Download CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS

CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS
The classification of animals and plants is based primarily on the physical characteristics and
relationships of the animals and plants. The order of classification follows this pattern: kingdom,
phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
Plants and animals always have a scientific name and usually have a common name as well. Names
are assigned in two parts, sort of like a person’s first and last name. The first part is always
capitalized and it refers to the genus of the animal. The second part of the name is not capitalized
and refers to the species. When you see the scientific name of an animal, you will notice that it is
usually italicized because the words are Latin. This system is called binomial nomenclature.
For Example: The classification of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) is as follows:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species: mellifera
An entomologist is a person who studies insects and the classification of insects.
Insect means “segmented” in Latin. There are about a million different types of insects and many
more that have not been discovered yet.
The different orders within the insect class are based on characteristics such as type of mouthpart,
characteristics of wings, purpose of legs, where they live, where they lay their eggs, where the
developing stages of metamorphosis take place, color, characteristics of various body parts, etc.
For example, the order Coleoptera is the largest order of insects consisting of insects with biting
mouthparts and hard forewings like beetles. Grasshoppers and crickets are in the order
Orthoptera because they move with great agility and their wings fold over their body when not in
use.
The “ORDER” of insects are as follows:








Odonata – Dragonfly Order
Orthoptera – Grasshopper Order
Hemiptera – True Bug Order
Hymenoptera – Bee and Ant Order
Coleoptera – Beetle Order
Lepidoptera – Butterfly and Moth Order
Diptera – Fly and Mosquito Order
Homoptera – Cicada Order
CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS
ORDER
Odonata
Orthoptera
Hemiptera
Hymenoptera
Coleoptera
Lepidoptera
Diptera
Homoptera
IDENTIFYING
CHARACTERISTICS
EXAMPLES