Insect Orders

Archaeognatha

Bristletails; non-winged, long antennae, cerci, median caudal filament

Zygentoma

Silverfish; non-winged, no thoracic hump, lack ocelli

Ephemeroptera

Mayflies; molting, immature orgs live in fresh water, cannot feed as adults

Odonata

Dragonflies and Damselflies; predatory, longer life span than mayflies

Dermaptera

Earwigs; forceps-like cerci in adults used for defense and predation

Zoraptera

Small insects living under bark; two pairs of narrow wings, small cerci, thick hind femora with spines, winged and wingless adults both occur

Plecoptera

Stoneflies; aquatic nymphs, flattened adults

Orthoptera

Singing Insects; large hind femora for jumping, sing to attract mates

Grylloblattodea (also called Notoptera)

Ice Crawlers; wingless, cold tolerance, scavenge dead insects

Mantophasmatodea

Rock crawlers; wingless, predatory on other insects

Embioptera

Webspinners; females are wingless, males have wings, spin thick webs of silk from glands on enlarged segment of fore tarsus

Phasmatodea

Camouflage insects; herbivorous, wingless or small wings

Mantodea

Mantises; strong raptorial forelegs, camouflage

Blattodea

Roaches and Termites; cellulose-feeding; some have leathery forewings and egg cases (not termites)

Thysanoptera

Thrips; small and slender, fringe of long fine hairs on margins of wings, each food has a sac that allows clinging to surfaces, feed on plants with small piercing mouthparts

Psocodea

Lice; parasitic, bark, and book lice; chewing and piercing and sucking blood

Hemiptera

Plant hoppers, cicadas, aphids, scale insects, and true insects; feeds on plants or predation, mandibles and maxillae are modified into pairs of thin, piercing stylets

Hymenoptera

Ants, bees, and wasps; wings venation, ovipositor

Coleoptera

Beetles; leathery or hard forewings (elytra), fly with hind wings, diverse order

Strepsiptera

Twisted-wing parasitoids; irregular hind wings, immatures live in insect hosts

Mecoptera

Scorpionflies; mostly scavengers

Diptera

Flies and mosquitos; forewings powers flight, hindwings reduced to halteres (sensory clubs), labial palps developed into labellum to suck liquid

Trichoptera

Caddisflies; aquatic larvae, many carry a case from sand or pebbles or vegetation, detritivores, fine hairs on wings

Lepidoptera

Moths and Butterflies; detritivores or predatory or parasitic, straw-like haustellum, wings covered in scales, butterflies have a naked pupa, moths have silken cocoon

Siphonaptera

Fleas; feed on blood with piercing mouthparts, lack eyes and wings

Neuropterida

Lacewings, snakeflies, and dobsonflies; predators