Insect Classification Exam 1 Flashcards
ID info and strategies for common insects. For Spring 2024 class at UF.
What families are in Megaloptera?
Sialidae (Alderflies), Corydalidae (Dobsonflies)
What family is in Raphidoptera?
Raphidae (Snakeflies)
What families are in Neuroptera?
Mantispidae (Mantid lacewings), Crysopidae (Green lacewings), Hemerobiidae (Brown lacewings), Myrmeleontidae (Antlions), Ascaphidae (Owlflies)
How to tell Sialidae (Alderflies) vs. Sorydalidae (Dobsonflies)?
Alderflies are 25mm or less and lack ocelli, Dobsonflies are larger and have ocelli
Sialidae (Alderflies)
Corydalidae (Dobsonflies)
Raphidae (Snakeflies)
Mantispidae (Mantis lacewings)
Chrysopidae (Green lacewings)
Hemerobiidae (Brown lacewings)
Myrmeleontidae (Antlions)
Ascalaphidae (Owlflies)
How to tell Chrysopidae (Green lacewings) vs. Hemerobiidae (Brown lacewings)?
Chrysopidae wings have many cells, top is unbranched veins. Hemerobiidae have larger cells, top has branching veins.
Psocoptera
Barklice and booklice
What suborders are in Phthiraptera?
Mallophaga (chewing lice) and Anoplura (sucking lice)
How to tell chewing vs. sucking lice?
Chewing lice have 2 tarsal claws/segments and sucking lice have 1 tarsal claw/segment. Also mouthparts.
Thysanoptera and how to ID?
Thrips: feathery wings with asymmetrical mouthparts
Ephemeroptera
Mayflies
Imago and subimago
Imago is adult stage. Subimago is a winged, non-sexual stage unique to mayflies
Suborders of Odonata?
Anisoptera (Dragonflies) and Zygoptera (Damselflies)
Dragonfly families and ID
Aeshnidae: eyes touching
Libellulidiae: eyes barely touching, boot shape present in hind wing
Damselfly families and ID
Calopterygidae: several antenodal crossveins
Coenagrionidae: only 2 antenodal crossveins, veins IR2+ and RP3- nearer nodus than arculus
Coenagrionidae
Calopterygidae
Libullulidae
Characteristics of Orthoptera
Wings, large pronotum, saltatorial (jumping) hind legs, well developed ovipositor
Suborders of Orthoptera
Caelifera and Ensifera
Caelifera characteristics
Short antennae, 3 or less tarsomeres, short robust ovipositor, tympanum on side of 1st abdominal segment, stridulatory apparatus on hind femora and tegmina
Families in Caelifera
Acrididae (short-horned grasshoppers), Tetrigidae (pygmy grasshoppers), Tridactylidae (pygmy mole cricket)
Families in Ensifera
Tettigoniidae (long-horned grasshoppers), Gryllacrididae (camel or cave crickets), Gryllidae (crickets), Gryllotalpidae (mole cricket)
Ensifera characteristics
Long antennae, 3 or 4 tarsomeres, long or spear shaped ovipositor, tympanum at base of front of tibia (or absent), stridulatory apparatus on tegmina (or absent)
How to tell family Acrididae?
short horned grasshoppers; tympanum on first abdominal segment, 3 tarsomeres, ovipositor short with sclerotized valves
How to tell family Tetrigidae?
pygmy grasshoppers; pronotum extended over abdomen almost to wing tips, 2 tarsomeres on front/middle legs and 3 tarsomeres on hind legs
How to tell family Tridactylidae?
pygmy mole crickets; 2 pairs of cerci, no tympanum, front legs fossorial, front/middle legs with 2 tarsomeres, hind leg with 1 or none
How to tell family Gryllotalpidae?
mole crickets; tympanum on front tibia, front legs fossorial, tarsi with 3 tarsomeres
How to tell family Tettigoniidae?
long horned grasshoppers; long antennae, blade like ovipositor, 4 segmented tarsi, auditory tympana near proximal end of fore tibia
How to tell family Gryllacrididae?
camel or cave crickets; wings usually absent, no tympanum on front tibia, usually gray or brown, 4 tarsomeres
How to tell family Gryllidae?
crickets; long antennae, tympanum on front tibia, 3 tarsomeres, ovipositor long and spear shaped
Phasmatodea
Walking sticks
Heteronemiidae characteristics
Most common family of Phasmatodea; 5 segmented tarsi, mesothorax 4x as long as prothorax, wings absent
What is the most common family in Phasmatodea?
