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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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Notoligotoma nitens

The order Embioptera, commonly known as webspinners or footspinners, are a small group of mostly tropical and subtropical insects, classified under the subclass Pterygota. The order has also been called Embiodea or Embiidina. More than 400 species in 11 families have been described, the oldest known fossils of the group being from the mid-Jurassic. Species are very similar in appearance, having long, flexible bodies, short legs, and only males having wings.

Webspinners are gregarious, living subsocially in galleries of fine silk which they spin from glands on their forelegs. Members of these colonies are often related females and their offspring; adult males do not feed and die soon after mating. Males of some species have wings and are able to disperse, whereas the females remain near where they were hatched. Newly mated females may vacate the colony and found a new one nearby. Others may emerge to search for a new food source to which the galleries can be extended, but in general, the insects rarely venture from their galleries. (Full article...)

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... that the water cricket Velia caprai can travel twice as fast after spitting on the water?
... that along with the giant lacewings, the moth lacewing family are regarded as the most primitive living Neuroptera?
... that the timothy plant bug causes "sticky dough"?
... that the Queen's executioner lives in Windsor Great Park and feeds on weevils and nectar?
... that the maize weevil is a serious pest of maize in the United States, and also infests standing crops and cereals in all tropical areas of the world?

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

Image 1Closeup of a fire ant, showing fine sensory hairs on antennae (from Insect morphology)
Image 2Head 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 3A pie chart of described eukaryote species, showing just over half of these to be insects (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 4Venation of insect wings, based on the Comstock-Needham system (from Insect morphology)
Image 5Direct flight: muscles attached to wings. Large insects only (from Insect flight)
Image 6Larva of Syrphid fly, member of Cyclorrhapha, without epicranium, almost without sclerotisation apart from its jaws. (from Insect morphology)
Image 7Mandibles of Rhyniognatha hirsti, it may be an oldest insect, but also possible to be a myriapod. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 8The 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 9Variety of male structures in Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 10Mayfly nymph with paired abdominal gills (from Insect flight)
Image 11The abdominal terminus of male scorpionflies is enlarged into a "genital bulb", as seen in Panorpa communis (from Insect morphology)
Image 12Fossil gnat in amber, a well-preserved insect fossil. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 13Male genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 14Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 15
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 16Generalized arthropod biramous limb. Trueman proposed that an endite and an exite fused to form a wing. (from Insect flight)
Image 17Bumblebee defecating. Note the contraction of the anus, which provides internal pressure. (from Insect morphology)
Image 18The female genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 19Scanning electron micrograph of a cricket spiracle valve (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 20Evolution has produced astonishing variety of appendages in insects, such as these antennae. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 21Cross-section of wing vein (from Insect morphology)
Image 22A tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) dragonfly has flight muscles attached directly to its wings. (from Insect flight)
Image 23The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have direct flight musculature, as do mayflies. (from Insect flight)
Image 24Frenulo-retinacular wing coupling in male and female moths (from Insect flight)
Image 25Indian moon moth (Actias selene) with some of the spiracles identified (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 26Larva of beetle, family Cerambycidae, showing sclerotised epicranium; rest of body hardly sclerotised (from Insect morphology)
Image 27Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. (from Insect morphology)
Image 28Reconstruction Strudiella devonica as a possible hexapod (from Evolution of insects)
Image 29Diagram of a typical insect leg (from Insect morphology)
Image 30Mazothairos, a Carboniferous member of the now extinct order Palaeodictyoptera. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 31Hoverfly (Philhelius pedissequum) has indirect flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 32Reconstruction of a Carboniferous insect, the palaeodictyopteran Mazothairos (from Insect flight)

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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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