Page 170 - Ultimate Visual Dictionary (DK)

ANIMALS

Insects EXAMPLES OF INSECTS

Compound eye Antenna
THE WORD INSECT REFERS to small invertebrate creatures,
especially those with bodies divided into sections. Insects, Front Head
leg
including beetles, ants, bees, butterflies, and moths, belong to
various orders in the class Insecta, which is a division of the
phylum Arthropoda. Features common to all insects are an Middle
exoskeleton (external skeleton); three pairs of jointed legs; leg Thorax
three body sections (head, thorax, and abdomen); and one
PUPA pair of sensory antennae. Beetles (order Coleoptera) are the Hind
(CHRYSALIS) leg
biggest group of insect, with about 300,000 species (about 30
percent of all known insects). They have a pair of hard elytra (wing cases),
which are modified front wings. The principal function of the elytra is to
Wing
protect the hind wings, which are used for flying. Ants, together with bees
Claw
and wasps, form the order Hymenoptera, which contains about 200,000
species. This group is characterized by a marked narrowing between the
thorax and abdomen. Butterflies and moths form the order Lepidoptera, BUMBLEBEE
which has about 150,000 species. They have wings covered with tiny
scales, hence the name of their order (Lepidoptera means “scale wings”).
Compound
The separation of lepidopterans into butterflies and moths is largely
eye
artificial, since there are no features that categorically distinguish one
group from the other. In general, however, most butterflies fly by day,
whereas most moths are night-flyers. Some insects, including butterflies Stigma
(spot)
and moths, undergo complete metamorphosis (transformation) during their
life-cycle. A butterfly metamorphoses from an egg to a larva (caterpillar),
then to a pupa (chrysalis), and finally to an imago (adult). Vein

Elytron Abdomen
EXTERNAL FEATURES
OF A BEETLE DAMSELFLY
Tarsus
Claw Tibia Costal margin

Pedicel Apex
Femur Vein
Flagellum
Wing
Trochanter
Mandible
Scape
Coxa
Labrum
CRICKET ANT
Labial palp
Abdomen
Compound
eye
Head
Prothorax
Mesothorax
Front leg Scutellum Hind leg FLY EARWIG
Metathorax Middle leg

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