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INSECT TAXONOMIC
DIVERSITY
By: Jarrett
Houston
INSECT ORDERS
Ephemeroptera
Coleoptera
Odonata
Lepidoptera
Blattaria
Diptera
Isoptera
Siphonoptera
Dermatptera
Hymenoptera
Orthoptera
Mantodea
Phasmida
Plecoptera
Hemiptera
EPHEMEROPTERA

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

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


Damsel flies
Head hypognathous to prognathous
eyes large
antennae shorter to longer than head
mouthparts mandibulate (chewing)
fore and hing wing pads develop on mesoand metanotum, respectively
hind legs usually longer than forelegs
abdomen 10-segmented
abdomen with paired lateral gills
abdomen ending in 3 caudal filaments
(= 2 lateral cerci and a terminal filament)
ODONATA

Dragonflies and Damselflies
 Abdomen long and slender
 Large compound eyes
 3 ocelli
 Very small antennae
 Mandibulate mouthparts
 Two pairs of membranous wings of similar shape and
size
 Complex wing venation with many cells
 Damselflies and dragonflies are very similar but can be
separated by looking at their wings. In dragonflies the
hind wings are slightly broader than the forewings and
in damselflies both wings are more or less similar size.
Wings are held horizontally to the body in dragonflies
and vertically in damselflies when at rest
BLATTARIA
 Blattodea
 roaches
 Cockroaches
 eggs usually contained in ootheca
 leathery forewings.
 male genitalia asymmetrical
 cerci variable, with one or more segments
ISOPTERA
 Termites
 Pale, elongate body
 2 pairs of membranous wings of equal length.
Wings are present in reproductive castes only
and shed after mating
 Manipulated (chewing) mouthparts
 Antenna about the same length as the head
DERMATPTERA
 Earwigs
 Flattened elongated body
 Heavily sclerotized 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 fan-like way
underneath the forewings when not in use.
Some species are also wingless
 Chewing (mandibulate) mouthparts
 Moderately long antennae
ORTHOPTERA

Crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, etc.

Orthopterans have a generally cylindrical body, with hind legs elongated
for jumping.

They have manipulate mouthparts and large compound eyes, and may or
may not have oculi, depending on the species.

The antennae have multiple joints, and are of variable length.

The first and third segments of the thorax are enlarged, while the second
segment is much shorter.

They have two pairs of wings, which are held overlapping the abdomen
at rest.

The forewings, or terminal, are narrower than the hind wings and
hardened at the base, while the hind wing is membranous, with straight
veins and numerous cross-veins.

At rest, the hind wings are held folded fan-like under the forewings.

The final two to three segments of the abdomen are reduced, and have
single-segmented cerci.
PHASMIDA
 Stick Insects
 Most are wingless, but some have wings
 Slow-moving
 Usually large in overall size
 Long, thin antennae
 In stick insects, the legs are spaced out over a very
long thorax
 In stick insects, the body is long, thin and
cylindrical
 In leaf insects (which are mainly tropical in
distribution), the bodies are dorso ventrally
flattened with leaf-like projections on body and
legs
 Hemi metamorphosis(egg — nymph — adult)
HEMIPTERA
 bugs, aphids and cicadas
 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 helipterums look like small adults. Some
bugs may be mistaken for beetles but can be
distinguished by their mouthparts as beetles have
mandibulate mouthparts while bugs have
sucking/piercing mouthparts
COLEOPTERA
 Beetles
 2 pairs of wings. Forewings hardened, hind
wings membranous
 Mandibulate mouthparts which are designed
for biting and chewing
 Antennae present in a variety of forms
 Compound eyes in a variety of sizes and
shape
LEPIDOPTERA
 Moths and butterflies
 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 eye
 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.
DIPTERA
 Flies and mosquitoes
 One pair of membranous wings
 Hind wings are reduced to small club like
structures called halteres. The halteres are
used as stabilisers during flight
 Sucking mouthparts, sometimes adapted for
piercing e.g. mosquitoes
 large compound eyes
 short simple antennae, frilled or bushy in
mosquitoes and crane flies
SIPHONOPTERA
 Fleas
 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
 The species Ctenocephalides felis (above) is the
introduced cat flea but can survive on a wide range
of host species. The larvae of all fleas appear grublike and are usually found in the nests of their host
or other areas where they commonly rest.
HYMENOPTERA

Bees, ants and wasps

Two pairs of membranous wings, although some may be wingless
such as some species of female wasps and the worker caste of ants

The forewings are larger than the hind wings and are held together
by small hooks (see below)

Females usually have a hardened ovipositor, which may be
modified for sawing, piercing or stinging

Most hymenopterans have a constriction between the first 2
segments of the abdomen, which is known as a 'wasp waist'

Chewing (mandibulate) mouthparts, although in some species such
as bees the lower lip is modified to form a tongue

Compound eyes, usually large

The larvae of hymenopterans lack many of the above external
features. They vary in body shape and size depending on the
species. Some display a distinct head, a thorax with 3 pairs of legs
and an abdomen, although most are grub-like with no legs.
MANTODEA

Praying mantis

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 mantis look like small adults but lack wings or have
developing wing buds.

Some species of Neuropterans in the family Mantispidae, like the
one pictured below can be mistaken for praying mantis as they also
have raptorial front legs, however further examination reveals they
do not have the hardened forewings present in Mantodea.
PLECOPTERA
 Stone flies
 Elongated, flattened, soft body
 2 pairs of membranous wings that are held
curved around the body at rest. Some species are
wingless while others have reduced wings
 Hind wings slightly wider than forewings
 Long legs
 Mandibulate mouthparts
 2 cerci at tip of abdomen
 The larvae of stoneflies are aquatic and appear
similar to the adults but lack wings. Larvae also
possess external gills along the edge of their
abdomens and at the tip.
THE END