Insects

Lake Shelbyville Eco-Meet 2018

Junior Varsity

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – ST. LOUIS DISTRICT

LAKE SHELBYVILLE
1989 State Highway 16
SHELBYVILLE, IL 62565
(217) 774-3951
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction……………………………………………………….……………………………...2

Insect Anatomy………………………………………………………………….……………….2

Typical Insect…………………………………………………………...………………..2

Mouthparts………………………………………………………………...……………..4

Locomotion..………………….…………………………………………………...………..……4

Growth and Development…………………..……………………………………..…………....6

Behavior…...…………………..……….……………………………………….……….……....7

Conservation……………..…………………………...……………..…….…………….….......8

Insect Orders……………………………….………………....……...….…...……………..…..9

Coleoptera……………………………………………………………………………….9

Diptera…………………………………………………………………………………..10

Hemiptera……………………………………………………………………………....11

Hymenoptera…………………………………………………………………………...12

Isoptera………………………………………………………………………………....13

Lepidoptera………………………………………………………………………….….14

Odonata…………………………………………………………………………………15

Orthoptera………………………………………………………………………………16

Bibliography…...…………………….…………………………………….…….………..……17

1
 INTRODUCTION
Insects are a fascinating group of animals that are found all over the world from
the poles to the tropics. They live in water, woods, plants, soil, and even inside of other
animals. They are extremely adaptive to many different environments and can thrive in
the harshest of conditions. Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth.
There are currently over a million discovered species of insects, and an estimated 6-10
million species total that have yet to be discovered. Many insects play an essential role
as pollinators. Bees, for example, do just that and, in the process, make valuable
products like beeswax and honey, which are both used in a wide variety of important
commercial products. The Giant Silkworm Moth Larvae produces silk that is also an
important resource. Other insects help our ecosystems by feeding on dead and
decaying materials, and then returning them to the soil. These insects are called
decomposers. Most insects feed on plants. Only a small number of insects are
considered pests. Normally, these pests are known to do considerable damage to
crops. They may also be parasites or carry diseases.

INSECT ANATOMY
TYPICAL INSECT
Every insect has the same three basic body structures: a head, a thorax, and an
abdomen. An insect’s head has two antennae, two compound eyes, and simple eyes or
ocelli. The thorax is the middle section and has three pairs of legs (6 legs total) attached
to it, along with one or two pairs of wings. These wings can be leathery, which means
they are thickened and resilient. They can also be membranous, meaning they are
flexible, thin, and finely veined. Most adult insects have two pairs of membranous wings,
but flies, for example, have only one pair of flying wings and a pair of club-like halters. In
beetles, the forewings are hard and armor-like. They cover the membranous hind wings
used for flight. The forewings of true bugs, like the Squash Bug, are leathery and have
membrane tips. The abdomen is the third part of the insect and contains the rest of the
vital organs.

2
 Insect Anatomy Example #1: Grasshopper

Insect Anatomy Example #2: Beetle

NOTE: Diagrams are for reference purposes only. Participants will not be required to
identify body parts on the exam.

3
MOUTHPARTS
Insects as a group feed on a large variety of plant and animal matter. Because of
this, they are equipped with mouth parts that are adapted for this mode of life. Five
different types of mouthparts are commonly seen in insects. These include
biting/chewing, piercing-sucking, siphoning, lapping, and sponging mouthparts.

https://bio.libretexts.org/TextMaps/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_Introductory_Biology_(CK-
12)/11%3A_Invertebrates/11._11%3A_Insects
https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/insect/275066/285150-toc

LOCOMOTION
Insects are masters of movement: roaches run, bees swarm, moths fly, mantises
strike, beetles swim, caterpillars crawl, dragonflies dart, maggots squirm, water
boatmen paddle, mole crickets burrow, mosquito larvae wriggle, fleas jump, whirligigs
spin, collembola spring, water striders skate, and army ants march.
When it comes to walking, an exoskeleton can be awkward baggage as it is
bulky and cumbersome for a small insect. To compensate, most insects have three
pairs of legs positioned laterally in a wide stance. The body’s center of mass is low and
well within the perimeter of support for optimal stability. Each leg serves both as a strut
to support the body’s weight and as a lever to facilitate movement. At very slow walking

4
speeds, an insect moves only one leg at a time while keeping the other five in contact
with the ground. At intermediate speeds, two legs may be lifted simultaneously, but in
order to maintain balance, at least one leg of each body segment always remains
stationary. This results in a wave-like pattern of leg movements known as the
metachronal gait.
When running, an insect moves three legs simultaneously. This is called the
tripod gait, so-named because the insect always has three legs in contact with the
ground (front and hind legs on one side of the body and middle leg on the opposite
side).
The coordination of leg movements is regulated by networks of neurons that can
produce rhythmic output without needing any external timing signals. These networks
are called central pattern generators (CPGs). Insects have at least one CPG per leg.
Individual networks are linked together via interneurons, and output from each CPG is
modified as needed by sensory feedback from the legs.
Only animals with a rigid body frame can use the tripod gait for movement. Soft-
bodied insects, like caterpillars, have a hydrostatic skeleton. They move with peristaltic
contractions of the body, pulling the hind prolegs forward to grab the substrate and then
pushing the front of the body forward segment by segment. This distinctive pattern of
locomotion has earned them nicknames like “inchworms,” “spanworms,” and
“measuring worms.”

In flying insects, their method of locomotion is focused in the wings rather than
the legs. In all flying insects, the base of each wing is embedded in an elastic
membrane that surrounds two or three axillary sclerites. Together, these elements form
a complex hinge joint that gives the wing freedom to move up and down through an arc
of more than 120 degrees. The hinge is a "bistable oscillator,” it stops moving only when
the wing is completely up or completely down. During flight, the wing "snaps" from one
position to the other. The power for the wing's upstroke is generated by the contraction
of dorsal-ventral muscles (also called tergosternal muscles). These are called "indirect
flight muscles" because they have no direct contact with the wings. They stretch from
the notum to the sternum. When they contract, they pull the notum downward relative to
the fulcrum point and force the wing tips up. Elasticity of the thoracic sclerites and the

5
hinge mechanism allows as much as 85% of the energy involved in the upstroke to be
stored as potential energy and released during the down stroke.
Some insects use swimming and skating for their locomotion. Many aquatic
beetles (Coleoptera) and bugs (Hemiptera) use their middle and/or hind legs as oars for
swimming or diving. These legs are usually flattened or equipped with a fringe of long,
stiff hairs to improve their performance and efficiency in the water. The legless larvae
and pupae of mosquitoes, midges, and other flies (Diptera) manage to swim by twisting,
contouring, or undulating their bodies. Dragonfly naiads (Odonata) have a jet propulsion
system, meaning they can propel themselves forward by contracting abdominal muscles
and forcing a jet of water out of the rectal chamber that houses their respiratory gills. A
few aquatic insects, such as water striders, have a whorl of hydrophobic hairs on the
tips of their feet. These hairs prevent the insect’s legs from breaking the surface tension
of the water, allowing them to skate on the surface.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

An insect’s skeleton is external and is able to stretch at the folds between the
chitinous plates. This allows the insect to grow for a while then shed its tight, old
skeleton for a new larger one that is capable of stretching further. All insects cast their
skeletons, or molts, a number of times during their growth from egg to adult. In most
primitive insects, the general body form does not change appreciably during the
process. This is direct development with no metamorphosis. In these cases, the insect
will leave its egg in an advanced stage of body development and only differs from the
adult in size and sexual maturity.

Direct Development without Metamorphosis

Immature insects like this are referred to as “young,” for a lack of a more
descriptive term, and their development is said to be more direct with no
metamorphosis. A more advanced type of development, simple or gradual, is exhibited
by insects like the grasshopper whose young, called a “nymph.” Nymphs are like adult
grasshoppers in a lot of ways. The nymph has both compound and simple eyes, eats
the same food as the adult, and behaves in many of the same ways. The main

6
difference is in the wings, as the wings of the nymph are short, pouch-like extensions
from the thorax wall. Its sexual organs are also not fully developed. The change from
mature nymph to winged adult is a considerable transformation but is still considered to
be an incomplete metamorphosis.
Complete metamorphosis occurs in beetles, butterflies, and other “higher”
insects. In this type of change, the young, called “larva,” observe no characteristics like
the adults. They have no trace of wings and no compound eyes like the adult form does.
In this complex type of development, a transition stage (pupal period) exists between
the larval and adult stages. The pupa is usually in a cell in soil, plant tissue, the silken
cocoon that was fashioned by the larva, or inside the un-shed skin of the larva.

