Insects: Class Insecta

Life Science - Middle School

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Insects are in the Class Insecta which is broken down into about 30 groups or Orders. True insects all share some traits that can be seen when they are adults. They have three body parts (head, thorax and abdomen), one pair of antennae, two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. They often have large, compound eyes and mouth parts that bite, suck, pierce, sip or rasp. There are more than 900,000 known species so far, making them the majority of animal species on Earth. Insects grow up in one of two ways. Some undergo incomplete metamorphosis. This is when the young hatch and look like miniature adults, called nymphs. As they grow, they shed their hard outer layer called an exoskeleton. Each new size is called an instar. Insects like grasshoppers and crickets grow this way. Most insects, however, go through a complete metamorphosis. This is when the new hatchlings, called larvae, look completely different from the adults. They feed until they reach a certain size and then form a protective cocoon or chrysalis and begin to change or pupate. During pupation their bodies break down and change into their adult forms. Insects like moths and butterflies grow this way. Their pupae are called caterpillars. The classification of insects is: Kingdom - Animalia, Phylum - Arthropoda, Subphylum - Crustacean, Class - Insecta, Orders (10 common): Insects - Class Insecta 1) Coleoptera (Beetles) 2) Dermaptera (Earwigs) 3) Dictyoptera (Mantids and Cockroaches) 4) Diptera (True Flies) 5) Ephemeroptera (Mayflies) 6) Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps, Ants) 7) Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) 8) Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies) 9) Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Katydids and Crickets) 10) Phasmida (Stick Insects) 4 1 3 5 10 6 7 2 6 1 7 7 6 9 9 9 8 8 1 4
94-4026 Insects - Class Insecta Insects have three body parts (head, thorax and ____________________________), one pair of antennae, two pairs of _________________ and three pairs of ___________. Insects grow up in one of two ways. Some undergo incomplete ______________________________. This is when the young hatch and look like miniature adults, called __________________. As they grow, they shed their hard outer layer called an ______________________________. Each new size is called an instar. Insects like grasshoppers and crickets grow this way. Most insects, however, go through a complete metamorphosis. This is when the new hatchlings, called ____________________, look completely different from the adults. They feed until they reach a certain size and then form a protective __________________________ or ____________________________ and begin to change or ________________________. During pupation their bodies break down and change into their adult forms. Insects like moths and butterflies grow this way. Their _____________ are called caterpillars. The classification of insects is: Kingdom - Animalia, Phylum -Arthropoda, Subphylum - Crustacean, Class - Insecta, Orders (10 common): 1) ____________________________________ 2) ____________________________________ 3) ____________________________________ 4) ____________________________________ 5) ____________________________________ 6) ____________________________________ 7) ____________________________________ 4 1 3 5 10 6 7 2 6 1 7 7 6 9 9 9 8 8 1 4 8) ____________________________________ 9) ____________________________________ 10) ____________________________________