Entomology Basics and Insect Morphology

What percentage of species on Earth are insects?

What is the estimated range of insect species on Earth?

Which of the following is NOT a reason why insects are so successful on Earth?

What is the hard protective covering around the outside of the body of arthropods called?

What are the plates that the exoskeleton of arthropods is divided into called?

Which of the following is NOT one of the five important extant classes of Arthropods?

What are the two segments that make up the body of arachnids?

What is the common name for chilopods?

What is the structure that houses the brain, mouthparts, and sense organs in insects called?

Which of the following is NOT a sense organ typically found in the head capsule of insects?

What is the name of the uppermost sclerite on the dorsal surface of the head capsule?

What is the name of the suture that runs along the midline of the vertex and splits into two frontal sutures?

What is the name of the triangular sclerite that lies between the two frontal sutures?

The epistomal suture separates the base of the frons from the clypeus.

Compound eyes are present in all insects.

What are the individual units that make up compound eyes called?

What are the simple eyes that detect low light or small changes in light intensity called?

Which of the following is NOT one of the five main mouthparts of insects?

What is the common name for the labrum?

What is the common name for the mandibles?

What are the paired structures that can move at right angles to the body and possess segmented palps called?

What is the fused structure that moves longitudinally and possesses a pair of segmented palps called?

What is the other main mouthpart, besides the five main mouthparts, that functions as a tongue-like structure?

What are the two main functional groups of mouthparts based on their feeding style?

Mandibulate mouthparts are used for grinding and biting solid foods.

Haustellate mouthparts are only used for sucking liquids.

What are the needle-like projections used to penetrate plant and animal tissue called?

Which of the following insect orders does NOT utilize piercing-sucking mouthparts?

What are the long siphoning proboscis of butterflies and moths called?

What kind of mouthparts are used to sponge and suck up liquid food?

The orientation of the mouthparts on the head affects how the insect feeds.

What is the name of the basal segment of the antenna?

What are the individual segments that make up the flagellum called?

Aristate antennae are characteristic of house flies and shore flies.

Which type of antennae are characteristic of adult carrion beetles?

Filiform antennae have a thread-like shape.

Geniculate antennae are characteristic of bees and ants.

Lamellate antennae end in nested plates.

Moniliform antennae are characteristic of termites.

Pectinate antennae have a comb-like shape.

What are the two margins of bipectinated antennae toothed like?

Plumose antennae have a feather-like shape.

Serrate antennae have a saw-toothed shape.

Setaceous antennae have a bristle-like shape.

What are the three parts that the insect thorax is divided into?

What are the hardened plates that make up the insect thorax called?

What are the dorsal sclerites of the thorax called?

What is the first segment of the prothorax called?

The notum is the dorsal sclerite of each thoracic segment.

The sternum is the ventral sclerite of each thoracic segment.

The pleuron is the lateral sclerite of each thoracic segment.

The pleural suture divides the pleuron into an anterior episternum and a posterior epimeron.

Wings are only found on the mesothorax and metathorax.

What are the five structural components of an insect leg?

What is the terminal segment of the tarsus called?

Ungues are a pair of claws.

Arolium is a lobe or adhesive pad between the claws.

Empodium is a large bristle or lobe between the claws.

Pulvilli are a pair of adhesive pads.

Cursorial legs are modified for running.

Saltatorial legs are modified for jumping.

Fossorial legs are modified for digging.

Natorial legs are modified for swimming.

Raptorial legs are modified for grasping.

Scansorial legs are modified for climbing.

Insects are the only invertebrates that can fly.

Most insects have two pairs of wings.

Wings develop as evaginations of the exoskeleton.

Wings become fully functional during the larval stage of an insect.

Wings can be membranous, leathery, heavily sclerotized, fringed with long hairs, or covered with scales.

Most insects have two pairs of wings, one pair on the prothorax and one pair on the metathorax.

Which of the following is NOT a function of wings in insects?

Membranous wings are characterized by thin, unscleritized membranes between the veins.

Elytra are hard, sclerotized front wings that serve as protective covers for membranous hind wings.

Hemelytra are front wings that are leathery or parchment-like at the base and membranous near the tip.

Tegmina are front wings that are completely leathery in texture.

Halteres are small, club-like hind wings that serve as gyroscopic stabilizers during flight.

Hairy Wings are slender front and hind wings fringed with long hairs.

Scaly wings are front and hind wings covered with flattened setae (scales).

Lance wings are characterized by a wide coastal field in their wing venation.

Hamuli are tiny hooks on hind wings that hold front and hind wings together.

Frenulum is a bristle near the base of the hind wing that holds the front and hind wings together.

The archedictyon is the name given to a hypothetical scheme of wing venation.

The Comstock-Needham system names the veins and their branches according to their position relative to the longitudinal veins.

The insect abdomen is the third functional region of the insect body.

The insect abdomen contains 6-10 segments.

Various types of appendages arise from the abdomen.

Pregenital segments are the first 7 segments in females and the first 8 segments in males.

Genital segments are responsible for reproduction.

Postgenital segments contain the anal cerci.

Cerci are located near the anus.

Dermaptera have forceps-like cerci.

Styles are vestiges of the walking limb.

The median caudal filament is a thread-like projection arising from the center of the last abdominal segment.

Abdominal prolegs are found in Lepidoptera insects, such as butterflies and moths.

Abdominal gills are respiratory organs found in some aquatic insects.

Cornicles are paired secretory structures located dorsally on the abdomen.

Ovipositors are used for oviposition.

Ovipositors are formed by the modification of 8-9 abdominal segments.

Some Hymenoptera insects, like wasps and bees, have modified ovipositors that function as poison-injecting stings.

The male external genitalia is responsible for copulation.

The male external genitalia is formed by the modification of the 9th abdominal segment.