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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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Common household cockroaches
A) German cockroach
B) American cockroach
C) Australian cockroach
D&E) Oriental cockroach (♀ & ♂)

Cockroaches (or roaches) are insects belonging to the order Blattodea (Blattaria). About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known pests.

Modern cockroaches are an ancient group that first appeared during the Late Jurassic, with their ancestors, known as "roachoids", likely originating during the Carboniferous period around 320 million years ago. Those early ancestors, however, lacked the internal ovipositors of modern roaches. Cockroaches are somewhat generalized insects lacking special adaptations (such as the sucking mouthparts of aphids and other true bugs); they have chewing mouthparts and are probably among the most primitive of living Neopteran insects. They are common and hardy insects capable of tolerating a wide range of climates, from Arctic cold to tropical heat. Tropical cockroaches are often much larger than temperate species. (Full article...)

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... that the male tropical rockmaster can be distinguished from the male sapphire rockmaster by the size of the blue spots on the underside of its abdomen?
... that bellflower resin bees were among the first insects noted to use synthetic materials in manufacturing nests?
... that the spermatophore of Zorotypus impolitus, one of the smallest in the insect world, contains a single giant sperm cell that is almost as long as the insect itself?
... that the Australian Jumper Ant Myrmecia nigrocincta is an accomplished jumper with leaps ranging from 3 to 4 inches (76 to 102 mm)?
... that the parasitoid wasp Kollasmosoma sentum can deposit its egg within the abdomen of an ant in as little as 0.052 seconds?

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

Image 1Bumblebee defecating. Note the contraction of the anus, which provides internal pressure. (from Insect morphology)
Image 2Cross-section of wing vein (from Insect morphology)
Image 3A tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) dragonfly has flight muscles attached directly to its wings. (from Insect flight)
Image 4The 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 5Direct flight: muscles attached to wings. Large insects only (from Insect flight)
Image 6Closeup of a fire ant, showing fine sensory hairs on antennae (from Insect morphology)
Image 7Scanning electron micrograph of a cricket spiracle valve (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 8A pie chart of described eukaryote species, showing just over half of these to be insects (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 9Indian moon moth (Actias selene) with some of the spiracles identified (from Respiratory system of insects)
Image 10Venation of insect wings, based on the Comstock-Needham system (from Insect morphology)
Image 11Evolution has produced astonishing variety of appendages in insects, such as these antennae. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 12Diagram of a typical insect leg (from Insect morphology)
Image 13The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have direct flight musculature, as do mayflies. (from Insect flight)
Image 14The female genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 15Mandibles of Rhyniognatha hirsti, it may be an oldest insect, but also possible to be a myriapod. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 16Frenulo-retinacular wing coupling in male and female moths (from Insect flight)
Image 17Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. (from Insect morphology)
Image 18Generalized arthropod biramous limb. Trueman proposed that an endite and an exite fused to form a wing. (from Insect flight)
Image 19Reconstruction of a Carboniferous insect, the palaeodictyopteran Mazothairos (from Insect flight)
Image 20Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea (from Insect biodiversity)
Image 21Mazothairos, a Carboniferous member of the now extinct order Palaeodictyoptera. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 22Larva of beetle, family Cerambycidae, showing sclerotised epicranium; rest of body hardly sclerotised (from Insect morphology)
Image 23Head 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 24Fossil gnat in amber, a well-preserved insect fossil. (from Evolution of insects)
Image 25Reconstruction Strudiella devonica as a possible hexapod (from Evolution of insects)
Image 26Hoverfly (Philhelius pedissequum) has indirect flight musculature. (from Insect flight)
Image 27Male genitalia of Lepidoptera (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 28Mayfly nymph with paired abdominal gills (from Insect flight)
Image 29Variety of male structures in Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) (from Insect reproductive system)
Image 30The abdominal terminus of male scorpionflies is enlarged into a "genital bulb", as seen in Panorpa communis (from Insect morphology)
Image 31Larva of Syrphid fly, member of Cyclorrhapha, without epicranium, almost without sclerotisation apart from its jaws. (from Insect morphology)
Image 32
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)

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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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