ENTOMOLOGY 2040 SECTION II INSECT DIVERSITY

After completing this section students should be able to:

• Describe the basic classification used for insects and other animals.

• Explain how taxonomic keys help in the identification of insect orders.

• List the major orders by technical and common name.

• Describe the wide range of metamorphosis that occurs in the insect orders

• Explain the differences between primitive and modern wings.

Terms: Taxonomy, Class, Order, Genus Species, Linnaeus, binomial nomenclature, Arthropoda, Chelicerae, Pterygota, Apterygota, Paleoptera, Neoptera, Order and common names of major orders.

II. Insect Diversity.

    1. CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES

        Kingdom: Animal
          Phylum: Arthropoda
            Class: Insecta
              Order: Orthoptera
                Family: Acrididae
                  Genus: Melanoplus
                    Species: femurrubrum

    Scientific name: Melanoplus femurrubrum
    Common name: Red-legged grasshopper

    2. ORDERS OF INSECTS (some less common ones deleted)
        Apterygota (without wings, ever)
            Order Collembola (Springtails)
            Order Thysanura (Silverfish): "bristle tail"
        Pterygota (with wings, at least at one time)
            Paleoptera (old wings)
              ** Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies): "short-lived wing"
              ** Order Odonata (Dragonflies): "tooth"
        Neoptera (new wings)
              Order Plecoptera - (stoneflies) "plaited wing"
              Order Phasmida - (walking sticks)

              ** Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers): "straight wing"
              Order Dermaptera (Earwigs): "skin wing"
              ** Order Isoptera (termites) "equal wings"
              ** Order Blattodea (cockroaches)
              Order Mantodea (Mantids)
              Order Psocoptera (booklice, bark lice)
              Order Mallophaga (chewing lice)
              ** Order Anoplura (Sucking lice)
              Order Thysanoptera (thrips) "fringe wing"
              ** Order Homoptera (cicadas, whiteflies, aphids, scales, spittlebugs.)
              ** Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, ): "half wing"
              Order Neuroptera (Lacewings): "nerve wing"
              ** Order Coleoptera (Beetles): "sheath wing"
              Order Mecoptera (Scorpionflies): "long wing"
              Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies): "hair wing"
              ** Order Lepidoptera (Moths, Butterflies): "scale wing"
              ** Order Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps, ants, sawflies): "membrane wing"
              ** Order Diptera (True Flies): "two wing"
              ** Order Siphonaptera (Fleas): "tube without wing"

* * Know Order and Common Names of these groups.

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Describe the differences between the "new" wings of some insects and the "old" wings of others.

2. List 10 insect orders and give the common names of each.

3. What taxonomic categories make up the scientific name of an insect (or any other organism)?

4. Why do some insects have no common names?

5. What is a taxonomic key?

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