Insect Classifications

Insects are apart of what phylum

Arthropoda

Insect subphylum

Hexapoda, including insects and their close relatives

What is the class of the insect outgroup?

Entognatha

Describe class Entognatha

• wingless hexapods

• mouthparts onside head

• non insect hexapods

• evolved 400 mya

What are the orders under Entognatha?

Collembola (springtails), Diplura (bristletails), and Protura (coneheads)

Describe subclass Apterygota

wingless insects

Orders of Apterygota

Zygentoma (Silverfish), Archaeognatha (Bristletails)

Insects are included in what clade?

Pancrustacea

What relatives are also included in Pancrustacea?

Crustaceans

Describe subclass Pterygota

• winged insects and include all of the remaining orders of insects

• evolved 340 mya

What are the subclasses for insects?

Apterygota & Pterygota

What are the two divisions of Pterygota?

Palaeoptera, Neoptera

Infraclass Palaeoptera important characteristic

They have wings that cannot be folded back against the body when at rest

Palaeoptera inludes what orders?

Ephemeroptera (mayflies) and Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)

Neoptera important characteristic?

They have wings that can be folded against their back when at rest

Neoptera is further broken down into orders?

Polyneoptera, Paraneoptera, and Endopterygota (Holometabola)

Orders of Polyneoptera

• Blattodea (cockroaches and termites)

• Dermaptera (earwigs)

• Embioptera (web-spinners)

• Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers)

• Mantodea (praying mantises)

• Mantophasmatodea (gladiators)

• Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids)

• Phasmatodea (stick and leaf insects)

• Plecoptera (stoneflies)

• Zoraptera (angel insects)

  Relatonships are primarily determined by molecular data

Paraneoptera grouping was defined by what?

some morphological features of such as the mouthparts, tarsomere number, and internal variation, but
grouping was done primarily through molecular data

Paraneotera orders

True lice, Bark lice, and Thysanoptera (Thirps)

Endoptera (Holometabola)

• includes all insects with holometabolous development, have a larval stage
  • Additional support for this group found in molecular data

Number of Insects per major order

• Coleoptera (beetles) 400,000 sp.
  • Hymenoptera (wasps/bees/ants) 130,000 sp.
  • Lepidoptera (moths/butterflies) 175,000 sp.
  • Diptera (flies) 125,000 sp.
  • Hemiptera (true bugs) 80,000 sp.
  • Orthoptera (grasshoppers/crickets) 20,000 sp