Insects and People Exam 2

Allomone

Chemical communication between organisms which is positive for the sender and negative for the receiver.

Anaphyllaxis

A severe allergic response in a vertebrate. In the worst case, “anaphylactic shock,” death may result.

Annual migration

Migration which occurs every year at a predictable time.

Anoplura

The order of insects containing the sucking lice.

Apterygota

Primitively wingless insect orders.

Asynchronous muscle

An insect muscle which contracts multiple times due to a single nerve impulse.

Biological disease transmission

The case in which the agent causing disease must pass some part of its lifecycle within the vectoring organism.

Bioluminescence

Light produced by a living organism.

Carnivorous plants

Plants that harvest insects and other arthropods to meet their demands for nitrogen and other nutrients.

Castes

Different body plans for different jobs, within the same species of eusocial insect.

Cochineal

Brilliant red dye produced by scale insects found on prickly pear cacti.

Communication

Exchange of information between two living organisms.

Communal insects

Species which aggregate during some phase of the lifecycle but do not maintain social contact throughout the lifecycle.

Delusional parasitosis

A condition in which the sufferer believes non

Disease agent

An organism causing negative effects in another organism.

Direct flight muscles

major flight muscles directly attached to the bases of the wings.

Ectognatha

Hexapods with exposed mouthparts

Endopterygota

Insect orders which undergo complete metamorphosis.

Entognatha

Primitive insects with mouthparts hidden in the head.

Entomophagy

The practice of eating insects.

Entomophobia

An irrational fear of insects.

Eusocial insects

Species with cooperative brood care, reproductive division of labor, and perennial colonies with overlapping generations.

Exopterygota

Insect orders which undergo incomplete metamorphosis.

Forensic entomology

Using insects to understand crime scenes.

Ganglion

Cluster of nerve cell bodies

Heteroptera

An insect order containing the aphids, true bugs, and their allies. Includes the fomer Homoptera (aphids, etc.) which are all plant feeders, and the former Hemiptera (true bugs), which includes plant feeders, predators, and parasites.

Hexapod

An arthropod with six legs.

Indirect flight muscles

major flight muscles attached to the walls of the thorax rather than the bases of the wings

Isoptera

The insect order containing termites.

Kairomone

Chemical communication between organisms which is negative for the sender and positive for the receiver.

Locust

A large, often migratory, grasshopper

Luciferin

The chemical which produces, when combined with light, ATP, and the enzyme luciferinase, light in insects.

Mating disruption

Using pheromones to confuse pest insects so that they can’t find each other to mate.

Mechanical disease transmission

The case where a disease agent is transmitted on the surface or in the mouthparts of the vectoring organism.

Migration

directional movement of large numbers of organisms

Myiasis

Parasitic infestation of living vertebrate tissue by larval flies.

Nomadic migration

Migration in any direction in response to the availability of resources.

Parasite

An organism which lives in, on, or near another organism at that organism’s expense.

Pathogen

An organism causing disease in another.

Pheromone

chemical that facilitates communication between members of the same species.

Poikilothermic

an animal whose body temperture varies with that of the surrounding environment.

Pollination

Transfer of pollen (male germ cells) from one flower to the style and ovary of another flower, accomplishing fertilization.

Orthoptera

The hemimetabolous order of insects including grasshoppers and crickets. Forewings (if present) are leathery tegmina; hind legs modified for jumping. Chewing moutparts.

Reservoir (disease)

An organism which sustains a disease agent on the landscape for long periods of time. Reservoirs are usually unaffected, or minimally affected, by the agent.

Resilin

Rubbery protein that stores energy in insect cuticle and muscle

Semisocial insects

Speices with cooperative brood care and reproductive division of labor.

Shellac

Durable, high gloss furniture finish produced by an Asian scale insect.

Skeletal muscles

Those that move body parts of an insect.

Silk

Commercial product of the domesticated silkworm, Bombus mori. Produced by the salivary glands of the caterpillar as it spins its cocoon.

Solitary insects

Species which don’t interact with others of their species except to mate or in response to resources.

Synchronous muscle

Muscle that contracts one time for a single nerve impulse

Stridulation

Sound produced by dragging a row of peg

Subsocial insects

Species in which a single female or a mated pair care for descreet broods of immatures.

Surgical maggots

Fly larvae, raised in sterile conditions, used to remove necrotic (dead) tissue from wounds.

Thysanura

The primitively wingless insect order containing silverfish and their relatives. Three tail appendages, scaled bodies, can molt as adults (unlike virtually all other insects).

Trophyllaxis

Sharing of gut contents between members of the same species, either through regurgitation or defecation.

Tymbal (or tympanum)

In insects, a thickened plate of chitin connected to powerful asynchronous muscles; deflection of the tymbal by the muscle produces sound. Typified by cicadas.

Urticating seta (“hairs”)

Stinging setae found on some insects, including some caterpillars

Vector

An organism transmitting a disease agent from an infected to an uninfected host.

