This document discusses the identification of insects from four orders: Diptera, Siphonaptera, Phthiraptera, and Hemiptera. It provides details on the key characteristics of insects from each order. For Diptera, it describes the suborders Nematocera, Brachycera, and Cyclorrhapha. It discusses morphological features of fleas, lice, true bugs, and specific examples like mosquitoes, house flies, and tsetse flies to differentiate between types of insects within each order. The document aims to teach identification of medically and veterinary important insects through microscopic examination of specimens.

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The University of Zambia
School of veterinary medicine
Department of paraclinical studies
Name: Musalo Brian
Computer #: 10008047
Course code: VMP-4400
Lab: Identification of ticks and mites
Attention: Mr.chota
Date: 10/03/14

2. Title: identification of insects
Aim: to identify insects of the orders Diptera, Siphonaptera, Phthiraptera and Hemiptera of
veterinary and medical importance.
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INTRODUCTION
The order Diptera also known as true flies are one of the most diverse orders of insects both
morphologically & biologically. The order name means ‘two-winged’ and refers to the fact
that the hind pair of wings is greatly modified and reduced. This order has over 120,000 species
worldwide. Although flies with medical and veterinary significance constitute only a small
fraction of these numbers, their diversity is impressive, ranging from mosquitoes, larvae that
parasitize various animals, and species that help to decompose carrion or feces. No other
group of insects has much impact on human and animal health as do the Diptera (Mullen G. &
Durden L. 2002).
The order Siphonaptera are fleas. These are morphologically unique ectoparasites that are
unlikely to be confused with any other arthropods. They are a monophyletic group that has
evolutionary ties with the mecopteroid insects order mecoptera and diptera. Fleas evolved
from winged ancestors during the late Jurassic or early cretaceous period 125-150 million years
ago. As a group, they have principally evolved as parasites of mammals on 94% of known
species feed, representing 15 families and more than 200 genera of fleas. The remaining 6%,
representing 5 families and 25 genera, are ectoparasites of birds (Mullen G. & Durden L. 2002).
This is an appropriate appellation for these secondarily wingless insects whose mouthparts
are adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/siphonaptera).
The order Hemiptera includes all of the insects known as true bugs. Hemiptera are
characterized as soft-bodied insects with piercing and sucking mouthparts and, usually, two
pairs of wings. The order traditionally is divided into two major divisions: the Heteroptera and
the Homoptera. The name Hemiptera means ‘half wings’ and is derived from the members of
the Heteroptera (different wings), most of which have fore wings called Hemelytra. They are
composed of the corium and clavus and a transparent, filmy distal portion as well as the
membrane, hence the idea of a half wing. The hind wings are completely membranous. The
difference in texture between the fore and hind wings in the heteropterans give this group its
name. The true bugs have about 90,000 species worldwide and constitutes the largest
exopterygote order of insects (Mullen G. & Durden L 2002).
The order Phthiraptera are lice. These are a menace to humans, pets, and livestock, not only
because of their blood-feeding or chewing habits, but also because of their ability to transmit
pathogens. The human body louse has been indirectly responsible for influencing human

3. history through its ability to transmit the causative agent of typhus. However, most of the
3200 known species of lice are ectoparasites of wild birds or mammals and have no known
medical or veterinary importance. The order Phthiraptera is divided into two suborders:
Anoplura (sucking lice) & Mallophaga (chewing or biting lice). All members of the Anoplura
are obligate, hematophagous ectoparasites of placental mammals, whereas the more diverse
Mallophaga include species that are obligate associates of birds, marsupials and placental
mammals. Although certain chewing lice imbibe blood, most species ingest host feather, fur,
skin, or skin products. Because of the different feeding strategies of the two groups, the blood
feeding Anoplura are far more important than the Mallophaga in transmitting pathogens to
their hosts (Mullen G. & Durden L. 2002).
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MATERIAL
Material:
 Microscopes
 Glass slide
 Cover slip
 70% preservative alcohol
Specimens:
Diptera
 Nematocera: (mosquitoes-adult, larvae and pupa)
 Brachycera- Tabanus species (adult)
 Cyclorrhapha: (house fly-Musca domestica, Tsetse fly (glossina spp), stomoxys (stable
fly))
Phthiraptera
 Mallophaga: (Manacanthus spp)
 Anoplura: (Haematopinus suis)
Siphonaptera
 Ctenocephalides felis
 Ctenocephalides canis
 Echinophaga gallinacean
Hemiptera

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 Triatoma infestans
 Cimex spp
PROCEDURE
All the provided specimens were observed grossly and microscopically and special/unique
features that differentiate and help in the classification and identification of these insects on
each specimen were observed
RESULTS
Observations Characteristics
Sub-order: Nematocera
Order: Diptera
• Suborder of elongate flies with
thin, segmented antennae (more
than 6) & plumose in males, long
and slender proboscis, wings long
and narrow, mostly aquatic larvae,
mostly consist of mosquitoes and
midges
• Have small spherical heads and long
legs
• Comprise families simuliidae,
Anophilinae and culicinae
Mouthparts:
 piercing-sucking (biting flies)
 sponging (house fly), some reduced
or non-functional

