Important Insect Orders

•Depending upon which textbook you use, there are 25-30 Insect Orders

•A few less common Orders are not listed

•A few more common Orders are listed

•Those I expect you to know have **

CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES

Kingdom: AnimalPhylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Scolytidae

Genus: Dendroctonus

Species: frontalis

Scientific name: Dendroconus frontalis

Common name: Southern pine beetle

Collembola -Springtails

** Order Ephemeroptera - Mayflies “short-lived wings”

** Order Odonata Dragonflies and Damselflies

Order Plecoptera - stoneflies

** Order Dictyoptera: cockroaches, praying mantids and termites

PreyingMantid

Termite workers and damage to wooden structure

Termite queenand workers

** Order Orthoptera: grasshoppers

Order Dermaptera: earwigs

Order Psocoptera: booklice, barklice

Gradual Metamorphosis

Psocopterawebcoveringoak tree

** Order Hemiptera:

These are the true bugs, Cicadas, aphids, scales and spittlebugs

Gradual Metamorphosis

Hemiptera

Leaf footed bug

Periodical Cicada: 13 yr

Asian Woolly Hackberry Aphid

Order Thysanoptera: Thrips “fringe wing”

Order Phthiraptera:

These are the chewing and sucking lice. Tend to be parasites on other animals.

Bird louse

Head Louse Pubic Louse

Order Neuroptera: Lacewings“nerve wing”

** Order Coleoptera: Beetles “sheath wing”

Goliath beetles

Order Mecoptera: Scorpionflies“long wing”

Order Trichoptera: Caddisflies“hair wing”

Caddisfly cases

** Order Lepidoptera: Moths & Butterflies “scale wing”

** Order Hymenoptera: Bees, Wasps, Ants & Sawflies “membrane wing”

Killer beesare Hymenoptera

Sawfliesare Hymenoptera

larva

adult

** Order Diptera: True Flies“two wing”

** Order Siphonaptera: Fleas“tube without wing”

Questions to answer for Basic Entomology:

1) What are the major characteristics of the phylum Arthropoda? What are the basic differences that separate the Chelicerata and Mandibulata?

2) Why are arachnids important?3) What is the most basic type of insect mouthparts? List the other specialized types of mouthparts and give examples of insects that have each type.4) What morphological characteristics separate the class Insecta from other

members of the phylum Arthropoda?5) What are tagma?6) How does the insect respiratory system differ from that of humans?7) What is the primary function of the insect brain? How does that differ from

humans?8) What is metamorphosis? List the four basic types of metamorphosis, with

an example of an insect group that has each type.9) Why do you think entomologists believe the development of complete metamorphosis was so important?10) Define the terms, Instar and generation.11) What are the basic characteristics of the orders, Collembola, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Dictyoptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Thysanoptera, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Trichoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera?