INSECTSEntomology

Notes #11, 10/1/07

The Insect Body• Arthropods• Three Body Sections

– Head (eyes, antennae)– Thorax (wings and legs)– Abdomen (internal organs)

• Six legs• One pair of antennae• One or two pairs of wings• 2 Compound eyes (many lenses) to see

movement• Small simple eyes to see light/darkness• Breathe through tubes near exoskeleton

From Egg to Adult• Complete Metamorphosis

Examples: beetles, butterflies, flies, ants– Egg– Larva– Pupa– Adult

• Gradual MetamorphosisExamples: grasshoppers, termites, cockroaches, dragonflies

– Egg– Nymph– Adult

How Insects Feed• Eat plants, plant parts, paper, animals,

blood, dead bodies, animal droppings

• Mouth is adapted to get food– Bees have a bristly tongue– Mosquitoes have a sharp mouth to suck blood

Defending Themselves

• Flee danger (fly away, run)

• Painful stings

• Smell or Taste Bad

• Camouflage

• Resemblance to other animals

Project #2: Insect Poster• Create a “Wanted: Dead or Alive” Poster• Letter size (8.5 x 11); Colored• Include such information as the

– Insect’s scientific and common name– Insect’s known occupation/characteristics– insect's natural habitat, – what the insect needs to stay alive– why the insect is "wanted"

• Due Date: Friday, October 5, 2007• Example: ..\wantedposter2.pdf

Assignment #20: Metamorphosis

• Copy “Exploring Insect Metamorphosis” page 65 (Labels/Descriptions)

• Questions:1. How is a firefly’s metamorphosis different

from a grasshoppers?

2. When does the grasshopper acquire wings?

3. What do adults do that larvae and nymphs do not?