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

Class Insecta (cont.)

Endopterygota (Holometabola)

Insects which undergo complete metamorphosis with a pupal stage.

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

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

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

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

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

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