Download Order Dermaptera

Order Dermaptera – Earwigs
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Dermaptera (Earwigs)
Explanation of Names
Dermaptera = "skin wings" Refers to the leathery texture of the forewings.
Earwig is from Old English eár-wicga="ear-insect". Partridge (Origins--A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern
English, 1958) gives the meaning of Old English [i]wicga as beetle or worm, and mentions that folklore has it that the
insect creeps into the human ear.
Numbers
Over 1000 earwig species worldwide, with about 20 species in North America.
Nomina Nearctica lists 4 families:
Anisolabididae (=Carcinophoridae)
Forficulidae
Labiduridae
Labiidae
More recent sources include 2 more families that Nearctica missed:
Chelisochidae
Pygidicranidae
Size
6-35 mm long
Identification
Earwigs have slender, flattened bodies with bead-like antennae, and are easily recognized by the pair of large pincers
(cerci) at the tip of their abdomens.
Adult males have 10 abdominal segments (the pincers are one segment), while the females have 8.
Habitat
Earwigs tend to hide under debris during the day, but feed on plants, organic matter, and smaller insects at night.
Food
Plants, organic matter, other small insects.
Life Cycle
Simple metamorphosis with visible changes including increasing antennal segments and progressive wing
development until sexual maturity. The mother cares for the eggs and nymphs. Simple metamorphosis progresses
from the egg >>> nymph >>> adult.
Remarks
Earwigs were thought to crawl into people's ears at night, however this is an unfounded superstition.
Earwigs are considered harmless to people, though they may emit a foul smelling liquid when disturbed. Larger
earwigs might use their abdominal "pincers" to "bite" someone, but no venom is present. Though potentially
unpleasant and perhaps disconcerting, no harm is done.
Because earwigs hide during the day in dark places, they often get transported along with the object they hide in, and
are easily overlooked. Most of our species are introduced, and new ones are constantly being introduced.
See Also
Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) - have no "pincers" at the tip of their abdomens.
Print References
Milne, pp. 407-410(1)
Internet References
Tree of Life
Insects of Cedar Creek
Dermaptera
The Order Demaptera (earwigs) in Florida and the United States. List of Florida species, with pictures and a key to
families. (pdf format)
Wikipedia--Earwig--discusses etymology
Earwigs of California (Order Dermaptera) 1975 California Insect Survey publication with species descriptions and a
key for all California species. (pdf format)
Works Cited
Contributed by Richard Leung on 14 March, 2004 - 3:36pm
Additional contributions by jvandyk, cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Chris Wirth, Chuck Entz
Last updated 8 February, 2009 - 11:08am
Order Hymenoptera - Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
To see the taxonomic structure used on BugGuide.net for the Hymenoptera click here
Explanation of Names
From Greek, hymen, membrane, plus pteron (a), wing.
Numbers
Insects of Cedar Creek states there are over 70 families and about 18,000 species in North America.
Arnett (1) gives a figure of 17,777 species, 2034 genera for North America.
Size
Most are of moderate size, but they range in size from miniscule (.2 millimeter) to 100 mm.
Identification
One of the most diverse groups of insects in form and life-history. Characteristics of Hymenoptera (1), (2):
Typically two pairs of wings, with forewings usually larger than hindwings, but some groups (such as ants) wingless in
most life stages
Wings have few cross-veins, these are angled to form closed cells
Antennae typically with 10 or more segments. Often 13 segments in male, 12 in female, but sometimes as few as 3 or
up to 60 segments.
Antennae longer than head, but usually not highly elongated (longer than head and thorax combined). Highly
elongated in some parasitic groups.
Females have prominent ovipositor, modified in some groups to be a "stinger", used to paralyze prey and in defense
Chewing mouthparts, but some groups have a "tongue" used for lapping up fluids, such as nectar
Complete metamorphosis
Several groups highly social (eusocial), with separate reproductive and worker castes
Range
Worldwide
Habitat
Varied. Many adults are found on flowers.
Food
Food choice depends on particular genus and/or species. Many ants are predators or scavengers while others "milk"
aphids and other insects for their sweet secretions, or cultivate fungus on cut leaves.
