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INSECT TAXONOMIC
DIVERSITY
BY RHAYN HORNBACK
INSECT ORDER
 Ephemeroptera
 Odonata
 Blattaria
 Isoptera
 Dermatptera
 Orthoptera
 Phasmida
 Hemiptera
 Coleoptera
 Lepidoptera
 Diptera
 Siphonoptera
 Hymenoptera
 Mantodea
 Plecoptera
EPHEMEROPTERA
•
Ephemeroptera includes only mayflies. The males have
elongated fore legs, which are used to grasp female in
flight. The mouthparts of adults reduced,
unsclerotised. Their hind wings become smaller than
fore wings. After they have formed fully functional
wings they will proceed to moult. It’s unique amongst
insects to have a winged, pre-adult stage.
ODON
ATA
•
Both Dragonflies and Damselflies belong to Odonata. Characteristics that
distinguish Odonata from other groups of insects are two pairs of
transparent membranous wings with many small veins, minute
antennae, extremely large eyes (that fill most of the head), an aquatic
larval stage (nymph) with posterior tracheal gills, a long slender
abdomen, and a prehensile labium, which are extendible jaws
underneath the head.
•
Damselfly’s wings rest vertically when they land.
•
Dragonfly’s wings rest horizontally when they land.
BLATTARIA
•
Cockroaches are the only species in Blattaria. Cockroaches
date back to around 300 million years old. Fossil evidence
suggests that the modern cockroach is much smaller than the
original roach, the average cockroach today is only about an
inch long. They have long antennae and a brain in their body
rather than the head. This is why they can live up to two
weeks with its head cut off. Neat, yet disturbing!
ISOPTERA
•
Isoptera includes termites only. Termites are usually small or
medium sized, whitish or colorless insects, with short
antennae. They have strong biting mouthparts with which to
chew seeds, wood or leaves. Apart from the Hymenoptera
(bees, ants and wasps), termites are the only insects that live
in social groups.
DERMATPTERA
Dermatptera only include Earwigs. Earwigs are sometimes
confused with Staphylinid beetles, but can be distinguished from
the latter by the presence of pincer-like cerci, which Staphylinid
beetles lack.
•Heavily sclerotised pincer-like cerci. Females have straight cerci
with a inward pointing tip and males have curved cerci
•2 pairs of wings. The forewings are short and protectively
hardened. The hind wings are membranous and folded in a fanlike way underneath the forewings when not in use. Some species
are also wingless
•Chewing (mandibulate) mouthparts
ORTHOPTERA
•
Orthoptera includes including the grasshoppers, crickets, cave
crickets, Jerusalem crickets, katydids, weta, lubber, Acrida, and
locusts. Orthoptera means straight wings; ortho = straight,
ptera = wings. These insects often have a pair of elongated
and thickened forewings and a membranous hind pair.
PHASMIDA
•
The Phasmatodea are an order of insects, whose members are
variously known as stick insects, walking sticks or stick-bugs,
phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects. Stick insects are
among the best camouflaged of all creatures, with a body
shape that mimics the branches of their home. Found
predominantly in the tropics and subtropics—although several
species live in temperate regions—stick insects thrive in
forests and grasslands, where they feed on leaves. Mainly
nocturnal creatures, they spend much of their day motionless,
hidden under plants.
•
Many stick insects feign death to thwart predators, and some
will shed the occasional limb to escape an enemy’s grasp.
Others swipe at predators with their spine-covered legs, while
one North American species, Anisomorpha buprestoides,
emits a putrid-smelling fluid.
HEMIPTERA
•
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs,
comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids,
planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others. The insects in this
order are extremely diverse in their size, shape and color. 2 pairs of
wings, although some species may be wingless and others have only
forewings. Wings are generally membranous but in some species the
forewings may be hardened at the base
•
• Piercing or sucking mouthparts appearing as a sharply pointed tube
known as a proboscis or rostrum, which extends from the underside of
the head.
•
Compound eyes of various forms
•
• Up to 3 ocelli present
•
• Antennae vary and may be either short, or long and conspicuous
The young of hemipterans look like small adults.
