Class Insecta - Insects (original) (raw)

Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)Class Insecta (Insects) Synonyms and other taxonomic changes arrangement of major extant taxa based on molecular data in (1) Explanation of Names Insecta Linnaeus 1758 Latin insectum, pl. insecta "cut into, cut up" (refers to body segmentation), a translation of Greek entomon Numbers ~30 extant + a dozen extinct orders, ~1500 families, and well over a million described species In our area (US & Canada): 28 orders, over 600 families, ca. 12,500 genera, and >86,000 spp.(2)(3) Identification Three pairs of legs Three body parts: head ▪ thorax ▪ abdomen typically two pair of wings; some groups have one pair or none Habitat aquatic marine forms conspicuously absent Life Cycle Hemimetabolous insects (e.g., dragonflies, mayflies, true bugs, grasshoppers) undergo gradual, or incomplete, metamorphosis. Immature stages (usually called nymphs) go through a series of molts, gradually assuming an adult form. Since the wings develop on the outside of the body, these groups are called exopterygotes. Some orders have immature stages that are aquatic. These possess specialized structures for aquatic life, such as gills, and are called naiads, or by some authors larvae. Holometabolous insects (Endopterygota or Holometabola) have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult (imago). Neuroptera - Antlions - Lacewings and allies Megaloptera - Alderflies, Dobsonflies, and Fishflies Hymenoptera - Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies Trichoptera - Caddisflies Lepidoptera - Butterflies and Moths Mecoptera - Scorpionflies, Hangingflies and Allies Strepsiptera - Twisted-winged Insects Remarks All the winged insects (including those who have lost their wings over the course of history) constitute a taxon called Pterygota (sometimes treated as a subclass). orders alphabetically Print References Stork N.E. (2018) How many species of insects and other terrestrial arthropods are there on Earth? Ann. Rev. Entomol. 63: 31‒45. Full text Works Cited 3.Evolution of the InsectsDavid Grimaldi and Michael S. Engel. 2005.4.How to Know the Immature InsectsHung-Fu Chu, Laurence K Cutkomp. 1992. Wm. C. Brown Publishers. Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pmAdditional contributions by cotinis, Stephen_WV, John VanDyk, Beatriz Moisset, Chris Wirth, Chuck Entz, David Ferguson, v belov, Arturo SantosLast updated 24 June, 2025 - 4:18pm