ENTOM 2011: Insect Orders

Potura

coneheads

• no pigments

• no eyes/wings

• no antenna

• live in soil, feed on fungi

Collembola

springtails

• < 6 mm

• live in soil and leaf litter

• feed on decaying plants; some are predators

• have an abdominal tail-like appendage under the body

Diplura

two pronged bristletails

• two bifurcating spines at the end of the abdomen

• live in mosses and leaf litter

• long antenna w/bead-like segments

• can regenerate some body parts

Archaeognatha

bristletails

• cylindrical bodies; three unequal terminal filaments

• fast-moving, nocturnal

• herbivores or scavengers

Zygentoma

silverfish & firebrats

• flattened bodies; three terminal filaments of similar length

• live up to 8 years

• found in arid environments

shared traits of apterygotes (wingless orders)

all have indirect sperm transfer, males deposit spermatophore to be picked up by females

Odonata

dragonflies & damselflies

• always predators

• dorsal eyes (dragonflies)

Ephemeroptera

mayflies

• graze on algae, diatoms, fungi, some are predators

• experience second adult molt

Zoraptera & Dermaptera

• found living in rotting wood or sawdust

• scavenge on fungi

• don’t sting

• nocturnal herbivores, scavengers, and some are predators

Plecoptera

stoneflies

• herbivores, scavengers, or predators

• aquatic nymphs

• abundant in cool-temperature climates

Orthoptera

crickets, grasshoppers, katydids

• largely herbivores

• masters of camouflage

Grylloblattodea

ice crawlers

• feed on dead arthropods and other organic matter

• restricted to extremely cold climates in the northern hemisphere

Mantophasmatodea

• latest insect order to be describes

• nocturnal predators

• restricted to deserts in Southern Africa

Phasmatodea

Walking Sticks

• herbivores

• wings are reduced or absent

• eggs often look like seeds

Embiptera

Webspinners

• feed on litter, moss, bark, and dead leaves

• front legs w/glands that produce silk, used to construct nests

• gregarious

Mantodea

Praying mantis

• predators

• raptorial front legs to catch prey

Blattodea

roaches and termites

• oval, flattened body w/ long filiform antenna

• herbivores, scavengers, some consume cellulose

Isoptera

Termites

• primarily consume cellulose (wood, leaves)

• some cultivated specialized fungi

• advanced social organisms

Psocodea

Barklice

• are found in moist terrestrial environments, feed on fungi/lichens/algae

Booklice

• found in human dwellings, feed on starchy products

• tiny and wingless

Parasitic lice

• tiny and wingless

• responsible for the spread of disease

Thysanoptera

Thirps

• asymmetrical mouthparts right mandible disappears during embryogenesis

• most feed on plant tissue, some are predators

• can destroy crops

Hemiptera

True bugs

• piercing-sucking mouthparts

• few feed on vertebrate blood

• predators/scavengers

Hymenoptera

Wasps, Bees, Ants

• most are parasites or predators of other insects/spiders

• sawflies are primitive herbivores

Neuroptera

Lace Wings (Mantisflies, Owlflies, Antlions)

• nerved wings

• almost exclusively predators

Strepsiptera

Twisted Winged Parasites

• internal parasites of bees, wasps, grasshoppers, leafhoppers

• males and females look different

Coleoptera

Beetles

• first pair of wings modified to form the elytra

• herbivorous, scavengers, predators (mostly herbivorous)

Siphonaptera

Fleas

• adults are exclusively blood feeding

• larvae are scavengers

• vectors of diseases

• wingless but can jump

Mecoptera

Scorpionflies

• feed on decaying vegetation and dead/decaying insects

• can adapt to cold climates

Diptera

Mosquitoes and Flies

• multiple diets (nectar, blood, prey, etc.)

• important disease and agricultural pests

• modified hindwings to form halteres (gyroscopic sensors that ensure flight stability)

Trichoptera

Caddisflies

• larvae are aquatic and build elaborate cases

• adults look like moths

• can be predators, shredders, grazers, or filter-feeders

Lepidoptera

Moths and Butterflies

• virtually all species are herbivores

• adults generally drink nectar

• body/wings mostly covered w/ tiny colored scales

Carboniferous Era (350 - 300 Ma)

• origin of wings, wing folding & metamorphosis

• first appearance of large trees (lycopods, ferns, conifers)

• evidence of extensive herbivory

Origin of insects

• insects are a special type of crustacean

• first insect fossils were found in Scotland’s old read sandstone

• Rhyaniognatha hirsti