Download Insect Taxonomic Diversity

INSECT TAXONOMIC
DIVERSITY
By: Chase Murse
INSECT ORDERS
I.
Ephemeroptera
VI. Orthoptera
XI. Diptera
II.
Odonata
VII. Phasmida
XII. Siphnoptera
III. Blattaria
VIII. Hemiptera
XIII. Hymenoptera
IV. Isoptera
IX. Coleoptera
XIV. Mantodea
V.
X.
XV. Plecoptera
Dermatptera
Lepidoptera
EPHEMEROPTERA
• The lifespan of an adult mayfly is very short and varies depending on the
species. The wings are membranous, with extensive venation. The hindwings
are much smaller than the forewings, and may be vestigial or absent.
ODONATA
• Both dragonflies and damselflies belong to the Odonata and share many
common features, then are a number of noticeable differences as well.
• Dragonflies do not hunt in cold weather. Damselflies, however, are not as
limited by temperature and have been observed hunting during cold spells.
Males are territorial, sometimes patrolling for prey for hours at a time.
BLATTARIA
• The Blattaria includes the roaches, from the six-inch tropical roaches of South
America to their small cousins that are probably tiptoeing through your
kitchen right now. There are about 4,000 species worldwide.
• Roaches arose in the Pennsylvanian period, about 280 million years ago, and
have not changed much since
ISOPTERA
• Termites are social insects and live in colonies consisting of a queen, sterile
workers and soldiers and winged reproductive males and females known as
alates. Termites are often known as 'white ants' however these insects are
very different from those in the order Hymenoptera to which ants belong.
DERMAPTERA
• Earwigs are a distinctive group of insects of small to medium size, ranging
from 5 to 50 millimetres in length. 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. Earwigs are mostly dark
coloured (brown to black).
• •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.
ORTHOPTERA
• The name Orthoptera is sometimes used for all the insects in the
"orthopteroid" assemblage, including roaches, earwigs, mantises, and many
others. However, it is more usual to restrict the Orthoptera (Greek for "straightwing") to the crickets, grasshoppers, katydids, and their kin. These insects are
instantly recognizable by their long hind legs, which are modified for
jumping. Most orthopterans can generate noise by rubbing special organs
together on their legs or on their wings, a habit known as stridulation.
PHASMIDA
• The Phasmatodea (sometimes called Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an
order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects (in
Europe and Australasia), walking sticks or stick-bugs (in the United States and
Canada), phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects (generally the family
Phylliidae).
• Their natural camouflage can make them extremely difficult to spot.
Phasmatodea can be found all over the world in warmer zones, especially
the tropics and subtropics.
HEMIPTERA
• The insects in this order are extremely diverse in their size, shape and colour.
There are about 6000 described species in Australia, ranging in size from 1 to
110 millimetres in length. The name Hemiptera means 'half wing' and all
hemipterans share the following features:
• 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
COLEOPTERA
• The Coleoptera, or beetles, includes many commonly encountered insects
such as ladybird beetles (family Coccinellidae), click beetles (Elateridae),
scarabs (Scarabaeidae), and fireflies (Lampyridae). They live throughout the
world (except Antarctica), but are most speciose in the tropics.
• The most distinctive feature of beetles is the hardening of the forewings into
elytra. The elytra serve to protect the more delicate hind wings, as well as
the dorsal surface of the abdomen, and may have been a key factor
allowing them to exploit narrow passageways (for example, in leaf litter and
under bark).
LEPIDOPTERA
• Lepidoptera are among the most successful groups of insects. They are
found on all continents, except Antarctica. Lepidoptera inhabit all terrestrial
habitats ranging from desert to rainforest, from lowland grasslands to
montane plateaus but almost always associated with higher plants,
especially angiosperms.
DIPTERA
• The Diptera include files, mosquitos, gnats, midges, and no-see-ums. There
are about 120,000 known species of true flies alive today. Dipterans typically
have sucking mouthparts, and may feed on plant juices or on decaying
organic matter. A number of dipterans feed on blood, and some may
transmit vertebrate diseases; certain mosquitos, for instance, transmit human
malaria.
SIPHONAPTERA
• Fleas are extremely rare as fossils; their small size and specialized habitat
makes them highly unlikely candidates for fossilization. Two species have
been found in amber from the Baltic region (late Eocene-Oligocene); living
members of the family of fleas to which these fossils belong
(Hystrichopsyllidae) are mostly parasitic on insectivores (moles and shrews).
HYMENOPTERA
• Hymenoptera 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.
MATODEA
• Matodea is an order of insects that contains over 2,400 valid species and
about 430 genera (Otte & Spearman 2012) in 15 families worldwide in
temperate and tropical habitats.
• The English common name for any species in the order is "praying mantis"
(Bullock 1812), because of the typical "prayer-like" attitude with folded forelimbs, although the eggcorn "preying mantis" is sometimes used in reference
to their predatory habits
PLECOPTERA
• The Plecoptera are an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. Some
3,500 species are described worldwide,[1] with new species still being
discovered. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica.[2] Stoneflies
are believed to be one of the most primitive groups of Neoptera, with close
relatives identified from the Carboniferous and Lower Permian geological
periods, while true stoneflies are known from fossils only a bit younger.
• Plecoptera are found in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, and
the populations are quite distinct
THE END