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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Bees can suffer serious effects from toxic chemicals in their environments. These include various synthetic chemicals, particularly insecticides, as well as a variety of naturally occurring chemicals from plants, such as ethanol resulting from the fermentation of organic materials. Bee intoxication can result from exposure to ethanol from fermented nectar, ripe fruits, and manmade and natural chemicals in the environment.

The effects of alcohol on bees are sufficiently similar to the effects of alcohol on humans that honey bees have been used as models of human ethanol intoxication. The metabolism of bees and humans is sufficiently different that bees can safely collect nectars from plants that contain compounds toxic to humans. The honey produced by bees from these toxic nectars can be poisonous if consumed by humans. (Full article...)

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... that the golden-green carpenter bee defends its nesting burrow by blocking the entrance with its abdomen?
... that caterpillars of the oak leafroller and oak leaftier moths are major defoliators of oak trees, with leafroller timber losses in Pennsylvania of over $100,000,000 in the early 1970s?
... that Nanoraphidia electroburmica, known from a fossil in amber, is the smallest known snakefly species, living or extinct?
... that researchers finally collected a larva and an adult female Tonyosynthemis ofarrelli which match an earlier male specimen?
... that the common spangle gall on the leaves of pedunculate oak trees is produced by the gall wasp Neurotus quercus-baccarum?

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

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

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Credit: Fir0002

Reduviidae (Hemiptera) is a large, cosmopolitan family of predatory insects, including the assassin bugs (genera include Melanolestes, Platymeris, Pselliopus, Rasahus, Reduvius, Rhiginia, Sinea, Triatoma, and Zelus), wheel bugs (Arilus cristatus) and thread-legged bugs (the subfamily Emesinae, including the genus Emesaya). There are about 7,000 species altogether, making it one of the largest families in the Hemiptera.

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WikiProject Insects

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