Portal:Insects

The Insects Portal

Insects (from Latin insectum) are invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have an 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 beautiful demoiselle
(Calopteryx virgo)

Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which form the suborder Anisoptera, but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold the wings flat and away from the body. Damselflies have existed since the Late Jurassic, and are found on every continent except Antarctica.

All damselflies are predatory insects: both nymphs and adults actively hunt and eat other insects. The nymphs are aquatic, with different species living in a variety of freshwater habitats including acidic bogs, ponds, lakes and rivers. The nymphs moult repeatedly, at the last moult climbing out of the water to undergo metamorphosis. The skin splits down the back, they emerge and inflate their wings and abdomen to gain their adult form. Their presence on a body of water indicates that it is relatively unpolluted, but their dependence on freshwater makes them vulnerable to damage to their wetland habitats. (Full article...)

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... that Petalura hesperia dragonflies lay their eggs along stream margins because their larvae are semi-aquatic?
... that the beetle Typhaea stercorea has been found in grain storages dating all the way back to the Iron Age?
... that Vespula flaviceps larvae are considered a delicacy in Japan?
... that with a forewing length of only 3.36 millimetres (0.132 in) Microberotha is one of the smallest known beaded lacewings to have been described?
... that, in female bedbugs, the spermalege reduces the wounding costs caused by a male's needle-like penis?

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

Image 1
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 2Mayfly nymph with paired abdominal gills (from Insect flight)
Image 3Frenulo-retinacular wing coupling in male and female moths (from Insect flight)
Image 4Reconstruction of a Carboniferous insect, the palaeodictyopteran Mazothairos (from Insect flight)
Image 5Generalized arthropod biramous limb. Trueman proposed that an endite and an exite fused to form a wing. (from Insect flight)
Image 6Showing the paired white paraprocts at the posterior tip. (from Insect morphology)
Image 7Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 8The abdominal terminus of male scorpionflies is enlarged into a "genital bulb", as seen in Panorpa communis (from Insect morphology)
Image 9Mazothairos, a Carboniferous member of the now extinct order Palaeodictyoptera. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 10Evolution has produced a wide variety of appendages in insects, such as these antennae. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 11Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. (from Insect morphology)
Image 12Variety of male structures in Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 13Scanning electron micrograph of a cricket spiracle valve (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 14The female genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 15Reconstruction of Strudiella devonica as a possible hexapod (from Evolution of insects)
Image 16Hoverfly (Philhelius pedissequum) has indirect flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 17Diagram of a typical insect leg (from Insect morphology)
Image 18Indian moon moth (Actias selene) with some of the spiracles identified (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 19Male genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 20The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have direct flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 21Ctenopisma lineatum showing the two cerci and the central caudal filament. (from Insect morphology)
Image 22A tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) dragonfly has flight muscles attached directly to its wings. (from Insect flight)
Image 23Mandibles of Rhyniognatha hirsti, it may be one of the oldest insects, or a myriapod. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 24Cross-section of wing vein (from Insect morphology)
Image 25Direct flight: muscles attached to wings. Large insects only (from Insect flight)
Image 26Fossil gnat in amber, a well-preserved insect fossil (from Evolution of insects)
Image 27Bumblebee defecating. Note the contraction of the anus, which provides internal pressure. (from Insect morphology)
Image 28A pie chart of described eukaryote species, showing just over half of these to be insects (from Insect biodiversity)

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Credit: Fir0002

Gryllotalpa brachyptera is a mole cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae), native to Australia. Mole crickets are thick-bodied insects about 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) long, with large beady eyes and shovel-like forelimbs highly developed for burrowing and swimming. The adult mole cricket may fly as far as 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) during the mating season, is active most of the year, and spends the winter in hibernation.

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WikiProject Insects

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