Overview Of Orders Of Insects.docx

Overview of Orders of Insects

Abdomen without forceps: Order Coleoptera – Beetles

Probably many first time visitors to Bugguide would benefit from an overview of all the orders of insects with some explanation of their main identifying characteristics. This is not a technical key but rather a series of tips for a “spot” identification of orders. It follows the one created by Arnett ((1), pages 63-68) for beginners. Insects with: 1. Four large wings, covered by scales: Order Lepidoptera - Butterflies and Moths

b) First pair of wings reduced in size, hind wings are large: Order Strepsiptera - Twisted-winged Insects

3. Similar to Coleoptera but with short wing covers and with abdominal forceps: Order Dermaptera - Earwigs

2. Four wings; the first pair thickened or hardened. a) First pair of wings usually as long as abdomen protecting second pair of wings that are membranous.

Caution: If there are no forceps, it is probably a beetle, Family:

Staphylinidae

4. Resembling Coleoptera, but the posterior half of the front wings somewhat translucent or thinner and with veins. They have sucking mouth parts:

Order Orthoptera - Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids

b) Wings similar to Orthoptera but they have grasping front legs instead of jumping hind legs:

Order Hemiptera (Suborder Heteroptera) - True Bugs Order Mantodea - Mantids

c) Similar to Orthoptera but with flattened body, long antennae and no enlarged legs: Order Blattodea - Cockroaches and Termites 5. Four wings, front ones somewhat thickened. a) Jumping hind legs. Hind wings, when open, spread like fans:

d) Similar to Orthoptera but long, stick-like body and no

enlarged legs: Order Phasmatodea – Walkingsticks

6. Two pairs of membranous wings similar in size and texture. a) Wings held horizontally. They can’t be folded: Order Odonata (Suborder Anisoptera) - Dragonflies

b) Wings held folded vertically above abdomen: Order Odonata (Suborder Zygoptera) - Damselflies

7. Four membranous wings, front wings larger than hind ones. a) Abdomen with two or three long filaments: Order Ephemeroptera – Mayflies

b) Similar to Ephemeroptera but wings are held over the abdomen. No abdominal filaments: Order Neuroptera - Antlions, Lacewings and Allies

c) Similar to Neuroptera but with two or three abdominal short filaments: Order Plecoptera - Stoneflies

d) Wings held rooflike over abdomen. Large head. Sucking, piercing mouth parts: Order Hemiptera (Suborders Auchenorrhyncha and Sternorrhyncha)- Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies

e) Hind wings smaller than front wings with few cross veins. Mouth parts not piercing; head joined loosely to thorax: Order Hymenoptera - Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies

8. Wings not like those of any of the previous orders: a) Wings with setae or fringes, sucking mouth parts, usually very small. Some specimens wingless: Order Thysanoptera – Thrips

b) Front and hind wings similar, with few veins; many specimens wingless; chewing mouthparts; 3-10 mm. long: Epifamily Termitoidae (formerly Order Isoptera) Termites

f) Head shaped as a beak, with chewing mouth parts: Order Mecoptera - Scorpionflies, Hangingflies and Allies

c) Under 3 mm. (See illustration):

Order Zoraptera - Zorapterans

d) Under 5mm. (See illustration): Order Psocodea - Barklice and Booklice

9. Only one pair of wings; membranous, with conspicuous veins. No abdominal filaments: Order Diptera – Flies

e) Under 7 mm. (See illustration): Order Embiidina – Webspinners

f) Wings covered with hairlike setae; long antennae: Order Trichoptera - Caddisflies

10. No wings, usually with scales and long abdominal filaments. (Note: some members of other orders are also wingless but body shape resembles that of winged members of the same order, e.g. ants, bedbugs, termites, etc.) a) Body cylindrical. Tip of abdomen with one long filament and two shorter ones:

Order Microcoryphia - Bristletails

b) Body flattened. Lateral filaments at tip of abdomen usually as long as middle one: Order Zygentoma - Silverfish