COLEOPTERA
•
Coleoptera include beetles and weevils. Coleoptera are the only order of
insects that have elytra. This adaptation has enabled them to expand
into many habitats such as leaf litter, logs and soil, that would otherwise
damage the wings of less well protected insect groups. At first glance
beetles may appear to have only 2 body segments because the elytra
may cover most of the thorax and abdomen. However if you capture a
beetle and turn it over you will be able to see the segments that are
hidden by the elytra. Larval Characteristics: The larvae of beetles also
come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on where they live and
what they eat. Larvae generally appear grub-like with a well-defined
head capsule, which may be highly sclerotised. They have short antennae
and usually have chewing mouthparts. The legs may be present or
absent. Beetles have a complete life cycle and development may take
anywhere from a few weeks to several years. Eggs are usually laid on or
near the food source such as in the soil or on a host plant, depending on
the species. The number of eggs laid will depend on the species and may
range from one or two up to hundreds. After hatching the larvae develop
through a series of growth stages known as instars (usually 3 to 5) before
pupating into adults.
LEPIDOPTERA
•
This is one of the most well known and easily recognizable orders of insects and
contains about 21 000 species in Australia. Moths and butterflies are grouped together
in the order Lepidoptera, which means 'scaly wings‘. Moths and butterflies undergo a
complete life cycle that includes four stages: egg, caterpillar (larvae), pupae and adult.
•
•2 pairs of membranous wings that are covered in tiny scales which overlap like
shingles on a roof. A few moths are wingless
•
• Large compound eyes
•
• One ocelli present above each eye
•
• Antennae present. Antennae are long and slender in female moths and generally
feathery in male moths. Butterflies have clubbed antennae
•
• Mouthparts are formed into a sucking tube known as a haustellum
•
The larvae are typically known as caterpillars and have a sclerotised head with chewing
(mandibulate) mouthparts, 3 pairs of thoracic legs and often short, unsegmented
prolegs on the abdomen.
•
Is it a moth or a butterfly? Put simply, butterflies are just day-flying moths.
Butterflies have clubbed antennae and the habit of holding their wings
vertically when at rest whereas moths sit with their wings flat. Some day-flying
moths are brightly colored and may be mistaken for butterflies
DIPTERA
•
There are many different shapes of True Flies. They are softbodied insects, most are fairly small (less than 1.5 cm long)
but a few can be larger (up to 4 cm!). Adult flies have only 1
pair of wings, unlike other insects. The second pair has
evolved into small balancing organs that look like little clubs.
Adult flies feed on liquids and have either thin sucking
mouthparts (like Mosquitos) or sponging mouthparts, a tube
with wider sponge at the end (like Flower Flies and House
Flies). Most adult flies have large eyes, to help them see when
they are flying. Many adult flies look like wasps or bees.
Sometimes they look a lot like The larvae of True Flies all look
like thick segmented worms, but they have many different
shapes. They don't have jointed legs, unlike beetle larvae.
Some have mouthparts and a distinct head, but most don't.
The pupa stage of a True Fly is covered with tough skin. It may
have some of its legs and body parts visible, or it may be
hidden inside a larval skin, and just look like a brown capsule.
SIPHONOPTERA
Fleas are the insects forming the order Siphonaptera. They are wingless, with
mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas are external
parasites, living by hematophagy off the blood of mammals and birds.
•Laterally compressed bodies
•Piercing-sucking mouthparts
•Enlarged hind legs adapted for jumping
•Strong tarsal claws adapted for holding onto their hosts
•Backward pointing hairs and bristles for ease of movement through the hair
of a host
•Small antennae which tuck away into special groves in the head
Fleas mate on their host animal and lay their eggs either onto the animal
where they fall to the nest or directly in the nest. The small larvae hatch from
the eggs and do not begin to feed on blood like that of their parents but
consume the dead skin and other dirt and dust from the host animal. The
larvae develop through 3 instars and when fully grown spin a silken cocoon
and pupate in the nest of the host. The vibrations of a host often trigger the
emergence of the adult flea from the pupa case, enabling it to immediately
find a host and begin feeding. The complete life cycle may take from several
weeks to many months depending on the species
HYMENOPTERA
Hymenopterans, the "membrane-winged" insects, include bees, ants, and a large number of
other insect taxa collectively referred to as wasps. The Hymenoptera include famous
examples of social insects, such as honeybees and true ants; these insects have developed
regimented social systems in which members are divided into worker, drone, and queen
castes. Such social hymenoptera may live together in nests or hives of many thousands of
individuals, all descended form a single queen. Not all hymenoptera are social, however;
many live a solitary life, coming together only for a brief mating. Less well-known, but equally
spectacular, are the various families of parasitoid wasps; parasitoids lay eggs in living hosts,
often other insects, which hatch into larvae that feed on the host's tissues before emerging.
