Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Carabidae

Common Names; Gound beetles and Tiger beetles

• Metamorphosis; Complete metamorphosis
• Feeding habits; Most species are predatory in both the adult and larval stage. Important enemies of slugs, snails ans insect pests.
• Habitat; Typically found under rocks and debris during the day.
• Id traits; Very active, long legged.
  Most species are dark in color with large eyes and forward projecting sickle-shaped mandibles.
  Body some what flattened with striation on the elytra. 
  Many ground beetles exude foul smelling chemical that is used to repel their enemies. 

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Dytiscidae

Common Name; Predaceous diving beetles

• Metamorphosis; Complete
• Feeding habits; Larvae and adults are predaceous
• Habitat; ponds and quiet streams.
• Id traits; To body is smooth, oval and very hard. 
  The hind legs are fkattened and fringed with long hairs to form paddles.
  Have filiform antennae and maxillary palps that are very short.
  Beetles are brown, blackish or greenish.
  Some adult males have peculiar front tarsi bearing large suction discs used to holding onto the slick elytra of the females. 

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Hydrophilidae

Common Name; Water scavanger beetles

• Metamorphosis; Complete
• Feeding habits; Larvae are predaceous. Adults are scavengers.
• Habitat; near water
• Id traits; Oval, short clubbed antennae and long maxillary palps.
  The aquiatic species are generally black.
  The metasternum in some species is prolonged posteriorly as a sharp spine.
  Their legs are lined with rows of elongated hair to allow them to easily maneuver through water, thus their legs are adapted for swimming and diving.  

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Staphylinidae

Common Name: Rove beetles

• Metamorphosis; Complete
• Feeding habits; Many feed on algae and fungi. Others are predatory
• Habitat: Semi-aquatic species live in marshes and at the edges of streams and ponds.
  Terrestial species live in a variety of habitats, but are usually most often seen in decaying material, dung, rotting fruit and other plant material. Many species are found inder stones and other objects on the ground. Some live with ants, termites and mammal nests.
• Id traits; Adults are recognized by their long, flexible body and by the short, truncate elytra which leave at least half of the abdomen exposed.
  Full-sized flying wings are nearly always present and at rest are folded in a complicated fashion under the elytra.
  10-11 segmented antennae with a club or a loose club.
  6-7 visible sternites
  Overall length between 1-20mm. 

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Scarabaeidae

Common Name: Scarab beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits: larvae feed on roots, decaying plant matter and dung. Adults may or may not feed.
• Habitat; many
• Id traits; Adults typically robust, heavy bodied, oval or elongated, usually convex beetles with 5 tarsi.
  Front tibia maybe flattened, toothed and spade-like for digging.
  8-11 segmented antennae whicj is lamellated(plate like structures).
  Size 1/4 inch to 5 inches in length 
  Lavae are C-shaped with a well developed head capsule and long thoracis legs. 
• There are a number of agricultural pests in this family as well as some beneficial species. 

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Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Buprestidae

Common Name: Metallic wood-boring beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Most of the wood boring species attack dying trees or dying/dead branches on healthy trees, only a few bore into green wood. Some produce galls on alder, roses, blue beech, ironwood, and hazelnut; a few live in pine cones or herbaceous plants.
• Habitat; The larvae burrow through roots and logs, from within the bark to within the cambium layers, or are leaf and stem miners of herbaceous and woody plants, including grasses.
• Id traits; Flattened and boat-shape bodies.Metallic coloration somewhere on the body.
  Larvae usually have a broadened,flattened thoracic area and no legs, they're known as "Flat-headed tree borers".