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Sub-order: Brachycera
Species: Tabanus
 Tabanus Sp have cutting and
lapping mouth parts
 maggots have mouth hooks
Wings:
 One pair (two) wings on
mesothorax, rearely absent.
halteres of varying size on
metathorax
adults
 2 wings- halteres on mesothorax
 Characteristic body shape of three
distinct body regions and small
number abdominal segments.
 antennae reduced to hair or very
feathery (=plumose) in males
larvae
 maggot-like with no body features
except mouth hooks
 pupa: oval with tough exoskeleton
covering (=puparium)
Observations Characteristics
Sub-order: Cyclorrhapha
Species(spp): housefly-Musca domestica
Order: Diptera
Spp. M. domestica
 Common housefly
 Has sponging mouth parts adapted
for imbibing liquid food
 Its antenna has the 3rd segment
bearing an arista which bilaterally
plumose

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Species: tsetse fly-Glossina spp.
Species: tsetse fly-Glossina spp.
 All belong to genus Glossina.
 Commonly known as tsetse flies
 Robust flies with various shades of
brown, from yellowish to blackish-brown.
 Both male and female haematophagus
(male and female distinguished by
presence of hypopygium on ventral
posterior surface in male)
Species: Stable fly-Stomoxys spp
 Similar to Musca domestica abdomen
is shorter and broader than that of a
housefly & has 3 dark spots on each of
the 2nd & 3rd segments
 Proboscis is prominent
 They are swift fliers but do not travel
long distances
 Both male and female haematophagus
Species: Stable fly-Stomoxys spp

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The main landmarks of flea external morphology
Order: Siphonaptera

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Comparative feature
Observations Characteristics
Sub-order: Ctenocephalides felis
Order: Siphonaptera
Commonly known as fleas
• Comparative feature:
- In C. felis the first tooth on the
genocomb is as long as the second
but in C. canis, the first tooth on the
genocomb is half of the length of the
second tooth
- C. canis adults has a more bluntly
rounded head than C. felis
Immature
 Body vermiform (maggot-like),
sparsely covered with hairs
 Head reduced, eyeless, mouthparts
mandibulate
Adults
 Body bilaterally flattened
 Mouthparts suctorial (haustellate)
 Large bristles (ctenidia) often present
on head or thorax (genal and
pronotal combs)
 Hind femur enlarged, adapted for
jumping
Sub-order: Ctenocephalides canis
Sub-order: Echidnophaga gallinacean
• Echidnophadga gallinacean
- Has angular head
- Ctenidia are absent

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Observations Characteristics
Sub-order: Mallophaga
Species (spp): Manacanthus spp
Order: Phthiraptera
Commonly known as lice
 are wingless
 Permanent, obligatory ecto-parasites
spending their entire life
cycle on the host
 Generally host specific and limited to
a single host species or closely
related hosts
• Lice of medical and veterinary
significance belong to the suborders
– Anoplura (sucking lice) and
– Mallophaga (biting/chewing
lice)
Mouthparts:
 chewing in biting & bird lice
(Mallophaga)
 piercing & sucking in blood feeders
(Anoplura)
Wings:
 none
Body characteristics:
 body flattened top to bottom
 legs have special claws to grasp host
Sub-order: Anoplura
Species(spp): Haematopinus suis

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Observations Characteristics
Species(spp): Cimex spp
Order: Hemiptera
o Possess two pairs of wings
o Hemi=one half, ptera=wing, anterior
pair of wings most often of harder
consistency than the posterior pair, or
apical portion of first pair wing
membranous and remainder hardened.
o True bugs, aphids, leafhoppers, cicadas
o Have sucking and piercing mouthparts,
majority suck plant juices
o Two families of medical/veterinary
significance: Cimicidae and Reduviidae
(blood-suckers).
Mouthparts:
 piercing - sucking from front of
head
Wings:
 2 pr. - 1st pair (mesothoracic) are
basal half hardened & tough with
outer half membranous =
(hemelytra) while hind pair are only
membranous
Body characteristics:
 oval or squat body shape;
 piercing-sucking mouthparts from
front of head;
 4/5" long segmented antennae,
large eyes, long legs; wings (in
adult)
Species(spp): Triatoma infestans

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DISCUSSION
The order Diptera is the most important for veterinary entomologists, literally the means ‘two-winged’
and all adults have two wings with the exception of certain aberrant forms in the
hippoboscidae (genus melophagus), (Whitlock J.H, 1960). Diptera order is divided into three
suborders, Brachycera, Nematocera and Cyclorrhapha.
The order Nematocera (thread-horns) are a suborder of elongated flies with thin,
segmented antennae and mostly aquatic larvae, consisting of the mosquitoes, crane flies,
gnats, and midges. Nematocera are typically characterized by filamentous, multi-segmented
antennae which may be plumose in some males. Nematocera is a paraphyletic suborder,
because one of its constituent families (Anisopodidae) is apparently a sister taxon to the
entire suborder Brachycera. Examples of the Nematocera include the mosquitoes (Culicidae),
crane flies (Tipulidae) and black flies (Simuliidae). Many of the remaining families (especially
Mycetophilidae, Anisopodidae and Sciaridae), are called gnats, while others (especially
Chironomidae, Cecidomyiidae and Ceratopogonidae) are called midges. The larvae are mostly
aquatic and have distinct heads with mouthparts that may be modified for filter feeding. The
pupae are orthorrhaphous (meaning adults emerge from the pupa through a straight seam in
the pupal cuticle). The bodies and legs of the adults are usually elongate, and these flies often
have relatively long abdomens. Many species form mating swarms of males, and in some of
these, competition for females is extreme. Although many species (as larvae) have a strong
association with water, even within a single family there may be a trend toward semiaquatic
and terrestrial habitats (Wikipedia, 2014).
Species of the genus Tabanus are the largest of the Tabanidae. Their wings are usually clear.
The antennal flagellum is composed of five segments, with the first segment of flagellum
bearing a horn-like projection. Stomoxys spp, Musca domestica and Glossina spp belong to the
suborder Cyclorrhapha. These differ in that Stomoxys have the abdomen that is shorter and
broader than that of Musca domestica and is also grey with three dark spots on the second
and third abdominal segments. The projecting proboscis is sufficiently prominent to
distinguish species of this genus from species of Musca. Glossina is the sole genus in the family

12. Glossinidae, species which are known as Tsetse flies. Tsetse is a small distinct genus of 22
species, which feed exclusively on the blood of vertebrates (Veterinary Entomology, 1997).
The order Siphonaptera are fleas. These are morphologically unique ectoparasites that are
unlikely to be confused with any other arthropods. They are a monophyletic group that has
evolutionary ties with the mecopteroid insects order mecoptera and diptera. The order
Siphonaptera has Echidnophadga gallinacean, Ctenocephalides felis and Ctenocephalides
canis were the species looked at in this practical, these being the cat and dog fleas
respectively. They both have the genal and pronotal Ctenidia. In C. felis the first tooth of the
genal comb is as long as the second whereas in C. canis the first tooth of the genal comb is
shorter than the second. In Echidnophadga gallinacean spp, after fertilization the female
burrows into the skin of the fowl, usually on the comb and wattles of birds, resulting in the
formation of nodules in which the eggs are laid. Hatching occurs within the nodules, and the
larvae drop to the ground to complete development. The skin over the nodules often
becomes ulcerated, and young birds may be killed by heavy infections. Echidnophadga also
attacks mammals, principally dogs, the nodules being for-med around the eyes and between
the toes.
The order Hemiptera includes all of the insects known as true bugs. Hemiptera are
characterized as soft-bodied insects with piercing and sucking mouthparts and, usually, two
pairs of wings. Cimex causes annoyance in human dwellings, severe irritation and anaemia in
poultry. The female lays eggs in the dark crevices and the larvae hatch after 3-14 days at
favourable conditions. Then after the five nymphal stages, adult develop within 8-13 weeks at
favourable conditions. Drugs such as lindane chlordane and dieldrin are effective in bedbug
control by spraying and dusting. Triatomidae in which Triatoma infestans belongs transmits
Trypanosoma cruzi, the cause of human trypanosomiasis in South America. Control of
Triatoma is difficult because these bugs fly long distances.
The order Phthiraptera are lice. These are a menace to humans, pets, and livestock, not only
because of their blood-feeding or chewing habits, but also because of their ability to transmit
pathogens. The chicken body louse, Menacanthus stramineus often causes significant skin
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13. irritation and reddening through its persistent feeding. Occasionally the skin or soft quills
bleed from their gnawing and scraping action, with the lice readily imbibing the resultant
blood. Large infestations of chicken body lice, shaft lice, and other poultry lice may be
injurious to the host by causing feather loss, lameness, low weight gains, inferior laying
capacity, or even death (Mullen and Durden, 2002). Pediculosis is the infections caused by lice
infestations. Organophosphates insecticides are used for treatment and control. Pour-on or
spot on synthetic Pyrethroids, such as Cypermethrin, or parenteral Ivermectin are used.
Ivermectin is ideal and more effective against sucking lice.
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CONCLUSION
Mosquitoes (adult, larvae and pupae) in the suborder Nematocera, Tabanus spp in the
suborder Brachycera, Musca domestica, Glossina spp and Stomoxys spp in the suborder
Cyclorrhapha; true bugs (e.g. Triatoma infestans) and Cimex spp of the Hemiptera;
Echidinophaga gallinacean, Tunga penetrans, Ctenocephalide felis & Ctenocephalide canis in the
order Siphonaptera and Haematopinus suis and Menacanthus spp in order Phthiraptera were
identified.
REFERENCES
 Mullen G. & Durden L. (2002), Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Academic press,
Elsevier, San Diego, California, USA.
 Wall R. Shearer D., (1997) Veterinary Entomology, 1st edition, chapman & hall press, New
York, USA.
 Whitlock J.H, (1960), Diagnosis of veterinary parasitism, lea & febiger press, Philadelphia,
USA.
 http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/library/compendium/siphonaptera.html