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Insects (from Latin insectum) are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antennae. Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with more than a million described species; they represent more than half of all animal species. (Full article...)

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The Lulworth skipper (Thymelicus acteon) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Its name is derived from Lulworth Cove in the county of Dorset, England, where the first specimens in Great Britain were collected in 1832 by English naturalist James Charles Dale.

The species occurs locally across Central Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa, where its population is considered stable. Its numbers have declined in Northern Europe, leading to its European status of "vulnerable". Its range in Britain is restricted to the south coast of Dorset, however it is locally abundant and its numbers currently are perhaps at their greatest since its discovery there. (Full article...)

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... that the animals described in Carl Linnaeus' Centuria Insectorum include the crab Hepatus epheliticus, the rhinoceros beetle Dynastes tityus, the scale insect Conchaspis capensis and the butterfly Catopsilia scylla?
... that male Monobia quadridens wasps will try to sting like a female, but have neither stinger nor venom?
... that in 1962, biophysicist Jerome Wolken proposed sending cockroaches into space as part of an effort to detect signs of extraterrestrial life?
... that Frankliniella tritici, known as Eastern flower thrips, is an insect that damages crops in the United States of America, including strawberries, grapes, beans and asparagus?
... that the extinct ant-like stone beetle Kachinus, found in Cretaceous amber, is similar in appearance to the modern genus Paraneseuthia?

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The following are images from various insect-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Larva of beetle, family Cerambycidae, showing sclerotised epicranium; rest of body hardly sclerotised (from Insect morphology)
Image 2Indian moon moth (Actias selene) with some of the spiracles identified (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 3Head of Orthoptera, Acrididae. a:antenna; b:ocelli; c:vertex; d:compound eye; e:occiput; f:gena; g:pleurostoma; h:mandible; i:labial palp; j:maxillary palps; k:maxilla; l:labrum; m:clypeus; n:frons (from Insect morphology)
Image 4
Insect morphology
Legend of body parts
Tagmata: A – Head, B – Thorax, C – Abdomen.
1. antenna
2. ocelli (lower)
3. ocelli (upper)
4. compound eye
5. brain (cerebral ganglia)
6. prothorax
7. dorsal blood vessel
8. tracheal tubes (trunk with spiracle)
9. mesothorax
10. metathorax
11. forewing
12. hindwing
13. mid-gut (stomach)
14. dorsal tube (heart)
15. ovary
16. hind-gut (intestine, rectum & anus)
17. anus
18. oviduct
19. nerve cord (abdominal ganglia)
20. Malpighian tubes
21. tarsal pads
22. claws
23. tarsus
24. tibia
25. femur
26. trochanter
27. fore-gut (crop, gizzard)
28. thoracic ganglion
29. coxa
30. salivary gland
31. subesophageal ganglion
32. mouthparts
(from Insect morphology)
Image 5Male genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 6A tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) dragonfly has flight muscles attached directly to its wings. (from Insect flight)
Image 7Fossil gnat in amber, a well-preserved insect fossil. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 8Evolution has produced astonishing variety of appendages in insects, such as these antennae. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 9Diagram of a typical insect leg (from Insect morphology)
Image 10Variety of male structures in Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 11Mayfly nymph with paired abdominal gills (from Insect flight)
Image 12Frenulo-retinacular wing coupling in male and female moths (from Insect flight)
Image 13Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 14Mazothairos, a Carboniferous member of the now extinct order Palaeodictyoptera. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 15The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have direct flight musculature, as do mayflies. (from Insect flight)
Image 16Venation of insect wings, based on the Comstock-Needham system (from Insect morphology)
Image 17Reconstruction Strudiella devonica as a possible hexapod (from Evolution of insects)
Image 18Reconstruction of a Carboniferous insect, the palaeodictyopteran Mazothairos (from Insect flight)
Image 19Hoverfly (Philhelius pedissequum) has indirect flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 20A pie chart of described eukaryote species, showing just over half of these to be insects (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 21Larva of Syrphid fly, member of Cyclorrhapha, without epicranium, almost without sclerotisation apart from its jaws. (from Insect morphology)
Image 22Cross-section of wing vein (from Insect morphology)
Image 23Mandibles of Rhyniognatha hirsti, it may be an oldest insect, but also possible to be a myriapod. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 24The development of insect mouthparts from the primitive chewing mouthparts of a grasshopper in the center (A), to the lapping type (B) of a bee, the siphoning type (C) of a butterfly and the sucking type (D) of a female mosquito.
Legend: a – antennae
c – compound eye
lb – labium
lr – labrum
md – mandibles
mx – maxillae (from Insect morphology)
Image 25Closeup of a fire ant, showing fine sensory hairs on antennae (from Insect morphology)
Image 26Bumblebee defecating. Note the contraction of the anus, which provides internal pressure. (from Insect morphology)
Image 27Generalized arthropod biramous limb. Trueman proposed that an endite and an exite fused to form a wing. (from Insect flight)
Image 28Direct flight: muscles attached to wings. Large insects only (from Insect flight)
Image 29The abdominal terminus of male scorpionflies is enlarged into a "genital bulb", as seen in Panorpa communis (from Insect morphology)
Image 30Scanning electron micrograph of a cricket spiracle valve (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 31Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. (from Insect morphology)
Image 32The female genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)

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Credit: Noodle snacks

Green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) is a family of lacewings containing about 85 genera and (according to different sources) 1,300–2,000 species. Members of the genera Chrysopa (pictured) and Chrysoperla are very common in North America and Europe; they are very similar and many of their species have been moved from one genus to the other times and again.

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WikiProject Insects

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