This document provides information on various orders of insects through descriptions of key characteristics. It covers orders such as Orthoptera (grasshoppers), Dictyoptera (mantids), Blattodea (cockroaches), Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Neuroptera (lacewings and antlions), Isoptera (termites), Thysanoptera (thrips), Hemiptera (true bugs), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps, bees and ants), Diptera (flies) and provides comparisons between different groups such as moths and butter

1. R K PANSE
Assistant Professor
Entomology

2. ORDER ORTHOPTERA

3. Acrididae: Short horned grasshopper
 Antennae filiform shorter
than the body with less
than 30 segments
Pronotum saddle shaped
Hind legs modified for
jumping. Tarsus 3
segmented.
Ovipositor short and well developped, short and curved.
Auditory or tympanal organs situated one on either side of 1st
abdominal segment
These are plant feeders and are often very destructive.
Eg: Rice grasshopper -Hieroglyphus banian
Rice small grasshopper - Oxya chinensis
Cotton grass hopper - Cyrtacanthacris ranacea
Calotropis grasshopper - Poecilocerus pictus

4. ORDER
DICTIOPTERA

5. Mantodea: Mantids
• Gradual metamorphosis.
Winged adults.
• Chewing mouthparts.
• Head is usually
hypognathous
• Mouth parts mandibulate
• Antennae filiform, invariable
• Forewings modified into
tegmina with marginal costal
vein. Hind wings have a
Large anal lobe in a fan like
fashion.
• Tarsus – 5 segmented
• A pair of many segmented
cerci are present
• Eggs are laid in egg case.
Praying Mantis

6. Blattoidae: Cockroaches
American Cockroach, Periplaneta americana

7. ORDER ODONATA

8. Odonata (dragonflies, damselflies)
Greek “odon” = tooth
(referring to teeth on their
mandibles)
Petaluridae
• Hemimetabolous metamorphosis: simple,
incomplete.
• Toothed mandibles (chewing mouthparts).
• Winged adults and pterostigmeta present.
• Nymphs and adults different in
appearance.
• Aquatic nymphs with gills.
• Indicate good water quality.
• Wing flexing mechanism absent

10. ORDER NEOROPTERA

11. Chrysopidae : Lacewings, antlions, owlflies
Larva
Bradley Higbee, Paramount Farming, www.insectimages.org
Green Lacewing, Chrysoperla sp., Adu
• Holometabolous
metamorphosis: complete.
• Nerve-winged.
• Winged adults.
• Chewing mouthparts.
• Antennae filiform

12. ORDER ISOPTERA

13. Termitidae
Greek "iso" = equal, "ptera" = wings
 Antennae are moniliform
 Compound eyes present in winged.
 Mouth parts biting type with powerful
mandibles.
 wings are deciduous.
 Legs short and stout with tarsus 4 segmented
 Frontal gland is greatest development in
soldiers.
 Anal cerci short or very short.
 Metamorphosis simple or incomplete
 Caste system : difference castes seen in a
termite colony.
A . Reproductive - (King & Queen)
B. Sterile (Supplementary Reproductive)
– Worker & Soldiers

14. ORDER THYSANOPTERA

15. Thysano: Fringed and pteron: wing
Thrips
 Small to minute slender bodied
 Antennae short moniliform,
 Mouth parts asymenetrical, right mandible
is rudimentary, rasping and sucking type
with three stylets.
 Winged or wingless. wings when fully
developed are long and narrow with
 highly reduced venation .
 Cerci absent
 Parthenogenetic type of reproduction is
very common and in many species males
are rarely seen.

16. ORDER HEMIPTERA

17. Mothparts piercing and sucking type and
with slender segmented beak
Pronotum large, scutellum is very
prominent
Winged and wingless. When winged, the
fore wings are basally thickened and
membranous apically and are known as
Hemelytra. Hind wings are entirely
membranous and are slightly shorter than
forewings. At rest the wings are held flat
on the body.
Odoriferous glands or repugnatorial
glands or scent glands or stink glands are
present which near hind coxae
Anal cerci absent
Metamorphosis simple
Suborder: Heteroptera includes true bugs

18.  Head is deflexed and not generally
constricted behind to form a neck.
 Compound eyes well developed, ocelli
absent in apterous form but 2 to 3 in
winged forms
 Antennae well developed and usually 3 to
10 segmented
 Mouth parts piercing and sucking type,
 Thoracic segments generally fused
together, Pronotum small and collar like.
 Winged or wingless when winged the four
wings are uniform in consistency and the
wings are held roof like over the body at
rest.
 Wax glands or honey tubes usually well
developd in most of the members of this
order.
Suborder: Homoptera includes hoppers

