Insects come in many shapes and sizes, but their main characteristics are:
- three main body parts – head, thorax, abdomen.
- three pairs of legs – 6 total.
- one pair of antennae.
- a hard exoskeleton.
Almost all insects undergo some form of metamorphosis – a transformation from an immature life stage to an adult form. Some insects even migrate during their life cycle.
Apterygota – Wingless primitive insects
three long caudal tail filamentsno wingsno metamorphosis
Zygentoma(formerly Thysanura) – silverfish
Pterygota – Winged insects
Palaeoptera – Non-folded Wing
incomplete metamorphosis
nymphs/naiads look like small wingless adults
Odonata – Dragonflies & Damselflies
Ephemeroptera – Mayflies
Hemipteroid Assemblage
gradual or simple metamorphosis
lack cerci
have mouthparts for sucking
Psocodea – lice & booklice
Thysanoptera – thrips
Hemiptera – true bugs
