13: Insects

Question 1

What are hemimetabolous?

Answer 1

Insects that have nymphs
Moult
Gradual growth
Can still have radical change- eg. aquatic to aerial
Also called Exopterygota

Question 2

What are holometabolus?

Answer 2

Insects that have a larval stage and a pupa
Allows organisms to exploit different niches
Eg. butterflies
Also called Endopterygota

Question 3

Why did metamorphosis evolve?

Answer 3

Exploiting plants/niches

Question 4

What is the only insect lineage to go extinct?

Answer 4

Paleodictyopterida

Question 5

What was Paleodictyopterida?

Answer 5

Giant flying insect, 290 mya
Wingspan up to 55cm
Don’t know why disappeared- doesn’t correlate with decreasing O2

Question 6

Scientific name for beetles

Answer 6

Coleoptera

Question 7

Coleoptera features

Answer 7

Over 350,000 species
Forewing is hardened into an elytron
95% are herbivorous

Question 8

What are the 2 insect subclasses?

Answer 8

Apterygota- wingless

Pterygota- winged

Question 9

What are wingless insects called?

Answer 9

Apterygota

2 orders

Question 10

What are winged insects called?

Answer 10

Pterygota

30 orders

Question 11

Largest insect

Answer 11

Weta insects

71g

Question 12

Smallest insect

Answer 12

Tanzanian parasitic wasp

0.3mm

Question 13

Scorpion flies scientific name

Answer 13

Mecoptera

Question 14

Mecoptera features

Answer 14

Predators or saprophages

Used in forensics- only feed on fresh corpses

Question 15

Dragon/damselflies scientific name

Answer 15

Odonata

Question 16

Odonata features

Answer 16

Carnivorous
Aquatic stage- most of life is spent as larvae
Hover and fly backwards
Male sexual organ removes sperm from previous mate
Mate guarding

Question 17

Difference between dragonflies and damselflies

Answer 17

Dragonflies = perpendicular sings, big eyes
Damselflies = parallel wings, bulbous eyes

Question 18

What are myrmeleontidae?

Answer 18

Antlions

Question 19

Myrmeleontidae features

Answer 19

Eat ants
Larvae bury in soil- sarlacc pit
Don’t get the in the UK

Question 20

What are Chrysopidae?

Answer 20

Lacewings

Question 21

What are Ascalaphidae?

Answer 21

Owlflies

Question 22

What are Mantispidae?

Answer 22

Mantidflies

Question 23

Mantispidae features

Answer 23

Tropical
Larvae can be parasitic on spiders or beetles
Not flies or mantids

Question 24

What are Hymenoptera?

Answer 24

Ants, bees, wasps, saw-flies

Second largest insect order (after Coleoptera)

Question 25

Hymenoptera features

Answer 25

Couple pairs of wings with hamuli- hook on hind wing (synapomorphy)
Some are eusocial

Question 26

Ant features

Answer 26

9,000 described, 30,000 estimated

Derived from wasps

Question 27

What are Diptera?

Answer 27

True flies

Question 28

Diptera features

Answer 28

150,000 species
Flies, midges, mosquitos, gnats
One pair of functional wings and halteres