19. Heteroptera Homoptea
Pronotum usually large Pronotum small and collar like
Gular region present and it is
sclerotized (the maxillary plates
meet and fuse ventrally to form
gula)
Gular region absent or very small
and membranous
Forewings hemelytra Forweings uniform in consistency
Wings fold flat over the body at
rest
Wings held roof like over the body
Beak or rostrum arise from the
front part of the head and base of
the rostrum not touching anterior
coxae
Beak or rostrum arise from the
posterior part of the head and base
of rostrum extending between
anterior coxae
Tarsi – 3 segmented antennae 4-5
segmented, odoriferous glands are
present
Tarsi 1-3 segmented antenna 3-10
segmented, wax glands are present
Differences between heteroptera and homoptera

20. ORDER LEPIDOPTERA

21. Order: Lepidoptera
 The most distinguishing characteristics;
scaly wings and siphoning mouthparts.
 Antennae clubbed or clavate type.
 Complete metamorphosis
 Cerci are not present
 Adults are terrestrial, mostly feeding on
nectar
 Larval Lipidoptera are polypod
(caterpillar) and found in a variety of
terrestrial habitats.
 Chewing mouthparts feed on plant
materials (leaves).
 Mostly are regarded as serious
agricultural pests.
 Pupae are obtect.

22. Character Moths Butterflies
Behaviour Nocturnal Diurnal
Antennae Pectinate, Plumose & Clavate
Ocelli Present Absent
Mandibles Present Absent
Frenulum Present Absent
Humeral lobe
of hindwings
Undeveloped Greatly developed
Wings at rest Held roof like
over body
Folded vertically upward
Cu2 vein of
forewing
Present Absent
Abdomen Large and stout Comparatively small and
slender
Pupa Obtect pupa
within a
Cocoon
Obtect pupa without cocoon. It is
a naked pupa brightly coloured
and supported by silken
girdles,called as chrysalis
Differences between moths and butterflies

23. Family: Paplionidae (Swallow Tail Butterfly)

24. •Family: Bombycidae (Silkworm Moth) Bombyx mori

27. ORDER
COLEOPTERA

28. Largest order in class insecta comprising
about 40% of the known insect species.
Minute to large sized with leathery or
horny integument.
Head highly sclerotized free, normal or
prolonged in to a snout as in weevils.
Ocelli usually absent.
Antennae variable usually 11 segmented
Mouth parts are chewing type with well
developed mandibles.
Prothorax large and freely movable,
mesothorax much reduced and fused with
metathorax.

29.  Two pairs of wings present. Forewings
are horny or leathery known as elytra.
 Hind wings membranous. The wings are
highly reduced in few beetles.
 Legs well developed for walking, running
and tarsal segments are variable.
 Abdomen usually 10 segmented.
 The larvae are known as grubs and
generally thoracic legs are present.
 Pupa exarate, pale coloured and are
invested by a thin soft cuticle.
 Most of the adults possess stridulatory
organs and these are variable.
 Metamorphosis is complete and complex.

32. ORDER
HYMENOPTERA

33. Sawflies, wasps, bees, ants
• Holometabolous
• This is the most beneficial order
comprising of parasites, predators
and bees involved in poliination and
honey production. Most of them are
social living.
• Head prominent with small neck.
• Compound eyes well developed.
• Antennae exhibit sexual dimorphism
being longer in males
• Mouth parts primarily adopted for
biting and often for lapping and
sucking also.
• Legs slender, trochanter 1 or 2
segmented.
• Larvae as grubs with well developed
head and usually apodous.
• Pupa exarate.

34. • Usually two pairs of naked membranous
wings are present with reduced
venation. Hind wings are smaller and
have a row of tiny hooks on their anterior
margin by which they attach to the front
wings.
• Usually stigma is present in forewings
along the costal margin near the apex.
• Abdomen usually basally constricted to
form pedicel or petiole. The 1st
abdominal segment fused with
metathorax and known as propodaeum.
Second segment forms pedicel. The
remaining region of the abdomen is
bulged one known as gaster.
• Ovipositor very well developed and
modified for sawing, boring, piercing,
stinging etc.

35. ORDER DIPTERA

36.  These are small and soft bodied
insects with prominent head and
small neck.
 Eyes large : usually larger in
males.
 Antennae mostly 3 segmented and
aristate
 Mouth parts sucking type usually
forming a proboscis and they are
sponging
 Mesothorax large supporting the
functional wings, pro and
metathoracic segments small.

37.  Only front pair of wings present.
Hind pair modified into halters
which act as balancers.
 Legs well developed, tarsus
usually 5 segmented pulvilli and
an empodium Usually present.
 Metamorphosis is complete.
 Larvae eruciform and apodous
known as maggots mostly
amphipneustic.
 Pupa either free or enclosed in
the hardened larval cuticle
known as puparium (coarctate
pupa).

38. centipedes millipedes
1 pair of legs on
each segment
2 pairs of legs on
each segment
carnivores herbivores
More
arthropod
groups

39. centipede

40. Millipedes
in the
Great
Smoky
Mountains
National
Park in
Tennessee