ENTOMOLOGY Master Gardeners Emily Justus March 29Th 2019 Outline

ENTOMOLOGY Master Gardeners Emily Justus March 29th 2019 Outline

• Taxonomy • Overview • Insect Relatives • Insect Biology and body plans • Insect Orders • Break • Insect roles • Decomposers • Predators and parasitoids • Pollinators • Pests • Vectors of plant diseases What is taxonomy?

• Taxonomy: branch of science concerned with classification of organisms. • Father of taxonomy: Carl Linnaeus (1758) • Published Systema Naturae which based on binomial method of naming organisms • Carl Alexandar Clerck was the FIRST to use this system not Linnaeus! He used it to name spiders • This system is still used today and is regulated by the International Code of Zoological nomenclature Hierarchy of classification

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species Hierarchy of classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species Phylum: Arthropoda

• Arthro= jointed • Poda= feet • Characteristics: 1. Segmented bodies 2. Jointed appendages 3. Exoskeleton 4. Bilateral symmetry 5. Open circulatory system Class of Arthropoda: Chilopoda

• Centipedes • One pair of antennae • One pair of legs per segment • Venomous • Predominantly carnivorous Class of Arthropoda: Diplopoda

• Millipedes • One pair of antennae • Two pairs of legs on each segment • When they hatch they only have six legs! • Detritivore or herbivores Class of Arthropoda: Crustacea

• Majority of species are aquatic with one exception- the pillbug or rollie- pollie • Isopods (order of Crustacea) ❖Seven pairs of jointed legs ❖Flattened body that may or may not roll up in a ball ❖Females carry their young in a pouch on their thorax Class of Arthropoda: Arachnida

• No antennae • Only two body segments: • Cephalothorax • Abdomen • Eight legs • Includes • Spiders • Scorpions • Ticks • Mites • Harvestman Class of Arthropoda: Arachnida

• No antennae • Only two body segments: • Cephalothorax • Abdomen • Eight legs • Includes: • Spiders • Scorpions • Ticks • Mites • Harvestman • Horseshoe crabs??? Class of Arthropoda: Arachnida

• No antennae • Only two body segments: • Cephalothorax • Abdomen • Eight legs • Includes • Spiders • Scorpions • Ticks • Mites • Harvestman • Horseshoe crabs??? What makes an insect an insect? What makes an insect an insect?

• One pair of antennae • Adult have six legs • Three body segments What makes an insect an insect?

• One pair of antennae • Adult have six legs • Three body segments Types of mouth parts • Types of the mouth parts, or even the presence of mouthparts can help you narrow down what insect you have!

Sucking mouthparts Lapping Sponging Chewing Types of antennae

Just like mouthparts antennae can give you a clue as to what insect you have!

Types of legs

• Cursorial • Raptorial • Saltatorial • Natatorial • Fossorial Types of legs

• Cursorial= running • Raptorial= grasping • Saltatorial= jumping • Natatorial= swimming • Fossorial= digging What kind of legs does this insect have? Types of metamorphosis

• Hemimetabolous • Partial metamorphosis • There is not a total rearmament of the body plan, just gradual changes until maturity • Immature stage: Nymph • If wings are present, nymphs will have wing pads in the place of adult wings Types of Metamorphosis

• Holometabolous • Complete metamorphosis • Goes through four different life stages • Egg • Larva • Pupa • adult Insect orders: Overview

• There are roughly 30 orders of insects • The most species rich are: ❖Coleoptera ❖Hymenoptera ❖Diptera ❖Lepidoptera ❖Hemiptera Hemimetabolous Orders Insect orders: Phasmatodea

• Walking sticks • Chewing mouthparts • Hemimetabolous Insect orders: Phasmatodea

• Walking sticks • Chewing mouthparts • Hemimetabolous • Some species look like leaves Insect orders: Phasmatodea

• Walking sticks • Chewing mouthparts • Hemimetabolous • Some species look like leaves • This group contains the longest insect in the world Insect order: Mantodea

• Raptorial forelegs • Chewing mouthparts • Hemimetabolous • Egg sac: Ootheca Insect order: Blattodea

• Cockroaches and Termites • Chewing mouthparts • Spectrum of sociality • Hemimetabolous • Egg sack: Ootheca Insect Order: Orthoptera

• Straight wing • Crickets, grasshoppers, katydids ❖Katydids have a sward-like ovipositor • Long leathery top wings • Chewing mouthparts • Weird example: Mole cricket Insect order: Hemiptera