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Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Elateridae

Common Name:Click beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Adults are phytophagous. Larvae feed on crop roots. They are considered a pest in agriculture.
• Habitat; Adults live on flowers, under bark or on vegetation. The larva stage know as wireworm live in the soil.
• Id traits; Adults peculiar in being able to "click" and jump: if placed on their backs, click beetles use the flexible union of the prothorax and mesothorax (the prosternal spine fits into a groove on the mesosternum) to snap and jump usually falling right side up (in other beetles, the union of prothorax and mesothorax allows little or no movement)
  Larvae are slender, hard-bodied and shiny. Relatively long life cycle requiring a few yrs to complete development.
• This insect pest can be controlled or at least prevented from becoming a pest by crop rotation

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Dermestidae

Common Names: Dermestid, skin beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; dried organic material of high protein content (skin/flesh of dead animals, dandruff, feathers, hair, mantid egg cases, dried foods, wool/silk, etc.); a few spp. prey on wasp & bee larvae or spider eggs; most smaller species feed on pollen/nectar.
• Id traits; Adults are oval and convex in shape. The antennae are short,clavate or clubbed fitting into grooves bellow sides of the pronotum
• Very damaging group of beetles on stored food products, furs, carpets, clothing, skins and museum specimens.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Bostrichidae

 Common Names; Branch and twig borers, powder post beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Most species are wood-boring and attack living trees, dead twigs, branches and seasoned wood. Some species are grain boring.
• Id traits; Size 1/8-2in in length. Most are black, elongated and somewhat cylindrical in shape. The head is bent down and scarcely visible from above. They have short-clubbed antennae with 3-4 terminal segments. Most species possess pyramind shaped spines on top of the prothorax.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Anobiidae

Common Names: Death watch beetles, spider beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Adults and larvae of several species feed on a variety of dry plant (rarely: animal) materials, including dry dung, plant stems, dry fungi; some are considered pests of stored products (grain, cereals, tobacco), furniture, and museum specimens.
  Predominantly wood-borers as larvae.
• Id traits; 5/16in or less in body length. They're cylindrical to oval, pubescent beetles. The head is deflexed and is usually concealed from above the hoodlike pronotum. Their antennae shape is also variable but most have the last 3 segments enlarged and elongated. A few species have serrated or pectinate antennae.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Nitidulidae

Common Name: Sap beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Most species feed on rotting fruit or sap oozing from trees. Normally they are of little concern but occasionally become a problem infesting grapes that dried in the field in the raising industry.
• Id traits; Most are flattened with capitate antennae and have short elytra leaving 2-3 abdominal segments visible when viewed from dorsal angle

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Coccinellidae

Common Names: Lady bugs, Ladybird beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Almost all lady bugs are predaceous in the adult and larvae stage. A few species, such as the Mexican bean beetle are phytophagus.
• Id traits; distinctive shape, strongly convex dorsally and flat ventrally.
  Typically round to oval, medium size beetles. Short capitate antennae with 3-6 segments.
  Head often conceales by pronotum.
  First abdominal sternite not divided by hind coxae. Tarsi apparently 3-3-3, actually 4-4-4(3rd seg. is minute).
  Normally are brightly colored with or without spots and rarely have stripes.
• Most are unique host specific and therefore are considered to be beneficial from the standpoint of biological control.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Tenebrionidae

Common Name: Darkling ground beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Adults and larvae are scavengers. Grain boring, serious pest of stored products.
• Habitat; Typically found under stones, decaying logs, bark, on bracket fungi, or on the ground. A few species diurnal, found in open. Many species are adapted to desert conditions.
• Id traits; First abdominal sternite entire not divided by hind coxae.
  Eyes notched by a frontal ridge.
  Antennae usually 11 segmented and filiform, moniliform or weakly clubbed.
  Tarsi 5-5-4, claws simple.
  Body form, variable, ranging from elongated to oval and smooth to very rough.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Cerambycidae

Common Name: Longhorned beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Adult feeding requirements are variable, with some species taking nourishment from sap, leaves, blossoms, fruit, bark, and fungi, often not associated with larval hosts; others take little or no nourishment beyond water.
  Larvae, most species feed within dead, dying or even decaying wood, but some taxa can use living plant tissue. Wood borers.
• Id traits; Long filiform antennae, ranging from one-half to over 2 times the length of the body.
  Body usually elongated and cylindrical. 2-60mm in length.
  Eyes generally notched with antennae arising within the notch.
  Tarsi apparently 4-4-4, really 5-5-5 with the 4th segment small and inconspicuous.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