Life Cycle
All living ant species are eusocial (meaning, truly social).
Complete Metamorphosis- egg>>>>>larva>>>>>pupa>>>>>adult
See Also
Velvet ants--Mutlillidae
Print References
Holldobler & Wilson (1)
Milne & Milne, pp. 821-832 (2)
Internet References
AntWeb (California Academy of Sciences)
AntData (Formicidae of the United States, David Lubertazzi, U. of Connecticut)
Family Formicidae - various information, photos, classification tree (Animal Diversity Web, U. of Michigan)
BioKIDS; Ants - information on ants, geared toward children (BioKIDS, U. of Michigan)
Ants of Washington DC area - a list of 131 species (Georgetown U.)
Myrmecos.net
Zootaxa. Phylogeny and Systematics.
Ants of Minnesota - Keys and Checklist (Carleton College)
Works Cited
Contributed by Richard Leung on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Phillip Harpootlian, Chuck Entz
Last updated 21 December, 2008 - 11:25am
Order Orthoptera - Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Saltatoria
Classification follows Orthoptera Species File; see Taxonomy Proposals topic here.
Throughout the orthoptera, there is a tendency by some authorities to elevate some subfamilies to families, and by
other authorities to demote families to subfamilies.
Explanation of Names
Orthoptera: from the Greek "orthos" (straight) + "pteron" (wing).
Numbers
Insects of Cedar Creek cites "1,082 species" in North America.
Worldwide, more than 20,000 species.
Identification
Characteristics of Orthoptera include:
hind legs long, modified for jumping
forewings (tegmina) hardened, leathery, spread in flight, covering membranous hindwings at rest
cerci (appendages at tip of abdomen) unsegmented
pronotum usually with large descending lobes on sides
hind coxae small and well-separated
hind tibiae with two dorsal rows of teeth
Two major taxonomic divisions:
Caelifera - Grasshoppers and related families
Ensifera - Long-horned Orthoptera, includes crickets and katydids
Life Cycle
Undergo Gradual Metamorphosis (paurometabolous development). Nymphs resemble small adults and typically
develop external wing buds. They live in the same habitat as adults, typically eat the same food.
egg>>>>nymph>>>>adult
Range
Varies; Worldwide
Habitat
Most species in grasslands, but some in forests, tundra, aquatic vegetation
Season
Spring-fall in temperate areas, some species present all year in southern regions
Food
Typically eat foliage of forbs, grasses. Some species take a variety of plants, while others are restricted to a few
species of closely related plants. They often take dry plant matter from the ground as well, and most will scavenge
weak or dead grasshoppers when plant food is scarce.
Print References
Capinera, Field Guide to Grasshoppers... (1)
Internet References
Tree of Life
classification plus literature citations, synonym, and included taxa (Orthoptera Species File)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Orthoptera Checklist
Insects of Cedar Creek
Wikipedia: Orthoptera
Works Cited
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by jvandyk, cotinis, John VanDyk, Robin McLeod, Jay Barnes, Wisconsin Oecanthinancy
Last updated 17 February, 2009 - 10:56pm
Order Lepidoptera - Butterflies and Moths
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Pronunciation
Leh-pih-DOP-ter-ra
Explanation of Names
Lepidoptera means "scale wing", from Greek: lepis (λεπις / genitive form λεπιδος)- "scale" + ptera (πτερα)- "wing"
Numbers
Insects of Cedar Creek lists 75 families, and cites 11,293 species in North America.
All-Leps lists 82 families and 12,423 species in North America.
Identification
Members of this order have four membranous wings (rarely wingless); hindwings are a little smaller than forewings,
both largely or entirely covered with scales. Mouthparts adapted for sucking, the proboscis is usually in the form of a
coiled tube.
Moths usually have feathery antennae and most are active at night. They generally rest with their wings open, either
flat or "tented" over the body. When they pupate above ground they generally form a protective cocoon around the
pupa. This is made of silk, often combined with other natural materials such as leaves or their own body hair. The
caterpillars of many species dig into the ground to pupate.
