairy
Green Bottle fly
Hover Fly
Fruit Fly
Aedes Mosquito

51. EARWIG EATING CATERPILLAR
Dermaptera
Called earwigs
Long, flat bodies
Forceps (pincers) on end of abdomen
Short, hard forewings (membranous wings folded underneath
Large jaws (mandibles) on head
PINCERS
EARWIG EATING CATERPILLAR

52. Orthoptera Grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, katydids Very long bodies
Rear legs modified for jumping
Females with egg laying tube (ovipositor on end of abdomen)
Often communicate with chirping sounds

53. Lepidoptera Moths, butterflies, & skippers
Siphoning mouthparts coiled under head
Powdery scales on wings
Butterflies fold wings flat above body at rest
Moths are night active
Important plant pollinators

54. Neuroptera Lacewings Net veined wings Small, delicate insects
Long antenna
Predators on other insects
May feed on nectar

55. Thysanoptera
Thrips
Two pairs of fringed wings
Feed on plant sap

56. Isoptera Termites Live in colonies Feed on wood
Soft bodies & short antenna
Castes – workers, soldiers, kings, and queen

57. Mecoptera Scorpion flies Last abdominal segments curved like scorpion
Two pairs of narrow wings
Head elongated into a beak (rostrum)
Long antenna

58. Homoptera Cicadas, leaf hoppers, wingless aphids
If wings present, held roof like over body & membranous
Piercing-sucking mouthparts
Cicada
Leafhopper

59. Odonata Dragonflies & damselflies
Dragonflies hold clear wings spread perpendicular to body at rest
Damselflies hold clear wings together over abdomen

60. Plecoptera Stoneflies Aquatic nymphs Aerial adults are short lived
Make drumming sound to find mates

61. Hymenoptera Bees, ants, wasps Narrow waist connects thorax & abdomen
Abdomen curved downward
May have stinger on end of abdomen
Carpenter bee
Red ant
Yellow jacket

62. INSECT ORDERS
WINGLESS INSECTS

63. Thysanura Called Silverfish
Found around houses or outside under stones or wood
Fast runners
Damage books
Secretive and active at night.
Flat, long bodies
Long antennae
Three, long, tail like appendages

64. Siphonaptera Fleas Ectoparasites Bodies laterally compressed
Enlarged hind jumping legs
Very short antenna

66. Collembola Called springtails Small & soft bodied
Furcula (jumping mechanism) on abdomen
Furcula folds under the body at rest
Found in decaying plant material

67. Anoplura Sucking lice Parasites of mammals Very small
Head and body lice are examples
Attracted to children’s fine hair
Carry disease

68. Mallophaga Biting lice External parasites on birds & mammals
Broad head & flattened body
Feed on dead skin, feathers, and fur

69. CHANGE IN FORM FROM EGG TO ADULT
Metamorphosis
CHANGE IN FORM FROM EGG TO ADULT

70. INCOMPLETE METAMORPHOUS Insects change shape gradually!

71. Insects with Incomplete Metamorphosis
EGG  NYMPH  ADULT
Siphonaptera (fleas)
Isoptera (termites)
Orthoptera (grasshoppers & crickets)
Hemiptera (true bugs)
Homoptera (cicadas & hoppers)
Wings NOT fully developed 71

72. Youtube Video

73. Complete Metamorphosis Four stages that all look different

74. Insects with Complete Metamorphosis
EGG  LARVA  PUPA  ADULT
Coleoptera (beetles)
Hymenoptera (bees, ants, wasps)
Diptera (flies) Lepidoptera (butterflies)

75. Youtube Video

77. Paul!!