Complete vs. Incomplete Metamorphosis

Examples: Butterfly (Complete); Grasshopper (Incomplete)

BEHAVIOR
Insects hold some of the most remarkable behavior patterns of any species in
nature. Even from a young age, they show incredible instinct, and this instinct carries
throughout the entire species. For example, some insects make elegant and
complicated cocoons without having a large brain or any education from a parent figure.
Moths are another incredible example of instinctive behavior. Many different
scientific studies and hypothesis surround the mystery of why moths are so attracted to

7
light. Some scientists believe moths zoom toward unnatural light sources because the
lights throw off their internal navigation systems. Moths evolved at a time when all the
light on Earth came solely from the distant sun, moon, and stars. They use an instinct
behavior called transverse orientation, meaning they navigate by flying at a constant
angle relative to a distant light source, such as the moon. Scientists have found that
moths are less attracted to artificial lights during the week of the full moon than they are
during the week of the new moon.
Observations of behaviors like this and behaviors from other insects have
puzzled scientists for years. The exact reasons for some insect instinctual behaviors
remains a mystery still today.

CONSERVATION
Insect populations around the world are in major decline due to things like
climate change, development, and human disruption/destruction of natural habitat. In
1976, the Endangered Species Act recognized invertebrates. Since then, five insects
have been placed on the Endangered Species list in Illinois alone.

8
 INSECT ORDERS
There are between 29 and 32 different known and accepted orders of insects in
all different parts of the world. For the purpose of this competition, we will focus on the
eight orders that are most commonly found in Illinois.

COLEOPTERA (Beetles)
This is the largest order of insects, containing over 40% of all known insects, with
over 350,000 different species recognized worldwide. Characteristics of this order
include forewings that are thick, either leathery or brittle, and meet in a straight line on
the back. The hindwings are membranous. They are equipped with chewing mouthparts
and have a wide variety of feeding habits including acting as predators, scavengers,
herbivores, and parasites. This order goes through a complete metamorphosis
development.

http://www.imgrum.org/user/biologyconcepts/1909909957/1060961797005998560_1909909957

9
DIPTERA (Housefly, Mosquito, Crane Fly, Horse Fly, True Flies)
These insects are recognized by their one pair of wings. Their second pair is
reduced to small knobbed structures called halters that are used for balancing. They are
equipped with sucking mouthparts that are sometimes modified to sponging mouthparts.
Some members of this order, like mosquitos, are blood-sucking insects. Other members
are also very harmful to humans and animals because they carry diseases like malaria,
sleeping sickness, and dysentery. Approximately 120,000 species are currently
identified worldwide, all of which develop through complete metamorphosis.

https://www.britannica.com/animal/dipteran

10
HEMIPTERA (Stink Bug, Backswimmer, Giant Water Bug, Bed Bug, True Bugs)
This order, often referred to as the true bugs, is a diverse group of insects
numbering about 90,000 known species worldwide. These insects have two pairs of
forewings that differ in structure. The front half of each wing is thicker and more leathery
while the rear half is thin and membranous. They are equipped with sucking mouthparts
and vary widely in diet, habitat, etc. Some of these insects are also equipped with scent
glands that help to ward off predators. These insects develop through an incomplete
metamorphosis.

https://www.britannica.com/animal/heteropteran

11
HYMENOPTERA (Wasps, Ants, Bees)

These insects can be with or without wings. If winged, they will have two pairs of
membranous wings that link together with tiny hooks called hamuli. The forewings are
always larger than the hind wings. These insects will have mouthparts that are shaped
like a tube for taking up nectar. They are very thin-bodied, especially between the
thorax and the abdomen, and have well developed compound eyes.
They are known to be one of the most social insects. For instance, the mother,
along with individuals of the colonies, may or may not be directly related. This is called
cooperative care of young. They also have a reproductive division of labor that evolves
from sterile castes which often have certain tenancy or characteristics associated with
helping behavior. An overlapping of generations exists, allowing for the older
generations of offspring to help related, younger generations. This type of social system
is referred to as being eusocial.
For example, all ants are eusocial. Ants have morphologically distinct workers
and queens. In some ants, the workers do not even have ovaries. Other workers can lay
male eggs. Some wasps and bees are eusocial but many are not.
All insects in this order go through a complete metamorphosis. This order of
insects in beneficial to humans because they are pollinators. There are about 103,000
different species recognized worldwide.

