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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Human interactions with insects include both a wide variety of uses, whether practical such as for food, textiles, and dyestuffs, or symbolic, as in art, music, and literature, and negative interactions including damage to crops and extensive efforts to control insect pests.
Academically, the interaction of insects and society has been treated in part as cultural entomology, dealing mostly with "advanced" societies, and in part as ethnoentomology, dealing mostly with "primitive" societies, though the distinction is weak and not based on theory. Both academic disciplines explore the parallels, connections and influence of insects on human populations, and vice versa. They are rooted in anthropology and natural history, as well as entomology, the study of insects. Other cultural uses of insects, such as biomimicry, do not necessarily lie within these academic disciplines. (Full article...)
Did you know -
- ... that the iridescent metallic hues of some jewel bugs are caused by structural colours instead of pigmentation?
- ... that a fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana has been released along with a parasitic wasp Tetrastichus planipennisi in the United States as a biological control agent of the emerald ash borer?
- ... that the extinct giant ant genus Formicium is known only from forewings found in Dorset and Tennessee?
- ... that some species of giant stink bugs are edible?
- ... that a new species of decim periodical cicada was discovered by studying the songs of Brood XIX, which re-emerged in 2011 after 13 years underground?
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The rose chafer Cetonia aurata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a beetle, 20 mm (¾ in) long, that has metallic green coloration.
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