 Family: Chrysomelidae

Common Name: Leaf beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Adults commonly occur on flowers and foliage. Larvae feed on leaves and roots. Many species are serious pests.
• Id traits; Elongated-subcylindrical to oval shaped beetles, 1-16mm in length.
  Antennae generally less than 1/2 the length of the body.
  Eyes generally not notched.
  Tarsi generally appear 4-4-4, actually 5-5-5.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae

Common Names: Snout beetles, true weevils

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; All species are plant feeders with some being serious pests of cultivated crops and others being beneficial herbivores of weeds. Grain borers.
• Id traits; Head usually with snout ranging from broad and flat in a few species, and narrow in most species.
  Antennae usually elbowed and with 3-segmented club.
  Body length from 0.6-35mm, mostly less than 10mm. Body often covered with scales.
  Tarsi apparently 4-4-4, actually 5-5-5.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Scolytidae

Common Names: Bark beetles, amobrosia beetles

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Wood borers.Bark beetles feed beneath the bark on the phloem. Ambrosia beetles feed on "ambrosia" from of a fungus which they cultivate. 
• Id traits; 3-5mm in length, cylindrical robust beetles with head that is partially or completely concealed when viewed from above.
  Antennae are short and geniculate with a large 3-4 segmented terminal club.
• Bark beetles differ from ambrosia beetles in having a large spine or projection at the apex of the front tibiae.

Complete metamorphosis

Chewing mouthparts

Coleoptera means sheathed wing.

The coleoptera contains more described species than in any other order in the animal kingdom, constituting about 25% of all known life forms. 

Class: Hexapoda
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Lampyridae
Common Names: Fireflies, lighting bugs

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Adults and larvae are predaceous. They feed on earthworms, snails and slugs.
• Habitat: Adults are found around water such as ponds, streams, marshes or even depressions, ditches etc. Larvae are found in rotting wood and in leaf mulch.
• Id traits; Large, elongated and very soft bodied beetles. 1/3-1in in length.
  They have a "tail-light" near the end of the abdomen. They produce light from these luminous segments.
  The head is not visible when viewed from a dorsal angle. The pronotu, extends forward over the head so that the head is concealed from above.

• Nerve wings ---> Membranous wings
• extensive branching found in the wing veins 
• Antennae long, many-segmented, threadlike, pectinate or clubbed.
• Chewing mouth parts
• Complete metamorphosis.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Neuroptera
Family: Raphidiidae
Common Name: Snakeflies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Predators of small arthropods 
• Habitat;larvae live in top layers of soil, particularly in the detritus around the roots of shrubs, sometimes in rock crevices.
• Id traits; long prothorax and elongate ovipositor

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Neuroptera

Family: Hemerobiidae

Common Name: Brown lacewings

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Predaceous Adulst and larvae.
• Id traits; wings usually more rounded, with membrane covered with small hairs and two or more radial sector veins.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Neuroptera

Family: Chrysopidae

Common Name: Green lacewings

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Predaceous. Some species are plant feeders. 
• Habitat; Common in grass and weeds and on tree/shrub foliage.
• Id traits; Soft-bodied insects with copper-colored eyes, long thread-like antennae, and lacy wings. 

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Neuroptera

Family: Myrmeleontidae

Common Name: Antlions

• Metamorphosis; complere
• Feeding habits; Predaceous
• Id traits; Antennae fairly short (about the length of the head and thorax combined), clubbed, and often curved at the tip somewhat like a field hockey stick. Wings transparent, mottled with brown and black.

Class: Hexapoda
Order: Neuroptera

Family: Corydaliade

Common Names: Dobsonflies, Hellgrammites

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Aquatic predatory larvae.  
• Id traits; Large insects with soft bodies and delicate wings. Adults often found near aquatic habitat of the larvae. Males of many species have enlarged mandibles, presumably used in competition for mates.

• Larvae without legs, pupa with the appendages free and a cocoon.
• Adults have 2pairs of membranous wings with reduced venation. Hind wings are smaller than the fore wings which are connected by a series of interlocking hooks(hamuli).
• They generally have biting mouth parts, sometimes also adapted for lapping and sucking.
• Normaly thin waisted. Ovipositor is always present in some form or other, often adapted for sawing and/or piercing and stinging.
• Parthogenesis is more common among this order than any other order of animals. There are some species in which males have never been found and reproduction occurs only as a result of parthogenesis.

