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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Calliphora vomitoria, known as the blue bottle fly, orange-bearded blue bottle, or bottlebee, is a species of blow fly, a species in the family Calliphoridae. Calliphora vomitoria is the type species of the genus Calliphora. It is common throughout many continents including Europe, Americas, and Africa. They are fairly large flies, nearly twice the size of the housefly, with a metallic blue abdomen and long orange setae on the gena.

While adult flies feed on nectar, females deposit their eggs on rotting corpses, making them important forensic insects, as their eggs and timing of oviposition can be used to estimate time of death. (Full article...)

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... that the beetle Caryobruchus gleditsiae is named after the legume Gleditsia triacanthos, although it lives exclusively on palms?
... that the larvae of the common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea usually consume aphids, but when food is scarce they will eat each other?
... that the "black-margined loosestrife beetle", Galerucella calmariensis, was introduced to North America for biological pest control against the invasive Lythrum salicaria?
... that Edward L. Kessel assembled the world's most comprehensive collection of Platypezidae flat-footed flies?
... that in the north, the North American paper wasp Polistes annularis has rust-red markings on a predominantly black thorax, but in the south, the thorax is mostly rust-red with black markings?

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

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

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Credit: Noodle snacks

The Meadow Argus, Junonia villida (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), is a butterfly commonly found in Australia. It is also known as Albin's Hampstead Eye in the United Kingdom, where it has occurred only as an accidental import.

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WikiProject Insects

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