Prominent Wings
Modified Wings
No Wings
| Themes > Science > Class Insecta > Insect Identifier |
The identification of insects is not fundamentally different from the identification of birds, fish, mammals, flowers, trees or any other form of life. It is simply a matter of knowing what to look for and being able to see it. Insect identification is made difficult by the tremendous number of different species. Like all living things, insects are grouped together based on similar characteristics. The Animal Kingdom is divided into Phylum. The Arthropod Phylum contains animals that have an external skeleton. It is divided into four subphylum; the largest is the Insecta, or insects. It, in turn, is divided into twenty-six orders. The orders are then divided into families, which are divided into genus. There are over 900,000 insects world-wide, and about 90,000 of them are found in North America. New species are constantly being discovered. The purpose of this Online Reference Library is to introduce the novice to the various type of insects, the insect orders and the physical characteristics that determine an insect's classification. The goal of this Insect Identifier is to to provide the novice with a means of classifying a specimen by order. More detailed identification generally requires professional training and an extensive reference library. Even armed with such resources, professionals often disagree over identification and classification. Identification is made by simply following the steps set forth in the key. It begins with selecting the wing type. Keep in mind that their is considerably diversity in the insect world and that some members of an order may have only one wing type, but others have all three wing types. |
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Prominent Wings |
Modified Wings |
No Wings |
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