A Pictorial Key to the Order of Adult Insects

winged wingless (go to page 64)

front wings hardened, leathery or front wings membranous parchmentlike at least at the base (go to page 61)

chewing sucking mouthparts mouthparts

without with front wings leathery front wings of pincer-like pincer-like at base and uniform texture cerci cerci membranous at end

HOMOPTERA DERMAPTERA HEMIPTERA (earwigs) (leafhoppers, planthoppers, (true bugs) cicadas, spittlebugs)

front wings with A. front wings hard, branched veins without veins

jumping insects walking insects A. hind femur enlarged A. hind femur not enlarged B. tarsi with four or B. tarsi with five segments fewer segments COLEOPTERA A (beetles)

B A

ORTHOPTERA DICTYOPTERA (crickets, katydids, (roaches, mantids, 60 grasshoppers) walkingsticks) continued from key page 60

two wings four wings

wings with few or A. wings usually covered no scales; without with scales coiled proboscis B. mouthparts consist of coiled proboscis A. pronotum pronotum not extended over extended over abdomen abdomen A B

A LEPIDOPTERA (butterflies and moths)

very slender wing with no fringe of hairs, or if fringe of hairs as long as present, not as long as ORTHOPTERA wing is wide wing is wide (pigmy grasshoppers)

THYSANOPTERA (go to page 62) (thrips)

end of abdomen without end of abdomen with noticeable appendages style or thread-like tail

A. with haltere-like B. with halteres A. style-like tail B. two or three organs in front of wings behind wings thread-like tails

A B B

COLEOPTERA DIPTERA HOMOPTERA EPHEMEROPTERA (male stylopids) (flies, mosquitoes, (male scales) (mayflies) gnats, midges) 61 continued from key page 61

hind wings equal to or hind wings smaller larger than front wings than front wings (go to page 63)

no long abdominal appendages abdomen with two or three thread-like tails

tarsi two or three segmented tarsi with more than three segments (usually five)

EPHEMEROPTERA (mayflies)

A. piercing-sucking B. chewing mouthparts mouthparts

B B. antennae as long as body; wings and body often with scales A A. antennae shorter than body; no noticeable scales

HOMOPTERA A (cicadas, leafhoppers, planthoppers, spittlebugs) B

HYMENOPTERA (bees, wasps, ichneumons) TRICHOPTERA (caddisflies)

PSOCOPTERA (barklice, booklice) 62 continued from key page 62

mouthparts mouthparts at end of beak-like close to eye structure some distance from eye

MECOPTERA wings never held (scorpionflies) flat over abdomen

B. antennae apparently wings held A. bristle-like flat over abdomen inconspicuous antennae with several segments B A

ODONATA (dragonflies, damselflies)

hind wings with enlarged hind wings without enlarged anal area folded fan-like; anal area folded fan-like; wings tend to curl around wings do not tend to curl the body lengthwise around the body lengthwise

NEUROPTERA MEGALOPTERA (lacewings, mantispids, (dobsonflies, fishflies, owlflies, antlions) alderflies)

all legs of hind legs modified walking type for jumping

ORTHOPTERA (tree crickets)

A. cerci usually long; B. cerci short; with more than eight segments two to eight segments

B A

ISOPTERA PLECOPTERA (termites) (stoneflies) 63 continued from key page 60

antennae present antennae absent

legs present legs absent

head and thorax head and thorax separate fused

DIPTERA (louse flies, bat flies)

HOMOPTERA COLEOPTERA (scales) (female stylopoids)

A. collophore present; both collophore and B. spring-like organ usually present spring-like organ absent

B long tail-like three tail-like A appendages absent appendages present

COLLEMBOLA (springtails)

body not flattened A. body flattened laterally B. or dorsoventrally

A THYSANURA (silverfish) B

(go to page 66) (go to page 65)

64 continued from key page 64

body flattened dorsoventrally body flattened laterally

sucking mouthparts no sucking mouthparts externally visible externally visible

SIPHONAPTERA A. antennae longer B. antennae shorter (fleas) than head than head A B

antennae longer antennae shorter than head than head

HEMIPTERA DIPTERA (true bugs) (louse flies and bat flies)

A. tiny insects; tarsi with B. large insects; tarsi two or three segments with five segments A

PSOCOPTERA DICTYOPTERA (booklice, barklice) (roaches, mantids, walkingsticks)

A. head wider than thorax at B. head narrower than thorax at point of attachment to thorax point of attachment to thorax A B

MALLOPHAGA ANOPLURA (biting lice) (sucking lice)

continued from key page 64

abdomen and thorax not abdomen and thorax narrowly joined together narrowly joined together A

body covered body not covered with scales with scales

HYMENOPTERA (ants)

tarsal claws tarsal claws absent present

LEPIDOPTERA (female cankerworm) piercing-sucking chewing mouthparts mouthparts THYSANOPTERA (thrips)

cornicles absent A. cornicles usually present A

with distinct without distinct head and eyes head and eyes

HOMOPTERA (aphids)

HOMOPTERA (female scales)

HEMIPTERA (bed bugs)

abdominal forceps present; abdominal forceps absent entire body rather hard (go to page 67) and brown colored

DERMAPTERA (earwigs) 66 continued from key page 66

A. mouthparts at end of beak-like mouthparts not elongated, structure some distance from eye close to eyes

cerci present cerci absent

A MECOPTERA (scorpionflies) A. antennae longer B. antennae shorter than one-third of than one-fourth of body length body length B A

body leathery and body soft and usually grey or pale colored dark colored

PSOCOPTERA COLEOPTERA ORTHOPTERA (barklice and booklice) (female stylopids) (crickets)

three to five tarsal segments A. basal segment of front tarsi about same size as ones immediately following

ISOPTERA (termites)