Portal:Insects

The Insects Portal

Insects (from Latin insectum) are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antennae. Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with more than a million described species; they represent more than half of all animal species. (Full article...)

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Female Dichrostigma flavipes

Snakeflies are a group of predatory insects comprising the order Raphidioptera, from Ancient Greek ῥαφίς (rhaphís), meaning "needle", and πτερόν (pterón), meaning "wing", with two extant families: Raphidiidae and Inocelliidae, consisting of roughly 260 species. In the past, the group had a much wider distribution than it does now; snakeflies are found in temperate regions worldwide but are absent from the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. Recognizable representatives of the group first appeared during the Early Jurassic. They are a relict group, having reached their apex of diversity during the Cretaceous before undergoing substantial decline.

An adult snakefly resembles a lacewing in appearance but has a notably elongated thorax which, together with the mobile head, gives the group their common name. The body is long and slender and the two pairs of long, membranous wings are prominently veined. Females have a large and sturdy ovipositor which is used to deposit eggs in some concealed location. They are holometabolous insects with a four-stage life cycle consisting of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. In most species, the larvae develop under the bark of trees. They may take several years before they undergo metamorphosis, requiring a period of chilling before pupation takes place. Both adults and larvae are predators of soft-bodied arthropods. (Full article...)

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... that the golden-green carpenter bee defends its nesting burrow by blocking the entrance with its abdomen?
... that caterpillars of the oak leafroller and oak leaftier moths are major defoliators of oak trees, with leafroller timber losses in Pennsylvania of over $100,000,000 in the early 1970s?
... that Nanoraphidia electroburmica, known from a fossil in amber, is the smallest known snakefly species, living or extinct?
... that researchers finally collected a larva and an adult female Tonyosynthemis ofarrelli which match an earlier male specimen?
... that the common spangle gall on the leaves of pedunculate oak trees is produced by the gall wasp Neurotus quercus-baccarum?

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The following are images from various insect-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Scanning electron micrograph of a cricket spiracle valve (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 2Frenulo-retinacular wing coupling in male and female moths (from Insect flight)
Image 3The abdominal terminus of male scorpionflies is enlarged into a "genital bulb", as seen in Panorpa communis (from Insect morphology)
Image 4Mazothairos, a Carboniferous member of the now extinct order Palaeodictyoptera. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 5Reconstruction of Strudiella devonica as a possible hexapod (from Evolution of insects)
Image 6Indian moon moth (Actias selene) with some of the spiracles identified (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 7Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. (from Insect morphology)
Image 8The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have direct flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 9Cross-section of wing vein (from Insect morphology)
Image 10Bumblebee defecating. Note the contraction of the anus, which provides internal pressure. (from Insect morphology)
Image 11Hoverfly (Philhelius pedissequum) has indirect flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 12
Insect morphology
Legend of body parts
Tagmata: A – Head, B – Thorax, C – Abdomen.
1. antenna
2. ocelli (lower)
3. ocelli (upper)
4. compound eye
5. brain (cerebral ganglia)
6. prothorax
7. dorsal blood vessel
8. tracheal tubes (trunk with spiracle)
9. mesothorax
10. metathorax
11. forewing
12. hindwing
13. mid-gut (stomach)
14. dorsal tube (heart)
15. ovary
16. hind-gut (intestine, rectum & anus)
17. anus
18. oviduct
19. nerve cord (abdominal ganglia)
20. Malpighian tubes
21. tarsal pads
22. claws
23. tarsus
24. tibia
25. femur
26. trochanter
27. fore-gut (crop, gizzard)
28. thoracic ganglion
29. coxa
30. salivary gland
31. subesophageal ganglion
32. mouthparts
(from Insect morphology)
Image 13Fossil gnat in amber, a well-preserved insect fossil (from Evolution of insects)
Image 14Evolution has produced astonishing variety of appendages in insects, such as these antennae. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 15A pie chart of described eukaryote species, showing just over half of these to be insects (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 16The female genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 17Variety of male structures in Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 18A tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) dragonfly has flight muscles attached directly to its wings. (from Insect flight)
Image 19Direct flight: muscles attached to wings. Large insects only (from Insect flight)
Image 20Reconstruction of a Carboniferous insect, the palaeodictyopteran Mazothairos (from Insect flight)
Image 21Mayfly nymph with paired abdominal gills (from Insect flight)
Image 22Diagram of a typical insect leg (from Insect morphology)
Image 23Mandibles of Rhyniognatha hirsti, it may be one of the oldest insects, but also possible to be a myriapod. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 24Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 25Male genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 26Generalized arthropod biramous limb. Trueman proposed that an endite and an exite fused to form a wing. (from Insect flight)

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Credit: Luc Viatour

Panorpa communis, the common scorpionfly (Mecoptera: Panorpidae), is a species of scorpionfly native to Western Europe.

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WikiProject Insects

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