Butterflies have thin antennae with "knobs" on the end and are generally active during the day. They rest with their
wings closed above their bodies, and make a naked pupa also known as a chrysalis.
Date/time-of-year and food plant (for caterpillars) are sometimes helpful in determining the species.
Range
Widespread
Habitat
Caterpillars are found in the habitat where their food is. Adults tend to be in the general area of their larval food plants,
but many migrate over great distances.
Season
Caterpillars are active when their host plants are plentiful, which is often spring and summer. Adults are usually seen
when there are flowers to feed on. Because they over-winter, though, there are individuals of some species to be
found any time of the year, even in cold climates. Seasonal patterns are usually very specific for each species, and
some can be told apart in the field only by when they're active.
Food
Most adult moths and butterflies feed on nectar sucked from flowers with their coiled, sucking mouthparts. In the
process they may transfer pollen from one flower to another, and many plants depend on moths or butterflies for
pollination.
Most caterpillars eat the leaves of plants (usually very specific kinds for each species), but some carnivorous species
have been documented.
Life Cycle
These insects undergo complete metamorphosis; that is, each individual goes through four stages: egg, larva (the
caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis or cocoon), and adult. Egg>>>>larva>>>>pupa>>>>adult
The larval stage does most of the eating and growing, with the adults often staying alive just long enough to mate and
lay eggs.
Remarks
Contrary to popular belief, butterflies and moths will not die if the scales are rubbed off their wings.
See Also
Trichoptera (caddisflies) tend to have hairs rather than scales on their wings; no coiled proboscis
Print References
Borror and White, page 218 (1)
Internet References
Tree of Life
Insects of Cedar Creek
North Dakota State University's Key to the superfamilies of the Lepidoptera
Information on butterflies and moths of North America
North American Checklist with Synonymies (All-Leps)
Links to Butterflies and Moths of Canada (CBIF)
Zootaxa. Phylogeny and Systematics.
Works Cited
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by jvandyk, cotinis, Hannah Nendick-Mason, John VanDyk, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod,
Lynette, Chris Wirth, Chuck Entz
Last updated 14 February, 2009 - 2:33pm
Order Diptera - Flies
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
Other Common Names
The common names of true flies (order Diptera) are written as two words: crane fly,
robber fly, bee fly, moth fly, fruit fly, etc.
The common names of non-dipteran insects that have "fly" in their name are written
as one word: butterfly, stonefly, dragonfly, scorpionfly, sawfly, caddisfly, whitefly,
etc.
Explanation of Names
Diptera means "two wings" (Greek di two, plus pteron wing). The usage dates back
to Aristotle, who noted, correctly, that they were different from typical insects with
four wings and that no two-winged insect had a stinger (1).
English fly originally signified any flying insect, likely the reason we have the more
specific "fly" terms, such as butterfly noted above. Fly likely derives from Old English
fleogan meaning to fly (Partridge, Origins--a Short Etymological Dictionary of
Modern English).
Numbers
Arnett (2) notes 2,222 genera, 16,914 species in North America, with the number of
described species increasing steadily (2)
worldwide, 188 families with over 153,000+ described species
Size
0.5-40 mm
Identification
Adult flies, except for wingless species, have two functional wings and two halteres.
The halteres are club-like appendages that are essentially the modified hind wings.
The only other adult insects that only have two wings in both sexes are the
Strepsiptera, which have the front wings reduced rather than the hind wings. Males
of some species of Mayflies and scale insects have only front wings. A few tiny
parasitic wasps, e.g. Mymarommatidae, have their hind wings reduced, but these
can be distinguished from flies as the wasps have only one vein in their front wings
and flies always have two or more veins in their wings as long as their wings are
membranous.
Range
Cosmopolitan
Habitat
Diverse. Adults can be collected in open landscapes, such meadows, at the edges of
forests, inside forests, in the forest canopy, in stables or houses, or even in caves.
Others can be found in coastal habitats or other places near water. For example,
mosquitoes lay their eggs in water.
Food
Varies; some are parasitic like mosquitoes, whereas others feed on plant debris and
decaying matter.