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Classs: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Tenthredinidae

Common Name: Sawflies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Phytophagus
• Id traits; Immatures look like caterpillars of moths and butterflies.
  Adults resemble small wasps, except they lack the constricted waist.
  Complete wing venation.
  No stinger, intead they have an ovipositor. In many species, the ovipositor is saw like and is used to cut open plant tissue and lay eggs inside.  

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Braconidae

Common Name: Braconids

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits;  adapted to parasitizing hosts as diverse as aphids, bark beetles, and foliage-feeding caterpillars. Many species are egg-larval parasitoids, laying eggs within host eggs and then not developing until the host is in the larval stage. Unlike ichneumon wasps, many pupate in silken cocoons outside the body of the host and others spin cocoons entirely apart from the host.
• Id traits; Antennae 16-more segments
   Females often with long ovipositors.
  The abdomen is about as long as the head and thorax combined.
  Black, usually small wasps.
  They are usually more stout-bodied than the similar ichneumonids. 

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Ichneumonidae

Common Name: Ichneumons

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; a great variety of hosts (mostly immature stages) is used, though most species attack only a few host types; some infest spiders and other non-insect arthropods.
• Id traits; Antennae 16-more segments and usually at least half as long as body. 
  Hind trochanters 2-segmented
  Two recurrent veins.
  Females often with long ovipositors.
  Usually larger than braconids.
   

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Class: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Sphecidae

Common Name: Sphecid wasps

•  Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; predatory
• Id traits; Short pronotum and collarlike.
  Small rounded lobes extended towards, but do not reach the tegulae.
  Lack flattened hind tarsus.
  Solitary 
• Mud dauber, thread-waisted wasps and cicada killers.
   

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Common Name: Honey bees 

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; pollen and nectar
• Habitat; many
• Id traits; Collarlike pronotum without projections that reach the tegulae.
  Body hairs that are branched or plumose.
  First segment of the metatarsus often enlarged and flattened.
  Front wing with large three submarginal cells.
  Hind wing with jugal lobe shorter than the submedian cell. 
• The most beneficial insect. The most popular in modern beekiping are the italian, Carniolan and Caucasian. Most honey bees used in hives today are mixtures of these and sometimes other races.
   

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Class: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Mutillidae

Common Name: Velvet ants

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Adult velvet ants, like many other wasps and bees, eat nectar. Immature velvet ants hatch out in the nest chambers of their host species and consume the larvae, pupae or cocoons of the host.
• Id traits; These insects have felt lines laterally on the second metasomatic tergum.
   Males are winged
  Females are wingless, very hairy, and may look like large ants but have no node (bump) on "waist" between abdomen and thorax.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Pompilidae

Common Name: Spider wasps

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Some species sting and paralize their prey and then transport it to a specially constructed nest before laying and egg. 
• Id traits; Long legged, hind femora often extending beyond tip of abdomen.
  Wings not folded flat on top of the abdomen.
  Mesopleuron(a pleuron of the mesothorax) with a transverse suture.
  Pronotum extending back to the tegulae, the pronotum thus appeating triangular when viewed from the side and horseshoe-shapes when viewed from above.  

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Vespidae

Common Names: Wasps, Hornets, Paper wasps

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; predatory but also eat nectar
• Id traits; Wings are folded longitudinally at rest.
  First discoidal cell of FW greater than half the wing lenght(longer than pompilids)
  Notched eyes.
  Filiform antennae 
• Pronotum extending back to the tegulae, thus appearing triangular when viewed from above.
• There are also many species that are solitary. Nests are usually provisioned with caterpillars. Most nests are in the ground.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Formicidae
Common Name: Ants

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Omnivores. honeydew, plants, other insects.
• Id traits; elbowed antennae
  Enlarged part of the abdomen behind the pedicel(a narrow basal attachment)
• All ants are eusocial and most contain 3 castes; Queens, males and workers(sterile females). 

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