INSECTA
(true insects)

Subtaxon Example images Rank Featured
subtaxa
No of
images
No of
ID refs
Male (Click to open)
Subclass 8 subtaxa 65 images 12 ident. refs
Male (Click to open) (Click to open)Female (Click to open)Female (Click to open)
Subclass 4,147 subtaxa 47,574 images 4,178 ident. refs
Larva (Click to open)
Unidentified 14 images
Taxonomic hierarchy:
ClassINSECTA (true insects)
SubphylumHEXAPODA (insects and other 6-legged organisms)
PhylumARTHROPODA (arthropods)
SuperphylumECDYSOZOA (skin shedders)
CladeBilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals)
SubkingdomEUMETAZOA (metazoans)
KingdomANIMALIA (animals)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)

Identification Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
Anon. Insects & Spiders from Finland www.kolumbus.fi/hannu.j.tanner/coleoptera/
Anon. British Insects discussion group
Brock, P.D. 2014 A Comprehensive Guide to Insects of Britain and Ireland 500pp, Pisces Publications
Chinery, M. 2005 Complete British Insects Collins "Complete…" series, Collins
Edkins, K. Photos of Insects www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/insects/index.htm
Ellis, W.N. Plant Parasites of Europe: leafminers, galls and Fungi bladmineerders.nl
Imms, A.D. 1957 General Textbook of Entomology Ninth edition, 886pp, Methuen & Co. Ltd.
Linssen, E.F. & Newman, L.H. 1964 *** The Observer’s Book of Insects ***(Superseded) Observer's Books, No 17, Revised edition edition, 128pp, Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.
Savela, M. Lepidoptera and some other life forms www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/intro.html

Freshwater

() Macan, T.T. 1959 A Guide to Freshwater Invertebrates 118pp, Longman

Keys To Orders

Eversham, B. 2000 A quick key to the adults of the major Orders of Insects http://www.wildlifebcnp.org/ecology-resources.htm

Larvae/Freshwater

() Macan, T.T. 1959 A Guide to Freshwater Invertebrates 118pp, Longman

Marine

() Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (eds) 1996 Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe reprint with minor corrections edition, 800pp, Oxford University Press
() Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (eds) 1990 The Marine Fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe 2 volumes, 996pp, Clarendon Press

Plant Galls

Houard, C. 1908 *** Les zoocécidies des plantes d’Europe et du bassin de la Méditerranée: Description des galles ***(Superseded)

INSECTA (true insects) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for INSECTA (true insects)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 17,277 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for INSECTA (true insects)

Insects are characterised by having six legs. Of course there are exceptions: many larvae have no or additional legs (but these are stumpy and obviously different); some adults, especially parasitic forms, have reduced legs. Finally not everything with six legs is an insect: juvenile mites and copepods are both six-legged.

Insects have a chitin exoskeleton. Because this is impermeable to gases, they have a system of branching internal breathing tubes (trachaea) connecting to the outside through paired openings (spiracles) on each segment (generally). Because the exoskeleton is stiff, it is shed (ecdysis) regularly during growth; the number of moults is usually constant for a given species, and the stages between are called instars.

Insects are the most species-rich group of organisms on the planet.

Hard-bodied insects are generally pinned (the exception being beetles which are usually carded, and very small species.) Either way they often need to be relaxed after killing, unless you catch them just right.

Soft-bodied species and larvae are best preserved specimen tubes in 90% alcohol. Use tubes with flat sealing caps ("alcohol tubes") rather than the 3-finned caps which aren’t vapour-proof. To reduce evaporation, store the tubes in a sealed jar (jam jar or kilner jar) which itself contains a few cm of alcohol.

Almost all insects have six-legs, at least when adult.

Almost all organisms with six legs are insects - the exceptions are very tiny, although spiders and harvestmen can lose two legs, so care needs to be taken.

Any cold-blooded organism with wings (ie not bird or bat) is an insect.

RELAXING

Insects are best relaxed in a jar with a few drops of vinegar on a piece of kitchen towel in the bottom. Use a squat jar such as those sold containing savoury spreads. Small insects will relax overnight, larger or stiffer ones might require a couple of days. Beware that the acetic acid will turn copper or brass-headed pins green.

MICROSCOPE PREPS

Insects or insect parts can be softened in 10% KOH. This generally means heating in a water bath for 5 or 10 minutes (depending on size) or leaving overnight at room temperature.

This is the usual method of preparing microscope slides, eg for genitalia preps.

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