Life Cycle
Complete metamorphosis = egg>>>>larva>>>>pupa>>>>adult
Print References
Marshall, p. 591 (1)
Arnett, order #29, pp. 835-920 (2)
Internet References
Tree of Life
Insects of Cedar Creek
Diptera.org
Herschel Raney's Diptera keys
A family key to the larvae of commonly collected flies found in aquatic habitats in
Saskatchewan
Anatomical Atlas of Flies (Need Broadband)
Biodiversity Explorer
Zootaxa. Phylogeny and Systematics.
Paleontology of Diptera
Order Coleoptera - Beetles
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Other Common Names
Grubs (larvae only)
Pronunciation
Coleoptera - Co`le*op"te*ra (coe-lee-OP-ter-rah)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
The Coleoptera have undergone A LOT of recent taxonomic changes, as reflected in
American Beetles. Many groups that were once at family rank are now considered
subfamilies and vice versa. If you can't find your group, search with a wildcard, e.g.
Pselaphi* - Pselaphidae was commonly used but is now treated as the subfamily
Pselaphinae in the Staphylinidae.
Explanation of Names
Coleoptera is derived from the Greek koleon (κολεον) meaning "sheath" and ptera
(πτερα) meaning "wings" (though the word koleopteros (κολεοπτερος) was used to
describe beetles as far back as Aristotle). This refers to the modified front wings
(elytra) which serve as protective covers for the membranous hind wings.
Eric Partridge, in Origins: a Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English (1958),
gives the meaning of English beetle as "the little biter", derived ultimately from Old
English bitela, from the verb bitan (long -i) meaning, to bite.
Numbers
This is the largest order in the animal kingdom, with more than 350,000 described
species worldwide, representing about 40 percent of known insects.
Over 23,000 species in 131 families (1)(2) have been described in North America.
Size
Body length ranges from about 0.3 mm up to 200 mm (in tropical rhinoceros and
goliath beetles)
Identification
Adult: elytra (forewings) horny or leathery, almost always meeting in a straight line
down the back and covering the hindwing. The hindwings (the ones used in flight)
are membranous, usually longer than the elytra, and folded beneath the elytra when
not in use. Occasionally the elytra are short and do not cover the entire abdomen.
1 or both pairs of wings are rarely reduced or absent. The antennae usually have 11
segments, they rarely have more, often with 8–10, rarely with as little as 2;
antennae variable in shape. The tarsi (the distal part of the legs) usually 3 to 5
segmented. Abdomen commonly has 5 segments visible, sometimes with up to 8.
Mouthparts of adults and most larvae adapted for chewing.
Larva: variable in form, hardness of body, and development of appendages, but
commonly with hardened (sclerotized) head capsule, 3 pairs of thoracic legs, no
wings, and soft body
The order is divided into four suborders, with Polyphaga having the vast majority of
species.
Range
cosmopolitan
Habitat
Members of this order can be found almost everywhere.
Season
All
Food
All sorts of plant and animal matter.
Life Cycle
Metamorphosis is complete; that is, the young go through four stages: egg, larva,
pupa, and adult.
Remarks
Many species of plant-feeding beetles are serious pests of agricultural and forestry
industries, and a number of predaceous beetles are considered beneficial to those
same industries because they help to reduce prey populations.
Some beetles feed on museum specimens, clothing, and stored food. A few species
transmit bacterial and fungal diseases to plants.
Print References
Taxonomy is based mostly on American Beetles (1) (2) - see additions & corrections
from the editors.
See book references here.
Internet References
Families of Coleoptera same classification as used in American Beetles - with
updates/exceptions as noted here
Beetles of West Virginia, good on Appalachian species of Coleoptera
Wikipedia article general oveview covering several topics (The Free Encyclopedia,
wikipedia.org)
Tree of Life overview of characteristics and classification with many references and
links to related sites (David Maddison, U. of Arizona)
Insects of Cedar Creek brief overview of classification plus links to adult images of
many species (John Haarstad, U. of Minnesota)
Museum Comparative Zoology (MCZ) type database - Harvard's searchable image
database of type material
Families of Beetles An Argentinian site containing photos representing every beetle
family, along with technical descriptions (in Spanish) and subfamily lists