https://projects.ncsu.edu/cals/course/ent425/library/compendium/hymenoptera.html

12
ISOPTERA (Termites)

Termites make up this order, with about 1,900 species found worldwide. Termites
have three forms: reproductive males/females, workers, and soldiers. All of them share
some common characteristics like their shape being ant-like with wider waits. They also
all possess a beaded antennae, have chewing mouthparts and soft bodies. Termites
are wing-less most of the time, except for reproductive males and females during
breeding season. After breeding season, they will lose their wings.
The soldiers are identified by their larger heads with armed pincher-like
mandibles (jaws). Workers have round, bulbous heads and lack these mandibles. Both
workers and soldiers typically have pale-colored bodies. The reproductive male and
females normally have dark-colored bodies. Workers and soldiers either lack compound
eyes or have very small compound eyes, while reproductive males and females have
well developed compound eyes.
All termites go through an incomplete metamorphosis. Termites are also very
social, living in colonies that have divisions of labor. They often have a king and a
queen.
Their diet consist of wood from trees, houses, etc., which results in them being
considered pests to humans. The cellulose in wood is often indigestible by most
animals. However, termites are able to digest the wood because of the protozoans in
their stomach that digest the cellulose.

https://projects.ncsu.edu/cals/course/ent425/library/compendium/isoptera.html

13
LEPIDOPTERA (Moths, Butterflies, Skippers)
Nearly 150,000 different species of insects in the Lepidoptera order are
recognized worldwide, with 3,500 of those being skippers. Moths and butterflies are
sometimes mistaken for each other as they do have many similarities. Nonetheless,
moths and butterflies do indeed have some distinct differences.
Both moths and butterflies have two pairs of large, broad wings that are covered
with tiny colored scales. The forewings are usually larger and shaped differently than
the hind wings. They both have soft, cylindrical bodies and coiled mouthparts. Moths
and butterflies go through complete metamorphosis.
Butterflies have slender bodies and clubbed antennae that are swelled at the
tips. This swelling can be slight or very obvious. A butterfly’s forewings overlap with its
hindwings, but they are not linked like a moth’s wings.
Moths have stout bodies and forewings and hindwings that are linked together. A
small spine, or bristle, on the hind wing latches onto a small hook called a retinaculum
on the forewing. Moths’ antennae are not clubbed but do come in a variety of shapes,
including thread-like, broad, and feather-like.
Skippers are also occasionally mistaken for butterflies. They are known for their
quick, darting flight habits. Most have the antenna tip modified into a narrow hook-like
projection.

http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/bug_club/bug_ID/order-lepidoptera.shtml

14
ODONATA (Damselflies and Dragonflies)
Nearly 4,900 species of damselflies and dragonflies are found worldwide. All of
these, once adults, have two pairs of equal size, membranous wings, large compound
eyes, and chewing mouthparts.
At rest, the damselfly and dragonfly can be distinguished by their wing positions.
The damselfly holds its wings close over the body in a straight up position, while the
dragonfly holds its wings open and horizontal during rest.
Damselflies and dragonflies have extremely similar characteristics other than
their wing position at rest. Their heads are highly maneuverable and equipped with
large compound eyes that often cover most of the head. They have very short antennae
and have chewing mouthparts. Their bodies have tilted thorax segments which allow the
legs to be bunched up near the head while the wings are set further back on the body.
Damselflies and dragonflies go through an incomplete metamorphosis.

Left: Dragonfly Right: Damselfly

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/23142299

15
ORTHOPTERA (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Cockroaches, Mantises, and Walking Sticks)
The insect order Orthoptera encompasses more than 20,000 different species of
insects worldwide. A wide variety of insects are classified in this order, but they all
possess the same type of morphology. All Orthoptera have long hind legs, long, thin
antennas, and two pairs of wings. The front wings, called tegmina, are long and narrow,
with a leathery texture. The hind pair of wings is hidden beneath the forewings when the
insect is at rest. All insects in this order go through incomplete metamorphosis.

http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/bug_club/bug_ID/order-orthoptera.shtml

16
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The material in this study guide was adapted from the following sources:

https://projects.ncsu.edu/cals/course/ent425/library/tutorials/external_anatomy/locomoti
on.html

https://www.livescience.com/33156-moths-drawn-artificial-lights.html

http://www.knowyourinsects.org/Database.html

17