Portal:Insects
The insects portal
Insects (from Latin insectum, a calque of Greek ἔντομον [éntomon], “cut into sections”) are a class within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are among the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million described species and represent more than half of all known living organisms. The number of extant species is estimated at between six and ten million, and potentially represent over 90% of the differing metazoan life forms on Earth. Insects may be found in nearly all environments, although only a small number of species occur in the oceans, a habitat dominated by another arthropod group, the crustaceans.
Selected article
During oviposition, the female wasp lays two eggs with or without a mucoid substance and a symbiotic fungus for the larvae to feed on once they hatch. The mucoid substance is toxic to trees and aids in tree decline. The ascospores from the symbiotic fungus Amylostereum areolatum are also pathogenic.
Did you know
- ... that some species of giant stink bugs are edible?
- ... that a new species of decim periodical cicada was discovered by studying the songs of Brood XIX, which re-emerged in 2011 after 13 years underground?
- ... that the fossil sawfly species Eriocampa tulameenensis was found along the Canadian Pacific rail line near Princeton, British Columbia?
- ... that the wasp Dinocampus coccinellae can turn a ladybird into a "zombie bodyguard"?
Things you can do
- Create articles: There are thousands of family-level through species-level articles that have yet to be started... Pick your favorite and start researching!
- Find photos for articles: Many entomology–related articles would be substantially better with the addition of one or more photographs. Feel free to take your own and upload them, or find ones with the appropriate licenses and upload them here!
- Add or update a {{Taxobox}}: Add more information like species authors or create a completely new taxobox for an entomology article that needs one!
- Categorize articles: Figure out what categories to add to each article so that others can find them more easily. Also use the {{WikiProject Insects}} template to classify the status of any articles related to insect taxa.
Related portals
Selected image
Panorpa communis, the common scorpionfly (Mecoptera: Panorpidae), is a species of scorpionfly native to Western Europe.
Subcategories
WikiProjects
Main WikiProject:
Related projects:
- WikiProject Arthropods
- WikiProject Spiders
- WikiProject Animals
- WikiProject Tree of Life
- WikiProject Biology
Daughter projects:
Topics
Tasks
- Create articles: There are thousands of family-level through species-level articles that have yet to be started... Pick your favorite and start researching!
- Find photos for articles: Many entomology–related articles would be substantially better with the addition of one or more photographs. Feel free to take your own and upload them, or find ones with the appropriate licenses and upload them here!
- Add or update a {{Taxobox}}: Add more information like species authors or create a completely new taxobox for an entomology article that needs one!
- Categorize articles: Figure out what categories to add to each article so that others can find them more easily. Also use the {{WikiProject Insects}} template to classify the status of any articles related to insect taxa.