Such treatment typically kills the host; parasitoids are attracting interest as natural controls
on insect pests. Other wasps parasitize the eggs or larvae of other insects, such as the wasp
below, which is shown emerging from the egg of a hemipteran that was parasitized.
Description
The Hymenoptera are described as being a holometabolous (having a complete
metamorphosis) group, with generally apodous (without legs) larvae, exarate (with the
appendages free, not glued to the body) pupa and a cocoon. The adults or imagos have two
pairs of membranous wings, often with greatly reduced venation, the hind wings are smaller
than the fore wings which they connected to by a series of interlocking hooks. They generally
have biting mouth parts sometimes also adapted for lapping and sucking. They are normally
thin wasted to some extent and an ovipositor is always present in some form or other, often
adapted for sawing and or piercing and stinging.
MANTODEA
Mantodea only include Praying mantids. Praying mantids are often easily recognised due to their large size, which can range from 10 to 120
millimetres in body length and their characteristic way of standing with forelegs held together as if they were praying. All praying mantids
have the following features:
•Elongated body
•Raptorial front legs with one or two rows of spines
•2 pairs of wings, both of which are used in flight. Although some species have reduced wings and others are wingless
• Forewings protectively hardened to cover the membranous hind wings when at rest
•Very mobile triangular shaped head with distinctive ocelli
•Large compound eyes
•Short to medium sized filiform antennae
The males of most species are fully winged while many females have either reduced wings or no wings at all. The nymphs of praying mantids
look like small adults but lack wings or have developing wing buds.
Some species of Neuroptera in the family Mantispidae, like the one pictured below can be mistaken for praying mantids as they also have
raptorial front legs, however further examination reveals they do not have the hardened forewings present in Mantodea.
Mating in praying mantids is direct and in some species the female may attack and eat the male during or after mating. The female lays her
eggs in a foamy substance that hardens into a distinctive case. Most people would have seen these cases attached to branches, tree trunks,
logs and even paling fences and houses. This egg case known as an ootheca may contain up to 400 eggs depending on the species. Some
female mantids stay with the eggs until they hatch while others leave as soon as the eggs are laid. The nymphs hatch resembling small
adults and develop through a series of stages, moulting several times before reaching maturity. In cooler areas nymphs may take up to one
year to reach maturity but in warmer climates there may be up to 2 generations in one year.
PLECOPTERA
The Plecoptera (stoneflies) are a small order of exopterygote insects of about 2000
species worldwide. The order has a long, but rather fragmented, fossil record
extending back to the early Permian. These Permian fossils can be rather easily
contained in the living suborders, Arctoperlaria and Antarctoperlaria. The modern
families are clearly identifiable among specimens from the Baltic amber, which is of
Miocene age (38-54 million years ago) as well as a few other compression fossils.
Stoneflies are easily recognized by a few simple characters. They have three
segmented tarsi but their hind legs are not modified for jumping to the extent of
Orthoptera such as crickets and grasshoppers. They have long filiform antennae at
least half length of the body. The cerci are generally long as well, especially in the
aquatic nymphs. The wings are almost always present but are sometimes very short.
They are folded horizontally back over the body. These characters help distinguish
them from Dermaptera and Embioptera which they superfically resemble and to
which they are probably closely related.
The immatures are variously called larvae, or nymphs or naiads, but are most
frequently referred to as nymphs. All nymphs are aquatic, and resemble the adults in
many respects. They also have three-segmented tarsi. The nymphs always have long
cerci and never a third central tail or median caudal filament. Gills, if they have
them, can occur on various parts of the thorax and abdomen and are composed only
of filaments, not plates.
THE
END!!!!!