Rupert et al. fig 21-23 Collembola Thysanura Ephemeroptera Odonata Neoptera “Apterygota” Pterygota Entognatha Insecta Hexapoda
Collembola (springtails)
Class Insecta Apterygota – silverfish and fire brats Pterygota – everything else
Order Odonata Dragonflies and Damselflies Fossils data back 300 my Some had wingspan of 720mm
Damselfly (zygoptera) On-line identification key: http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/bio/insects/drgnfly/idkey/1.htm Dragonfly (Anisoptera) Damselfly (zygoptera)
Together with the mayflies form the paleoptera Cannot fold wings onto back, wings finely veined Aquatic, hemimetabolous larva (wings evolved from modified gills?)
Odonata Voracious predators as larvae and adults Larvae are dominant predator in fishless systems Adults usually found near water Food availability Territories for mating, oviposition sites
Neoptera (= new wings) Can fold their wings flat onto their back Wing venation reduced, simplified
O. Plecoptera (pleco=stone) Larvae found in clean flowing water (used as important indicators of water quality) Larvae are predators, scavengers adults feed little, if at all, live for only a few days
Orders Orthoptera, Phasmida, Grylloblatteria, Dermaptera = the orthopteroids, the lower neoptera Polyphyletic group united by similarity in mouthparts and great abundance of malpighian tubules
Orthoptera = grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, locusts
Orthoptera: ortho=perpendicular Very common, have jumping legs Some are important crop pests Have well-developed organs for sound detection and production (mating calls) Ear
Leaf mimic katydid
O. Phasmida – leaf and sticks insects
Phasmida Extraordinary mimics of vegetation Can be parthenogenic Sold as pets!
O. Grylloblattaria – ice bugs and rock crawlers Gryllus = cricket-like Blattaria = cockroach-like Wingless Thought to be ancestral to Orthoptera and Blatteria
O. Dermaptera = earwigs Common earwig = European import Leathery forewings, membranous hindwings omnivorous
Zoraptera Tropical Live in rotting wood Eat fungal hyphae, tiny arthropods Poorly studied
Isoptera - termites