• Stink bugs, cicadas, aphids, plant hoppers, etc. • Hemimetabolous • Piercing-sucking mouthparts • Herbivores, predators, blood- feeding • Consists of two groups: ❖Hemipterans with hemi-elytra forewings ❖Hemipterans with no wings or completely membranous wings Aphid Parthenogenesis Holometabolous Orders Insect Order: Thysenoptera

• Fringed wing • Thrips • Rasping sucking mouthparts Insect Order: Thysenoptera

• Fringed wing • Thrips • Rasping-sucking mouthparts • Herbivore or predator Insect order: Neuroptera

• Lacewings • Wings are extremely veiny • Predatory larvae • Eggs laid on stalks Insect order: Lepidoptera

• Scale wing • Holomatabolous • Moths, butterflies, and skippers Insect order: Lepidoptera

• Scale wing Coddling moth • Holomatabolous • Moths, butterflies, and skippers • Most lepidopteran pests are little brown moths Corn earworm

Fall armyworm Insect order: Lepidoptera

• Scale wing • Holomatabolous • Moths, butterflies, and skippers • Most lepidopteran pests are little brown moths • Larvae: Caterpillar ❖Head capsule ❖True legs ❖Prolegs Insect order: Coleoptera

• Sheathed wing • Most diverse group of insects • One pair of membranous wings and one pair of hard sclerotized wings • Chewing mouthparts • Holometabolous Insect order: Coleoptera

• Sheathed wing • Most diverse group of insects • One pair of membranous wings and one pair of hard sclerotized wings • Chewing mouthparts • Holometabolous • Larva: Grubs ❖Head capsule ❖True legs ❖No prolegs Insect order: Hymenoptera

• “Married wing” • Bees, ants, wasps, sawflies • Holometabolous • Two pairs of membranous wings connected by hamuli • Ovipositor modified into a stinger Insect order: Hymenoptera

• “Married wing” • Bees, ants, wasps, sawflies • Holometabolous • Two pairs of membranous wings connected by hamuli • Ovipositor modified into a stinger • Sawfly larvae have prolegs on every abdominal segment Insect order: Diptera

• Two wings • One pair of membranous wings and one pair of halteres • Variable mouthparts Insect order: Diptera

• Two wings • One pair of membranous wings and one pair of halteres • Variable mouthparts • Larva: Maggots ❖No true legs ❖No head capsule Insect roles Decomposers

• Insects are important for the breakdown of dead and decaying organisms ❖Largely responsible for crating the humus that covers the soil ❖Breakdown of wood- especially lignin which is difficult to digest- is done by termites and their wood digesting relatives ❖Important part of the nutrient cycle The ultimate decomposer: Dung beetles Predators and Parasitoids

• Many orders contain predators • Coleoptera- Ground beetle • Hymenoptera- Wasps and ants • Neuroptera- Lacewings • Hemiptera- Assassin bugs

• Insects can be predacious at the larval and the adult stages • Larval only: Lacewing larvae • Larval and adult: Ladybird beetle Predators and Parasitoids

• Parasitoid: a parasite that will eventually kill its host • Like predators, there are parasitoids in many orders: • Hymenoptera: Parasitoid wasps • Diptera: Tachinid flies • Coleoptera: Staphilinids or rove beetles • Neuroptera: Mantidflies Parasitoid Video Pollination

• One out of every three bites of food are dependent on insect pollination Pollination

• Generalist vs. specialists • Generalist example: Honeybee Pollination

• Generalist vs. specialists • Specialist example: Yucca moth Weird Pollinators

• Not only bees and butterflies are pollinators • Wasps • Flies • Beetles Insects as Pests

• Only 1% of insects are true pests • Crop pests • Structural pests • Stored grain pests • Forestry pests • Disease vectors for both plants and animals Vectors of Disease

• Insects commonly spread plant diseases as a vector and can also cause a secondary infection • Examples of insect-borne plant pathogens ❖Coleoptera: Stewarts wilt (Bacterial disease of corn) ❖Hemiptera: Tomato spotted wilt (Virus Aphids of solanaceous crops) ❖Thysanoptera: Iris yellow spot virus (Virus in Onions) ❖Hymenoptera: Mummy berry (Fungal in Blueberries) Mummy berry disease cycle Mummy berry disease cycle Who did this damage? Who did this damage? Who did this damage? Who did this damage? Questions you need to ask to diagnose insect problems: • Where did you find it? • When did you find it? • What part of the plant is it effecting? • How many legs does it have? • What does it’s head look like?