Entomology Flashcards - Hemimetabolous Orders II

Vocabulary flashcards for Hemimetabolous Orders II covering Mantodea, Blattodea, Isoptera, and Thysanoptera.

Mantodea (Mantids)

Insects with large, raptorial front legs, triangular heads, and large compound eyes.

Mantids

Masters of camouflage and ambush predators.

Ootheca

Mantid egg case.

Sexual Cannibalism

Unusual mating behavior in mantids, sometimes involving the female consuming the male.

Blattodea (Cockroaches)

Insects with flattened bodies, long antennae, tegmina, and cursorial legs.

Blatta

Greek word for cockroach.

Cockroaches

Primarily herbivores or scavengers, with only a small number associated with humans as pests.

Cryptocercus sp.

Wood roaches that feed on wood, similar to termites.

Ootheca

Egg case of cockroaches.

Common Household Roaches in the U.S.

Brown-banded, German, American, and Oriental cockroaches.

Roaches as Pests

Can act as potential vectors of pathogens (mechanical transmission) and are a source of allergens and asthma triggers.

Roach Control

Various products and services are available from pest control companies.

Isoptera (Termites)

Insects with two pairs of similarly sized wings (winged reproductive only), abdomen broadly joined to thorax; exhibit differential caste morphology.

Differential Caste Morphology in Termites

Worker, soldier, and future reproductive (winged – “allate”).

Termites

Form huge social colonies and are extremely important in natural systems as recyclers and food for other animals.

Isoptera Castes

King, queen, workers, and soldiers.

Soldiers- Nasute

Termite soldiers with a pointed snout used for defense.

Soldiers-Mandibulate

Termite soldiers with large mandibles used for defense.

Termite Diet

Feed on dead plant materials (leaves, twigs, wood, lumber, feces) - sources of cellulose; some digest cellulose through a mutualistic relationship with microbial symbionts in their gut; some maintain a specific fungus garden and feed on the fungus.

Subterranean Termites

Termites that live in colonies in soil and feed on wood in contact with soil, constructing tubes for shelter.

Drywood Termites

Termites that live in colonies above ground directly in wood, producing holes where fecal pellets are pushed out.

Thysanoptera (Thrips)

Insects with short legs, narrow wings with a long fringe of hairs.

Thrips Mouthparts

Asymmetrical mouthparts—only the left mandible is involved in forming a stylet along with maxillae.

Thrips Metamorphosis

Two feeding nymphal stages (first and second instars) followed by two additional nonfeeding stages (3rd and 4th instars) before the winged adult stage.