Order Siphonaptera - Fleas

b) Flattened top to bottom; chewing mouthparts; parasites of birds and some mammals: Order Mallophaga - Chewing Lice

c) Body cylindrical. Long antennae 28-50 segments Order Notoptera – Rock crawlers c) Flattened; sucking mouthparts; ectoparasites of mammals: Order Anoplura - Sucking Lice

11. No wings, ectoparasites a) Laterally flattened, hind legs adapted to jumping:

(1)Arnett, Ross H. American Insects. Pages: 63-68

Chart of the orders of insects This chart presents the 30 orders* of insects known at present. It also provides information about the type of metamorphosis, wings and mouthparts of adults.

Order Archaeognatha Blattodea Coleoptera

Dermaptera

Diptera

Embioptera

Ephemeroptera

Grylloblattodea

Hemiptera

Hymenoptera

Examples Petrobius maritimus Cockroaches

Wings None

Type of mouth parts Chewing

Four Chewing Usually four; hard, Ladybugs, scarab ribless front wings and beetles, lightning Chewing folded, membranous bugs back wings None or four; short, Earwigs thick front wings, Chewing folded back wings SuckingTwo, very rarely none, Flies and licking or back legs modified mosquitoes piercinginto halters sucking None (females and some males), four Anisembia texana Chewing (males); similar front and back wings Four (sometimes two); triangular, Vestigial Mayflies membranous back mouthparts wings are smaller than front wings Grylloblatta None Chewing barberi None or four; front wings thick at the base Diving beetles, Piercingor uniformly cicadas sucking membranous front wings Four, very rarely none; Bees, Chewing or sparse ribs; front bumblebees, chewingwings larger than back wasps and ants licking wings

Metamorphosis None Incomplete Complete

Incomplete

Complete

Incomplete

Incomplete

Incomplete

Incomplete

Complete

Isoptera

Termites

Butterflies and moths Mantophasma Mantophasmatodea zephyra Mantodea Mantids Lepidoptera

Mecoptera

Scorpionflies

Megaloptera

Dobsonflies

Neuroptera

Lacewings

Odonata

Dragonflies

Orthoptera

Grasshoppers, locusts

Phasmatodea

Stick insects

Phthiraptera

Lice

Plecoptera

Stoneflies

Psocoptera

Book lice

Raphidioptera

Snakeflies

Siphonaptera

Fleas

Strepsiptera

Stylops

Four, rarely none; sparse ribs, similar front and back wings Four scaly wings, rarely none

Chewing

Incomplete

Sucking

Complete

None

Chewing

Incomplete

Four None or four similar, narrow wings Four; front and back wings are similar, with abundant ribs Four; front and back wings are similar, with abundant ribs Four similar wings with abundant rubs None or four (sometimes small); thick, narrow front wings and folded back wings None or four; narrow front wings, folded back wings

Chewing

Incomplete

Chewing

Complete

Chewing

Complete

Chewing

Complee

Chewing

Incomplete

Chewing

Incomplete

Chewing

Incomplete

Chewing or piercingsucking

Incomplete

Chewing

Incomplete

Chewing

Incomplete

Chewing

Complete

Sucking

Complete

Vestigial mouthparts

Complete

None Four; narrow front wings, wide back wings None or four; sparse ribs, front wings larger than back wings Four; front and back wings are similar, with abundant ribs None None (females), four (males); reduced front wings and triangular back wings

Thysanoptera

Thrips

None or four long, Sucking narrow fringed wings

Thysanura

Silverfish

None

Trichoptera

Caddisflies

Four hairy wings.

Zorotypus newi

None or four long, narrow, fringed front Chewing wings; front wings larger than back wings

Zoraptera

Chewing Chewing, greatly reduced mouthparts

Between incomplete and complete None Complete

Incomplete

* Adapted from Gullan P.J. & P. S. Cranston. 2010. The Insects: An Outline of Entomology.