Insect Taxonomy & Classification Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Insect Taxonomy & Classification flashcards as text
Which insect order contains mosquitoes (family Culicidae) along with midges, gnats, and crane flies?
Answer: Diptera
Mosquitoes, along with midges, gnats, and crane flies, belong to the order Diptera (true flies), all sharing two functional wings and halteres for balance.
The order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) is distinguished from other insects by which primary morphological feature?
Answer: Wings and body covered with tiny scales
Lepidoptera are uniquely characterized by having wings and often the body covered with tiny overlapping scales, which give moths and butterflies their distinctive color patterns.
Sucking lice (human body louse, head louse) belong to which insect order?
Answer: Phthiraptera
Sucking lice (suborder Anoplura) and chewing lice together form the order Phthiraptera; all are obligate ectoparasites permanently associated with vertebrate hosts.
Crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids belong to which insect order, characterized by enlarged hind legs for jumping?
Answer: Orthoptera
Orthoptera includes grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids, most of which have enlarged hind legs for jumping and produce sound through stridulation.
What taxonomic rank falls directly between Family and Species in the standard classification hierarchy?
Answer: Genus
Genus falls directly between Family and Species in the standard hierarchy; each species is grouped into a genus, and related genera are grouped into a family.
The order Neuroptera (lacewings, antlions) is named for which distinctive characteristic?
Answer: Wings with a complex network of fine veins
Neuroptera means 'nerve wing' in Greek, referring to the extensive, intricate network of veins visible in both pairs of membranous wings of lacewings and their relatives.
When an entomologist lists an insect as 'Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762)', what does placing the author's name in parentheses indicate?
Answer: The species has been moved to a different genus than originally described
Parentheses around the author's name indicate the species was originally described in a different genus than it is currently placed; Linnaeus originally placed Aedes aegypti in a genus other than Aedes.