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Insect Taxonomic
Diversity
BY: TAYLOR EPKINS
Insect Orders

Ephemeroptera

Odonota

Blattaria

Isoptera

Dermatptera

Orthoptera

Phasmida

Hemiptera

Coleoptera

Lepidoptera

Diptera

Lepidoptera

Siphonoptera

Hymenoptera
EPHEMEROPTERA

Mayflies or shadflies are insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera.
They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the
Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies.
ODONATA

Both dragonflies and damselflies belong to the Odonata, which is a
subgroup of insects, which in turn is a group of uniramian arthropods.

While both dragonflies and damselflies belong to the Odonata and share
many common features, then are a number of noticeable differences as
well.
BLATTARIA

Cockroaches are mostly nocturnal insect, with biting
mouthparts and legs that are adapted for swift
running. The body is oval and dorsoventrally flattened,
allowing the animals to hide in narrow spaces, for
example under bark or in crevices of trees and rocks.
The head is usually hidden beneath the pronotal shield,
and there is a pair of short cerci at the end of the
abdomen. In winged species, the forewings (tegmina)
are leathery and protect the delicate hindwings.
ISOPTERA

Isoptera consists of over 2600 species (mostly tropical). Termites are the
oldest social insect group with complex societies dating back at least to
the early Cretaceous (140 Mya). Only 12 species occur in Europe. Recent
studies have shown that Isoptera are basically social cockroaches forming
a monophyletic clade within the Blattodea, most likely the sister group of
the Cryptocercidae (woodroaches) (Inward et al. 2007). Termites are the
only hemimetabolous insects that exhibit true social behavior. They build
large nests housing an entire colony. These colonies contain adult
reproductives (one queen and one king) plus hundreds or thousands of
immatures that serve as workers and soldiers. Termites are important
decomposer animals in lowland tropical ecosystems. They mostly feed on
dead plant material and are able to digest cellulose with the help of
symbiotic gut symbionts.
DERMATPTERA

Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera and are found throughout
the Americas, Africa, Eurasia, Australia and New Zealand. With about 2,000
species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders.
ORTHOPTERA

The insect order Orthoptera includes familiar insects like
grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and katydids. The
members of this group are readily identified by their
strong hind legs which are modified for
jumping. Orthopterans are well known for their ability to
produce sound. Crickets and katydids sing by rubbing
their front wings together; while grasshoppers and
locusts scrape their legs against their forewings to
produce their songs.
PHASMIDA

Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida) comprises 3000 species
worldwide with only 15 species known in Europe. Stick-insects are
found in nearly all temperate and tropical ecosystems. Species are
mostly nocturnal and phytophagous. Phasmatodea bears several
common morphological characters that clearly defi ne the order:
an emarginated labrum, a pair of exocrine glands located inside
the prothorax, and a thorax fused with the first abdominal sternum.
Phasmids undergo an incomplete metamorphosis (four to eight
instars), with the young nymphs resembling miniature, albeit
wingless, adults.
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 true bugs have forewings that are hardened at the base and
membranous at the tips. They sit flat over the abdomen hiding the
membranous hind wings. The head and proboscis can flex forward.
COLEOPTERA

The name Coleoptera, derived from the Greek words "koleos" meaning
sheath and "ptera" meaning wings, refers to the modified front wings
which serve as protective covers for the membranous hind wings.

The Coleoptera order of insects is commonly called beetles
LEPIDOPTERA

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. It is one of the
most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world

The name Lepidoptera, derived from the Greek words "lepido" for scale and "ptera" for
wings, refers to the flattened hairs (scales) that cover the body and wings of most adults.
DIPTERA

True flies are insects of the order Diptera. Their most obvious distinction from
other orders of insects is that a typical fly possesses a pair of flight wings on
the mesothorax and a pair of halters

The name Diptera, derived from the Greek words "di" meaning two and
"ptera" meaning wings, refers to the fact that true flies have only a single
pair of wings.
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.

The name Siphonaptera is derived from the Greek words "siphon" meaning a tube or pipe and
"aptera" meaning wingless. This is an appropriate appellation for these secondarily wingless
insects whose mouthparts are adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood.
HYMENOPTERA

The Hymenoptera are one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the
sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. Over 150,000 species are recognized, with
many more remaining to be described

The name Hymenoptera is derived from the Greek words "hymen"
meaning membrane and "ptera" meaning wings.
MANTODEA

Mantodea is an order of insects that contains over 2,400 species and
about 430 genera in 15 families worldwide in temperate and tropical
habitats. Most of the species are in the family Mantidae.

The name Mantodea is derived from "mantis", the Greek word for these
insects.
PLECOPTERA

The Plecoptera are an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. Some 3,500 species
are described worldwide, with new species still being discovered. Stoneflies are found
worldwide, except Antarctica.

The name Plecoptera, derived from the Greek "pleco" meaning folded and "ptera" meaning
wing, refers to the pleated hind wings which fold under the front wings when the insect is at
rest.
THE END.! ^_^