Insects are part of the Arthropod Phylum, and make up one of the largest classes of invertebrate animals. The variety of characteristics of these animals is so great that it became necessary to divide them into several orders. Below we quote all the orders of insects with their main characteristics.
Thysanura Order: Animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts, do not have wings (aptera), do not metamorphosis. They have the body flattened dorsoventrally. E.g.: moths.
Odonata order: animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts (predators). They have two pairs of membranous wings, long and narrow. They are hemimetabolous animals with aquatic nymphs (young stage). The body of adults is slender and has a green or blue color. E.g.: dragonflies.
Phthiraptera Order: animals belonging to this order have a biting-sucking mouthparts and are apters. These animals can be found in the head, sucking blood from mammals (louse), or in the pubis (annoying).
Orthoptera Order: animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts, and most are herbivores. They are hemimetabolas. They have elongated hind legs adapted for jumping, and leathery or absent forewings. Hind wings are membranous or absent. In that order, the male sings to attract the female. E.g.: crickets, grasshoppers.
Blattodea Order: animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts and can be herbivores, carnivores or omnivores. They have leathery or absent forewings, and membranous or absent hindwings. They are hemimetabolic animals. E.g.: cockroaches.
Phasmida Order: animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts, and are herbivores. They have leathery forewings and membranous hindwings. They have a body like sticks or leaves. E.g.: stick insect.
Isoptera order: animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts and feed on wood. In these animals, the wings are only present at the time of copulation in kings and queens, with soldiers and workers being apters. Hemimetabolus. E.g.: termites.
Dermaptera Order: animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts and consume animal or vegetable matter, they are also predators. They are hemimetabolous animals, with leathery forewings and membranous hindwings. E.g.: scissors.
Hemiptera Order: animals belonging to this order have a biting-sucking mouthparts, they are hemimetabola. This order has the following suborders: Homoptera: aphids, leafhoppers; Heteroptera: bedbugs; Auchenorrhyncha: cicadas.
Coleoptera Order: animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts, are holometabolus, with convex and rigid anterior wings that protect the membranous posterior wings. E.g.: ladybugs, beetles, weevils, saw-woods.
Lepidoptera order: the animals belonging to this order have a licking-sucking mouthparts, they are holometabolites, with four membranous wings with scales. The larvae of these animals are known as caterpillars. E.g.: butterflies, moths.
Diptera Order: animals belonging to this order have sucking mouthparts and have a diet that varies according to the species. They are holometabolic animals, with a pair of membranous wings and another pair of wings transformed into rockers for the animal's balance. E.g.: flies, mosquitoes, mosquitoes.
Siphonaptera Order: animals belonging to this order have a biting-sucking mouthparts. They feed on the blood of mammals and birds. They are apter animals. E.g.: fleas.
Hymenoptera order: animals belonging to this order have chewing mouthparts. They can be herbivores and carnivores. They are holometabolic animals and some have a stinger at the end of the abdomen. They have membranous wings, and the forequarters, which are larger, are joined to the posterior by small hooks. E.g.: wasps, bees, ants.
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By Paula Louredo
Graduated in Biology
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
MORAES, Paula Louredo. "Main Orders of Insects"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biologia/principais-ordens-insetos.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
