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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Fire ants are several species of ants in the genus Solenopsis, which includes over 200 species. Solenopsis are stinging ants, and most of their common names reflect this, for example, ginger ants and tropical fire ants. Many of the names shared by this genus are often used interchangeably to refer to other species of ant, such as the term red ant, mostly because of their similar coloration despite not being in the genus Solenopsis. Both Myrmica rubra and Pogonomyrmex barbatus are common examples of non-Solenopsis ants being termed red ants.
None of these names apply to all species of Solenopsis nor only to Solenopsis species; for example the colloquial names for several species of weaver ants in the genus Oecophylla in Southeast Asia include "fire ants" because of their similar coloration and painful bites; the two genera, however, are not closely related. Wasmannia auropunctata is another unrelated ant commonly called the "little fire ant" due to its potent sting. (Full article...)Did you know - load new batch
- ... that the animals described in Carl Linnaeus' Centuria Insectorum include the crab Hepatus epheliticus, the rhinoceros beetle Dynastes tityus, the scale insect Conchaspis capensis and the butterfly Catopsilia scylla?
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- ... that in 1962, biophysicist Jerome Wolken proposed sending cockroaches into space as part of an effort to detect signs of extraterrestrial life?
- ... that Frankliniella tritici, known as Eastern flower thrips, is an insect that damages crops in the United States of America, including strawberries, grapes, beans and asparagus?
- ... that the extinct ant-like stone beetle Kachinus, found in Cretaceous amber, is similar in appearance to the modern genus Paraneseuthia?
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- Image 1Larva of Syrphid fly, member of Cyclorrhapha, without epicranium, almost without sclerotisation apart from its jaws. (from Insect morphology)
- Image 3A pie chart of described eukaryote species, showing just over half of these to be insects (from Insect biodiversity)
- Image 4Insect morphology
Legend of body parts
Tagmata: A – Head, B – Thorax, C – Abdomen.(from Insect morphology)- antenna
- ocelli (lower)
- ocelli (upper)
- compound eye
- brain (cerebral ganglia)
- prothorax
- dorsal blood vessel
- tracheal tubes (trunk with spiracle)
- mesothorax
- metathorax
- forewing
- hindwing
- mid-gut (stomach)
- dorsal tube (heart)
- ovary
- hind-gut (intestine, rectum & anus)
- anus
- oviduct
- nerve cord (abdominal ganglia)
- Malpighian tubes
- tarsal pads
- claws
- tarsus
- tibia
- femur
- trochanter
- fore-gut (crop, gizzard)
- thoracic ganglion
- coxa
- salivary gland
- subesophageal ganglion
- mouthparts
- Image 5Variety of male structures in Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) (from Insect reproductive system)
- Image 6Mazothairos, a Carboniferous member of the now extinct order Palaeodictyoptera. (from Evolution of insects)
- Image 7Scanning electron micrograph of a cricket spiracle valve (from Respiratory system of insects)
- Image 8Male genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
- Image 9Direct flight: muscles attached to wings. Large insects only (from Insect flight)
- Image 10Cross-section of wing vein (from Insect morphology)
- Image 11Venation of insect wings, based on the Comstock-Needham system (from Insect morphology)
- Image 12Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. (from Insect morphology)
- Image 14Diagram of a typical insect leg (from Insect morphology)
- Image 16Indian moon moth (Actias selene) with some of the spiracles identified (from Respiratory system of insects)
- Image 17Generalized arthropod biramous limb. Trueman proposed that an endite and an exite fused to form a wing. (from Insect flight)
- Image 18The abdominal terminus of male scorpionflies is enlarged into a "genital bulb", as seen in Panorpa communis (from Insect morphology)
- Image 20A tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) dragonfly has flight muscles attached directly to its wings. (from Insect flight)
- Image 21The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have direct flight musculature, as do mayflies. (from Insect flight)
- Image 23Larva of beetle, family Cerambycidae, showing sclerotised epicranium; rest of body hardly sclerotised (from Insect morphology)
- Image 24Mandibles of Rhyniognatha hirsti, it may be an oldest insect, but also possible to be a myriapod. (from Evolution of insects)
- Image 25Bumblebee defecating. Note the contraction of the anus, which provides internal pressure. (from Insect morphology)
- Image 26Evolution has produced astonishing variety of appendages in insects, such as these antennae. (from Evolution of insects)
- Image 27Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea (from Insect biodiversity)
- Image 29Reconstruction of a Carboniferous insect, the palaeodictyopteran Mazothairos (from Insect flight)
- Image 30Head 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 32The 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)
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Credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim |
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), is a mosquito that can spread the dengue fever, Chikungunya and yellow fever viruses, and other diseases. It can be recognized by white markings on legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the thorax.
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