Insects and People: Order of Insects Pt. 3: Endopterygota

Endopterygota (Holometabola)

Insects which undergo complete metamorphosis with a pupal stage.

What is it called when an insect completes an entire metamorphosis?

Holometabolous

Which class does Endopterygota belong to?

Class Insecta

Hymenoptera

* “joined wings”
* ==wasps, ants, bees, and their allies==
* Ca. 130,000 species
* Fore- and hind wings, if present, are usually linked by tiny hook
* Ovipositors in many modified into defensive stinger
* Chewing mouthparts often modified for lapping liquids
* Some are highly social

Raphidioptera

* “needle wings”
* ==Snakeflies==
* Ca. 250 species
* Small, elongate predaceous insects with “neuropteroid” wings (membranous wings with many veins)
* In adults, the pronotum is elongate, with the prothoracic legs at the rear
* When disturbed, the insects raise their head like a cobra, hence the common name of “snakeflies”
* Soft-bodied, needle-jawed larvae live under bark and also eat small insects
* In North America, all species are western in distribution

How did snakeflies get their name?

When threatened, they raise their head in the same way a cobra does

Megaloptera

* “giant wings”
* ==Dobsonflies and fishflies==
* Ca. 300 species
* Medium-sized to large insects with large neuropteroid wings
* Larvae are aquatic predators with sharp mandibles
* Adult males of some species have enormous jaws used in mating displays and contests

Neuroptera

* “nerve wings”
* ==Lacewings, antlions, owlflies, and their allies==
* Ca. 6,000 species
* Elongate, soft-bodied insects with four large, membranous wings with many veins
* Chewing mouthparts, some adapted for piercing
* Almost all are predators on other invertebrates both as larvae and adults

Coleoptera

* “sheath wings”
* ==Beetles==
* Ca. 350,000 species
* Most with forewings modified into hard, protective elytra
* Chewing mouthparts
* Incredibly ecologically diverse--aquatic and terrestrial forms that may be predators, herbivores, detritivores, and more
* The ==most speciose group of animals== on the face of the planet

Which insect order has the most speciose group of animals in the world?

Coleoptera (the beetles)

Strepsiptera

* “twisted wings”
* ==Twisted-winged parasites==
* Ca. 500 species
* Females and larvae are parasites of other insects
* Adult males, the only winged forms, have functional hindwings, while the forewings modified into halteres
* Odd, raspberry-like eyes

What is unique about order Strepsiptera?

They have odd eyes that look like raspberries

Diptera

* “two wings”
* ==The true flies==
* Ca. 120,000 species
* Winged adults have functional forewings and hindwings modified into halteres used for balance in flight
* Most have mouthparts adapted to various liquid diets
* Larvae are legless and ecologically extremely diverse
* Many important disease vectors

Mecoptera

* “long wings”
* ==Scorpionflies==
* Head on most with long proboscis with chewing mouthparts on end
* Long, narrow wings
* Males of some species have curved abdomens reminiscent of scorpions
* Predators or scavengers on insect carrion as adults and larvae

Siphonaptera

* “sucking no wings”
* ==Fleas==
* Ca. 12,000 species
* Minute, jumping, wingless parasites of mammals and a few birds as adults
* Larvae for most feed on debris in nests of host animals

What is a way to remember order Siphonoptera?

Siphonoptera has fleas, which are parasites. Since they “siphon” off other animals, they belong to Siphonoptera.

Trichoptera

* “hair wings”
* ==Caddisflies==
* Ca. 12,000 species
* Delicate-looking, with setae-covered wings and chewing mouthparts (often vestigial in adults)
* Larvae are aquatic
* Many construct species-specific cases out of silk and local materials
* Larvae occupy many niches in freshwater ecosystems

How did order Tricoptera get its name?

From “trichogen” or “hair cells” so the insects in that order have hairy wings and setae

Lepidoptera

* “scale wings”
* ==Moths and butterflies==
* Ca. 160-180,000 species
* Adults typically have scale-covered wings and siphoning mouthparts
* Larvae, called caterpillars, have chewing mouthparts and most are herbivores

Which insect order do butterflies belong to?

Lepidoptera