Page 43 - One Million Things: Animal Life - The Incredible Visual Guide

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BUGS
With at least 370,000 species, beetles make up the largest group of insects. Their hard front wings form a wing case that folds over and protects the rear wings and abdomen. Beetles are found in fresh water and almost everywhere on land, and they use their biting mouthparts to feed on plants, fungi, other insects, dead animals, or even dung. All bugs have a feeding tube that pierces their food and sucks out the juices. For example, most shield bugs and plant hoppers, such as the well-camouflaged thorn bug, suck sugar-rich

BEETLES Rove beetle

African ground beetle Golden scarab beetle Leaf weevil Striped shield bug Thorn bug Long legs used for swimming

Jewel beetle Darwin’s beetle Common backswimmer (water boatman)

Brightly colored wing case are covered with

True flies have just one pair of Male Darwin’s beetle has a large set of jaws Moth’s wings thousands of tiny scales Pericopine moth

Crane fly wings

Flattened body of violin beetle resembles a violin African Moon moth

House fly Asterope sapphira butterfly

FLIES These agile fliers have just one pair of wings and feed by sucking up liquids. They include nectar-feeders, such as bee flies and crane flies, decomposers that feed on rotting matter, such as houseflies, and predators, such as robber flies, that feed on other insects. Bee fly

Robber fly Verdant sphinx moth BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS Butterflies are generally brightly colored and active during the day, while most moths are nocturnal. Both use a long, coiled “tongue” to feed on nectar or other liquids.

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