Portal:Insects

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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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Male M. campanulae

Megachile campanulae, known as the bellflower resin bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. Described in 1903, these solitary bees are native to eastern North America. Studies in 2013 placed them among the first insect species to use synthetic materials for making nests. They are considered mason bees, which is a common descriptor of bees in several families, including Megachilidae. Within the genus Megachile, frequently also referred to as leafcutter bees, M. campanulae is a member of the subgenus Chelostomoides, which do not construct nests from cut leaves, but rather from plant resins and other materials. Females lay eggs in nests constructed with individual cell compartments for each egg. Once hatched, the eggs progress through larval stages and subsequently will overwinter as pupae. The bees are susceptible to parasitism from several other bee species, which act as brood parasites. They are medium-sized bees and the female adults are typically larger than the males. They are important pollinators of numerous native plant species throughout their range. (Full article...)

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... that the extinct Phlebotominae sandfly Pintomyia falcaorum is known only from Miocene age Dominican amber found on Hispaniola?
... that although true bugs eat aphids, they help the aphids by eating another predator, young lacewings?
... that the ground beetle, Lebia grandis, can eat about 23 eggs or three larvae of the Colorado potato beetle every day?
... that the weevil Hylobius transversovittatus has been introduced into the United States and Canada to help control the invasive wetland plant Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)?
... that the larva of the Texas beetle, Brachypsectra fulva, can live for over two years without feeding?

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

Image 1Reconstruction Strudiella devonica as a possible hexapod (from Evolution of insects)
Image 2Direct flight: muscles attached to wings. Large insects only (from Insect flight)
Image 3Bumblebee defecating. Note the contraction of the anus, which provides internal pressure. (from Insect morphology)
Image 4Venation of insect wings, based on the Comstock-Needham system (from Insect morphology)
Image 5Reconstruction of a Carboniferous insect, the palaeodictyopteran Mazothairos (from Insect flight)
Image 6Generalized arthropod biramous limb. Trueman proposed that an endite and an exite fused to form a wing. (from Insect flight)
Image 7Fossil gnat in amber, a well-preserved insect fossil. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 8Evolution has produced astonishing variety of appendages in insects, such as these antennae. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 9The abdominal terminus of male scorpionflies is enlarged into a "genital bulb", as seen in Panorpa communis (from Insect morphology)
Image 10Scanning electron micrograph of a cricket spiracle valve (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 11Variety of male structures in Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) (from Insect reproductive system)
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 13Larva of beetle, family Cerambycidae, showing sclerotised epicranium; rest of body hardly sclerotised (from Insect morphology)
Image 14A tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) dragonfly has flight muscles attached directly to its wings. (from Insect flight)
Image 15The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have direct flight musculature, as do mayflies. (from Insect flight)
Image 16Frenulo-retinacular wing coupling in male and female moths (from Insect flight)
Image 17Mayfly nymph with paired abdominal gills (from Insect flight)
Image 18The female genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 19Closeup of a fire ant, showing fine sensory hairs on antennae (from Insect morphology)
Image 20Male genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 21Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 22Head of Orthoptera, Acrididae. a:antenna; b:ocelli; c:vertex; d:compound eye; e:occiput; f:gena; g:pleurostoma; h:mandible; i:labial palp; j:maxillary palps; k:maxilla; l:labrum; m:clypeus; n:frons (from Insect morphology)
Image 23A pie chart of described eukaryote species, showing just over half of these to be insects (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 24Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. (from Insect morphology)
Image 25Diagram of a typical insect leg (from Insect morphology)
Image 26Indian moon moth (Actias selene) with some of the spiracles identified (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 27Mazothairos, a Carboniferous member of the now extinct order Palaeodictyoptera. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 28The development of insect mouthparts from the primitive chewing mouthparts of a grasshopper in the center (A), to the lapping type (B) of a bee, the siphoning type (C) of a butterfly and the sucking type (D) of a female mosquito.
Legend: a – antennae
c – compound eye
lb – labium
lr – labrum
md – mandibles
mx – maxillae (from Insect morphology)
Image 29Hoverfly (Philhelius pedissequum) has indirect flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 30Mandibles of Rhyniognatha hirsti, it may be an oldest insect, but also possible to be a myriapod. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 31Larva of Syrphid fly, member of Cyclorrhapha, without epicranium, almost without sclerotisation apart from its jaws. (from Insect morphology)
Image 32Cross-section of wing vein (from Insect morphology)

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Credit: Richard Bartz

Mayflies (subimago of Rhithrogena germanica pictured) comprise around 2,500 species of insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera. They are aquatic insects whose immature stage usually lasts one year in fresh water, while the adults are short-lived, surviving from a few minutes to a few days.

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WikiProject Insects

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