Portal:Insects

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The Insects Portal

Insects (from Latin insectum) are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antennae. Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with more than a million described species; they represent more than half of all animal species. (Full article...)

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Mosquito-borne diseases or mosquito-borne illnesses are diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. Nearly 700 million people contract mosquito-borne illnesses each year, resulting in more than a million deaths. Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes include malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, filariasis, tularemia, dirofilariasis, Japanese encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis, Western equine encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Ross River fever, Barmah Forest fever, La Crosse encephalitis, and Zika fever, as well as newly detected Keystone virus and Rift Valley fever. In January 2024, an Australian research group proved that Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative pathogen of Buruli ulcer is transmitted by mosquitos. This is the first described mosquito-borne transmission of a bacterial disease. (Full article...)

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... that the animals described in Carl Linnaeus' Centuria Insectorum include the crab Hepatus epheliticus, the rhinoceros beetle Dynastes tityus, the scale insect Conchaspis capensis and the butterfly Catopsilia scylla?
... that male Monobia quadridens wasps will try to sting like a female, but have neither stinger nor venom?
... that in 1962, biophysicist Jerome Wolken proposed sending cockroaches into space as part of an effort to detect signs of extraterrestrial life?
... that Frankliniella tritici, known as Eastern flower thrips, is an insect that damages crops in the United States of America, including strawberries, grapes, beans and asparagus?
... that the extinct ant-like stone beetle Kachinus, found in Cretaceous amber, is similar in appearance to the modern genus Paraneseuthia?

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The following are images from various insect-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Diagram of a typical insect leg (from Insect morphology)
Image 2Mandibles of Rhyniognatha hirsti, it may be an oldest insect, but also possible to be a myriapod. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 3Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 4Bumblebee defecating. Note the contraction of the anus, which provides internal pressure. (from Insect morphology)
Image 5
Insect morphology
Legend of body parts
Tagmata: A – Head, B – Thorax, C – Abdomen.
1. antenna
2. ocelli (lower)
3. ocelli (upper)
4. compound eye
5. brain (cerebral ganglia)
6. prothorax
7. dorsal blood vessel
8. tracheal tubes (trunk with spiracle)
9. mesothorax
10. metathorax
11. forewing
12. hindwing
13. mid-gut (stomach)
14. dorsal tube (heart)
15. ovary
16. hind-gut (intestine, rectum & anus)
17. anus
18. oviduct
19. nerve cord (abdominal ganglia)
20. Malpighian tubes
21. tarsal pads
22. claws
23. tarsus
24. tibia
25. femur
26. trochanter
27. fore-gut (crop, gizzard)
28. thoracic ganglion
29. coxa
30. salivary gland
31. subesophageal ganglion
32. mouthparts
(from Insect morphology)
Image 6Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. (from Insect morphology)
Image 7Larva of beetle, family Cerambycidae, showing sclerotised epicranium; rest of body hardly sclerotised (from Insect morphology)
Image 8Variety of male structures in Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 9Frenulo-retinacular wing coupling in male and female moths (from Insect flight)
Image 10Closeup of a fire ant, showing fine sensory hairs on antennae (from Insect morphology)
Image 11Reconstruction of a Carboniferous insect, the palaeodictyopteran Mazothairos (from Insect flight)
Image 12The abdominal terminus of male scorpionflies is enlarged into a "genital bulb", as seen in Panorpa communis (from Insect morphology)
Image 13Scanning electron micrograph of a cricket spiracle valve (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 14Mazothairos, a Carboniferous member of the now extinct order Palaeodictyoptera. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 15Generalized arthropod biramous limb. Trueman proposed that an endite and an exite fused to form a wing. (from Insect flight)
Image 16Indian moon moth (Actias selene) with some of the spiracles identified (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 17Fossil gnat in amber, a well-preserved insect fossil. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 18Hoverfly (Philhelius pedissequum) has indirect flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 19Cross-section of wing vein (from Insect morphology)
Image 20Male genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 21Head of Orthoptera, Acrididae. a:antenna; b:ocelli; c:vertex; d:compound eye; e:occiput; f:gena; g:pleurostoma; h:mandible; i:labial palp; j:maxillary palps; k:maxilla; l:labrum; m:clypeus; n:frons (from Insect morphology)
Image 22Reconstruction Strudiella devonica as a possible hexapod (from Evolution of insects)
Image 23A tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) dragonfly has flight muscles attached directly to its wings. (from Insect flight)
Image 24Venation of insect wings, based on the Comstock-Needham system (from Insect morphology)
Image 25The development of insect mouthparts from the primitive chewing mouthparts of a grasshopper in the center (A), to the lapping type (B) of a bee, the siphoning type (C) of a butterfly and the sucking type (D) of a female mosquito.
Legend: a – antennae
c – compound eye
lb – labium
lr – labrum
md – mandibles
mx – maxillae (from Insect morphology)
Image 26A pie chart of described eukaryote species, showing just over half of these to be insects (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 27The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have direct flight musculature, as do mayflies. (from Insect flight)
Image 28Mayfly nymph with paired abdominal gills (from Insect flight)
Image 29Direct flight: muscles attached to wings. Large insects only (from Insect flight)
Image 30Evolution has produced astonishing variety of appendages in insects, such as these antennae. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 31The female genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 32Larva of Syrphid fly, member of Cyclorrhapha, without epicranium, almost without sclerotisation apart from its jaws. (from Insect morphology)

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Reduviidae (Hemiptera) is a large, cosmopolitan family of predatory insects, including the assassin bugs (genera include Melanolestes, Platymeris, Pselliopus, Rasahus, Reduvius, Rhiginia, Sinea, Triatoma, and Zelus), wheel bugs (Arilus cristatus) and thread-legged bugs (the subfamily Emesinae, including the genus Emesaya). There are about 7,000 species altogether, making it one of the largest families in the Hemiptera.

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WikiProject Insects

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Categorization : Figure out what categories to add to each article so that others can find them more easily. Also use the {{WikiProject Insects}} template to classify the status of any articles related to insect taxa.
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