Heteronemiidae
Plecoptera
Stoneflies
Plecoptera characteristics
long antennae (25-10 segments), eyes small and widely spaced on head, chewing mouthparts in species that feed
Plecoptera (Stoneflies)
Embiidina
Webspinners
Embiidina characteristics
Tarsi on front legs enlarged containing silk glands, cerci 2 segmented, ocelli absent, females wingless always
Grylloblattodea
Rock crawlers and ice crawlers
Grylloblattodea characteristics
slender and wingless, pale or white in color, compound eyes small or absent, lack ocelli, long filiform antennae, 5 or 8 segmented cerci
Dermaptera
Earwigs
Dermaptera characteristics
pincher cerci, 3 segmented tarsi, hind wing folds under short leathery wing (when winged)
Zoraptera
Zorapterans (Angel Insects)
Zoraptera characteristics
minute, winged or wingless, wings eventually shed leaving stubs, 2 segmented tarsi, cerci short and unsegmented, cerci end in long bristle
Mantophasmatodea
Heelwalkers
Mantophasmatodea characteristics
2-3 cm, no raptorial forelegs, no jumping hind legs, keep last tarsal segment in air when walking
Mantodea
Praying mantis
Mantodea characteristics
large, raptorial front legs, prothorax lengthened, front coxae long and mobile, head freely movable
Families in Mantodea
Mantoididae (Mayan Mantid), and Mantidae
Characteristics of Mantoididae
Mayan Mantids; found in central/south Florida and are small and cockroach like
Blattodea
Cockroaches and Termites
Blattodea characteristics
flat oval body, head concealed by pronotum, 5 segmented tarsi, wings present or reduced, long filiform antennae, fast moving
Isoptera
Termites
Isoptera characteristics
wings equally sized, filiform antennae, chewing mouthparts, morphology depends on caste
Embidiina (webspinners)
Dermaptera (earwigs)
Grylloblattodea (rock crawlers and ice crawlers)
Mantophasmatodea (heelwalkers)
Zoraptera (angel insects)
Mantodea/Mantidae
Family Mantoididae (Mayan mantids)
Isoptera (termites)
Acrididae (short-horned grasshoppers)
Tetrigidae (pygmy grasshoppers)
Tridactylidae (pygmy mole crickets)
Gryllotalpidae (mole crickets)
Tettigoniidae (long-horned grasshoppers)
Gryllacrididae (camel or cave crickets)
Gryllidae (true crickets)
family Heteronemiidae (walking sticks)
family Pseudophasmatidae (striped walking sticks)
Collembola
Springtails
Collembola characteristics
body may be elongate or compact/spherical, simple eyes consisting of 8 or less ocelli, forked furcula (spring), moniliform antennae (4-6 segments). Not insects but hexapods.
Collembola
Collembola
Protura
Proturans (no common name)
Protura characteristics
elongate body, eyes absent, antennae absent, forelegs are not used for walking but function as antennae. Not insects but hexapods.
Protura
Diplura
Diplurans (no common name)
Diplura characteristics
vary in size, cerci may be pincher like similar to dermaptera, moniliform antennae, eyes absent
Diplura
Class Insecta synapomorphies (7)
ectognathous mouthparts, annulated antennae, Johnston’s organ in pedicel, posterior tentorial arms fused, subsegmented tarsi (jointed foot), ovipositor formed from segments 8 and 9, spiracles on mesothorax and metathorax
What orders make up Thysanura?
Microcoryphia (Archaeognatha sp.) and Thysanura (Zygentoma sp. and Lepisma sp.)
Microcoryphia
Jumping bristletails
Microcoryphia characteristics
bristletails; elongated body covered in scales, long antennae with many segments, 3 cerci with middle longest, wingless, compound eyes which meet in middle of head
Thysanura
silverfish and bristletails
Thysanura characteristics
elongate body covered in scales, small compound eyes or eyeless, wingless, long antennae, 3 cerci of similar length with outer 2 pointing away from body
Microcoryphia (jumping bristletail)
Thysanura (silverfish and bristletails)
What taxonomic level is Hexapoda?
superclass
Dicondylia
mandibles with two points of articulation
Pterygota
subclass of insects including wings or secondarily lost them
Neoptera
possessing wings that can be folded back against the body
Halteria
presence of haltere
Strepsiptera
twisted wing parasites
Paleoptera
possessing wings that cannot be folded against the body (Ephemeroptera and Odonata)
Polyneoptera
Made up of orthopteroids which have a very foldable, enlarged hindwing
Apterygota
paraphyletic; primitively wingless
exopterygota
paraphyletic; external wing development
endopterygota
internal wing development (complete metamorphosis)
How should organisms be classified?
by natural relationships (presumed by descent)
Phylogenetic systematics
grouping by shared derived characters (synapomorphies)
Apomorphy
derived character (not primitive)
Types of apomorphies
synapomorphy (shared derived character) or autapomorphy (uniquely derived character)
Plesiomorphy
ancestral character
Symplesiomorphy
possession of a shared ancestral character
monophyletic group
group of all taxa descended from a single ancestor (based on synapomorphy)
paraphyletic group
group of taxa derived from a single ancestor, but not all (based on symplesiomorphy)
polyphyletic group
group derived from multiple ancestral lineages (grouped by convergent characters)
taxonomy vs. classification definition
taxonomy is describing/naming/classifying while classification is defining groups and ranking taxa
systematics definition
study of diversity/relationships between organisms (taxonomy + classification)
function of biological classification
provides an information storage and retrieval system, allows biological predictions
homology definition
similar features in multiple taxa which were inherited from a common ancestor
homoplasy (nonhomology) definition
a character found in multiple organisms that was not shared by the common ancestor, or one character did not come before the other
Remane’s 3 criteria for assessing homology
- similarity of position, 2. special similarity (structure), 3. connection by intermediates (connection to different structures by intermediate forms)
Labrum
“upper lip,” helps to pull food into mouth
Mandible
move side to side to chew, cut, or grind food
maxillae
move side to side to handle and sense food
Labium
lower lip (the big structure)
Parts of Maxillae
Parts of Labium
Sponging mouthparts
proboscis (modified labium) is pressed onto food, saliva is secreted and food is picked up by capillary action
No piercing, food channel formed by labrum
Siphoning mouthparts
proboscis (modified maxillae) is uncoiled, nectar is sucked up
No piercing, food channel formed by maxillae
Piercing-sucking mouthparts
mandibles and maxillae are formed into stylets enclosed by labium
Piercing-sucking cicada mouthparts
Piercing by maxillae and mandibles, food channel formed by maxillae
Piercing-sucking mosquito mouthparts
Piercing by maxillae, mandibles, labrum, and hypopharynx (fascicle); food channel formed by labrum
Chewing-lapping mouthparts
mandibles used for cutting and feeding, tongue used for sucking liquid