Visceral muscles

Those that move the internal organs of an insect.

Protura (first tails)

The Proturns. No eyes, no antennae, 12 segmented abdomen. Soil dwellers

Collebola (glue wedge)

The Springtails. Tiny, six-segmented bodies. Have a spring mechanism to fling themselves forward.

Diplura (two tails)

Diplurans. Very small, soil-dwellers. 11 segmented abdomens, with prominent cerci.

Apterygota

Wingless insects, ametabolous lifecycles

Archaeognatha (ancient mouth)

Ex. Jumping bristletails. Humpbacked insects with three prominent tail appendages. Flex their abdomen to jump

Zygentoma (bridge cut to pieces)

Ex. Silverfish. Dorsal is flat, wingless, primitive. Three prominent cerci, body covered in scales.

Pterygota

Winged insects, all came from a common ancestor.

Paleoptera (ancient wings)

Unable to rotate and fold wings over abdomen, incomplete metamorphosis.

Ephemeroptera (brief wings)

Ex. Mayflies. Large front wings with small hind wings. Two/three tail filaments, aquatic as young.

Odonata (toothed)

Ex. Dragonflies. Long-bodied aquatic young, predacious. Young breathe through their tails.

Neoptera

Wings rotate and fold over the abdomen.

Polyneoptera

Chewing mouthparts, incomplete metamorphosis, well developed cerci

Plecoptera (folded wings)

Ex. Stoneflies. All are aquatic as immatures. Two tail appendages, gills, fan-shaped hind wings.

Embioptera (lively wings)

Ex. Webspinners. Small, subsocial insects that live in silk galleries (silk spun from front legs). Only males have wings.

Phasmatoda (ghost)

Ex. Stick and leaf. Plant feeders who rely on camouflage. Longest living insects.

Orthoptera (straight wings)

Ex. Grasshoppers. Forewings are narrow, potentially leathery. Saltatorial hindlegs.

Dermaptera (skin wings)

Ex. Earwigs. Elongate due to their forewings, potentially have fan-shaped hindwings. Forcep-like cerci with a hemimetabolous lifestyle

Notoptera (back wings)

Ex. Snow roaches. Weird, wingless insects who are predators. Live in extreme climates.

Zoraptera (pure wingless)

Ex. Zorapterens. Strange, tiny colonial insects. Two adult forms (wingless and blind, or eyed and winged).

Mantida

Ex. Mantises. Robust insects with elongated segments armed with raptorial forelimbs.

Paraneoptera

Incomplete metamorphosis, no cerci, diverse mouthparts. Feeds on liquids.

Psocodea (gnawer)

Ex. Booklice. Either feed on skin or blood dependent of mouthparts.

Thysanoptera (fringe wings)

Ex. Thrips. Tiny, elongated insects with feather-like wings. Cone-shaped heads with asymmetrical mouth parts.

Hemiptera (half wings)

Ex. True bugs. All have piercing/sucking mouthparts. Most are plant feeders

Endopterygota

Insects which undergo complete metamorphosis with a pupal stage.

Hymenoptera (joined wings)

Ex. Wasps/ants/bees. Fore and hind wings which are linked by hooks. Ovipositors → defensive stinger.

Raphidioptera (needle wings)

Ex. Snakeflies. Small, elongate predatory insects with neuropteran wings. Elongated pronatum acts like a cobra and rears its head.

Strepsiptera (twisted wings)

Ex. Twisted-wing parasite. Females and larvae are parasites, males only have functional hindwings. Forewings turn into halters, have “raspberry” eyes.

Mecoptera (Long wings)

Ex. Scorpionflies. Head on with a long proboscis with chewing mouthparts. Curved abdomens, like scorpions. Scavenges on insects.

Megaloptera (giant wings)

Ex. Dobsonflies. Medium to large insects with large neuropteriod wings. Larvae are aquatic and predacious. Adult males have a huge jaw.

Neuroptera (nerve wings)

Ex. Lacewings. Soft-bodied with 4 large membranous wings with many veins. Almost all are predators.

Trichoptera (hair wings)

Ex. Caddisflies. Delicate-looking with setae-covered wings and chewing mouthparts. Often have antennae the length of their body.

Blattodea (cockroach)

Large pronotum, long and hairlike antennae, leathery front wings, membranous hind wings. Decomposers, hemimetabolous, communal/social, and either oviparous or ovoviviparous.

Blattodea (termites)

Small, pale, eyes are small/absent. Have beaded antennae. Eusocial.

Why are termites classed as Blattodea?

Due to their genetics and their gut biome.

Insect muscles

Fueled by carbohydrates, lipids, and oxygen.

How do insect muscles allow for movement?

By contracting, very energy intensive.

What color is insect muscle?

White/translucent because it doesn’t have oxygen-storing proteins.

Visceral muscles

Located around internal organs (aids in digestion and breathing)

Skeletal muscles

Aids in the movement of body parts