Insect Natural History Flashcards
What are the three characteristics that seperate insects from other arthropods?
a. Long legs, cylindrical bodies and two pairs of legs per body segment.
b. Long, flattened body with numerous segments.
c. Three distinct body regions: head, thorax and abdomen. Three pairs of legs, and often, two pairs of wings arise from the thorax.
d. To pairs of antennae and branched appendages. Five pairs of appendates are associated with the head, including a pair of jointed mandibles.
c. Three distinct body regions: head, thorax and abdomen. Three pairs of legs, and often, two pairs of wings arise from the thorax.
A cluster of brighly colored, red and white immature insects in a tree are:
a. giant mesquite bug nymphs
b. red admiral butterfly caterpillars
c. blister beetle larva
d. kissing bug nymphs
a. giant mesquite bug nymphs
Pepsis wasp adults are often seen feeding on nectar. Their young feed on:
a. nectar
b. tarantulas
c. bee larvae
d. butterfly caterpillars
b. tarantulas
Many ant species care for hemipteran insects, and in exchange the ants receive:
a. protection
b. food
c. shelter
d. nothing
b. food
Flies have two pairs of wings; bees and wasps have one pair.
True or False
False
The loud buzzing sound one hears on a hot summer day is a male cicada trying to attract a mate.
True or False
True
Butterfly antennae are thin with a knob at the end; moth antennae are often feathery without a knob.
True or False
True
When at rest dragonflies hold their wings over or along the back; damselflies hold their wings out to the side.
True or False
False
Harvester ants play an important role in grassland ecosystems.
True or False
True
Termites do not break down natural woody material and play little role in grassland ecosystems.
True or False
False
Insects colored orange, black, yellow or red are usually distateful to predators.
True or False
True
Honey bees are native to the Sonoran Desert.
True or False
False
Honey bees seen on the Museum grounds are essentially all Africanized bees.
True or False
True
A high percentage of flowering plants in the Tucson Mountains are pollinated by bees.
True or False
True
Approximately 700 bee species live in the Sonoran Desert region.
True or False
True
Check the ecosystem services that insects provide. They …
___ are part of the food web.
___ are important waste disposers.
___ are important pollinators.
___ cycle nutrients through the ecosystem.
_X__ are part of the food web.
_X__ are important waste disposers.
_X__ are important pollinators.
_X__ cycle nutrients through the ecosystem.
Check the insects(s) associated with palo verde trees.
___ Bruchid beetles
___ Palo verde webber
___ Palo verde root borer
___ Digger bee
___ Iron-cross blister beetle
_X__ Bruchid beetles
_X__ Palo verde webber
_X__ Palo verde root borer
_X__ Digger bee
_X__ Iron-cross blister beetle
Check the structure(s) constructed by arthropods.
___ Mud dauber nest cells
___ Cocoons
___ Dams in rivers
___ Paper wasp nests
___ Ant lion pits
___ Trap door spider burrows with hinged doors
_X__ Mud dauber nest cells
_X__ Cocoons
___ Dams in rivers
_X__ Paper wasp nests
_X__ Ant lion pits
_X__ Trap door spider burrows with hinged doors
You are preparing for a tour; check the following materials you could add to your insect interpretation.
___ Sharpshooter
___ Mesquite twig girdler
___ Carpenter bee
___ Cochineal
___ Cidada
_X__ Sharpshooter
_X__ Mesquite twig girdler
_X__ Carpenter bee
_X__ Cochineal
_X__ Cidada
Check the important role(s) bees play in the environment.
___ Pollination
___ Aeration of the soil
___ Nitrogen-rich feces fertilize the soil
___ Serve as food for many animals
_X__ Pollination
_X__ Aeration of the soil
_X__ Nitrogen-rich feces fertilize the soil
_X__ Serve as food for many animals
Match the insect order to the common names of insects in that order.
Isoptera (equal wings)
Neuroptera (nerve wings)
Coleoptera (sheath wings)
Odonata (tooth)
Lepidoptera (scale wings)
Hymenoptera (membrane wings)
Diptera (two wings)
Hemiptera (half wings)
Orthoptera (straight wings)
______
bees, wasps, ants
moths and butterflies
flies
grasshoppers, crickets and katydids
damselflies, dragonflies
beetles
true bugs, cicadas and hoppers
termites
ant lions and lacewings
