Insect Taxonomy & Classification Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Insect Taxonomy & Classification flashcards as text
The family Muscidae, which includes the house fly (Musca domestica), belongs to which order?
Answer: Diptera
House flies belong to the family Muscidae within the order Diptera (true flies), characterized by two functional wings and halteres.
Aphids, scale insects, and whiteflies are all classified within which insect order?
Answer: Hemiptera
Aphids, scales, whiteflies, and true bugs all belong to Hemiptera, characterized by piercing-sucking mouthparts and, in many subgroups, partially hardened forewings (hemelytra).
What is the correct scientific name format for a species, following the rules of binomial nomenclature?
Answer: Genus species (genus capitalized, species lowercase)
Binomial nomenclature requires the genus to be capitalized and the species epithet to be lowercase, both written in italics (e.g., Musca domestica).
The German cockroach has the scientific name Blattella germanica. To which family does it belong?
Answer: Ectobiidae
Blattella germanica (German cockroach) belongs to the family Ectobiidae (formerly Blattellidae), which includes small-sized cockroaches found in domestic settings.
Which taxonomic tool uses a series of paired, contrasting statements to lead the user step-by-step to an identification?
Answer: Dichotomous key
A dichotomous key presents a series of paired choices (couplets), each leading to another couplet or to a final identification, guiding the user through observable characteristics.
In modern classification, termites (formerly order Isoptera) are now placed within which order?
Answer: Blattodea
Molecular phylogenetics has confirmed that termites are highly derived social cockroaches and are now classified within the order Blattodea rather than as a separate order.
Which order contains fleas, which are wingless ectoparasites with laterally compressed bodies adapted for moving through host fur?
Answer: Siphonaptera
Fleas belong to the order Siphonaptera, meaning 'tube without wings,' reflecting their wingless condition and siphon-like piercing-sucking mouthparts.