• Wings with overlaping scales covering transparent membranes. Wing colors and patterns result from either pigments in the scales or their physical structure.
• Complete metamorphosis.
• Butterflies have always knobbed antennae. The antennae of moths is quite variable but never knobbed.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Tortricidae

Common Names: Bell moths, Leafrollers

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; pest to walnut, apple and pear trees.
• Id traits; When in rest have the shape of church bell.
  Forewings have the rather square ends.
  Usually small and have cryptic colors.
  Active in the late afternoon.
  Caterpillars are usually small and smooth skinned. they will do the bungee-jump, ex. drop with silken thread when disturbed.
  
  

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Pyralidae

Common Name: Pyralid moths

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; seeds, fruits or stems. 
• Id traits; Moths in this family rest with wings in triangular shape.
  Delicate moths with long legs.
  They have abdominal tympanal organs and a scaled proboscis.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Hesperiidae

Common Name: Skippers

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; nectar
• Id traits; Have small, stout bodied.
  Antennae are widely separated at the base and the tips are usually recurved or hooked.
  Most skippers at rest, hold the frond and hind wings at a different angle.
  
  

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Papilionidae
Common Name: Swallowtails

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Caterpillars are phytophagus. Adults feed on nectar.
• Id traits; Many are brightly colored, some even with iridescence tinge.
  The shape of their wings are graceful, many adorned with elongated projections from the hing wings.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Pieridae

Common Names: Whites and Yellows

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Caterpillars of Whites feed on plants of the mustard family. Yellows on legumes. Adults feed on nectar.
• Id traits; They usualy have white or yellow wings with black edges, and some have red and yellow patterns beneath their wings.
  Their flight is rapid and they usually fly erratically amongst the plants.
• They are considered a pest in Agriculture, specially on cabbage, alfalfa and broccoli.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Lycaenidae

Common Names, Coppers, Hairstreaks and Blues

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Caterpillars feede on leaves, flower buds or fruits. Adults feed on nectar.
• Id traits; Small in size. The wing upper and lower surface differ entirely in colors and patterns.The upper surfaces often possess brilliant metallic sheen. The pattern on the lower surfaces are profuse.
  Adults like to rest high up amongst tree branches. They fly rapidly and erratically close to the ground.
  
  

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Nymphalidae

Common Names; Danaids, Browns

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Caterpillars are phytophagus. Adults feed on nectar.
• Id traits; Size varies from small to large.
  They show great diversity of color and pattern, although most of them with some brown color. Typically having brightly colored wings.
  One distinct characteristic of this family of butterflies is that only four legs can be seen. Their reduced, nonfunctional forelegs are carried folded on the breast.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Geometridae

Common Names: Measuringworms, Loopers, Geometers

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Most caterpillars feed on leaves of woody plants, some species eat herbaceous plants.
• Id traits; Caterpillars have 2 pairs of pro-legs.
  Most of the adult moths are mostly small, delicate and slender bodied.
  The wings are broad and have patterns which are usually wavy lines extended across both fore and hind wings.
  These moths rest with a standard posture, holding wings outspread and tightly pressed against the surface on which they are sitting. This eliminates the shadow as well as the wings outline for a better camouflaged posture.
• Most geometers are active at night.
  Many species are economically important pests of fruit trees like avocados, forest trees ans berry crops.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Sphingidae

Common Names; Sphinx, Hawk moths

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Caterpillars are phytophagus. Adults feed on nectar.
• Id traits; Medium sized to large, heavy bodied with narrow front wings.
  The body is somewhat spindle shaped, tapering and pointe both anteriorly and posteriorly.
  The antennae are slightly thickened in the middle or toward the tip.
• Some caterpillars (hornworms) do serious damage to crop plants (e.g. tomato, tobacco, potato). Hornworms are often attacked by braconid wasp parasitoids.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Noctuidae

Common Name: Noctuids

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Ag pest. Caterpillars feed on cabbage, beet, corn, squash leaves.
• Id traits; Heavy-bodied moths with somewhat narrowed front wings and broadened hind wings. The labial palps are usually long, the antennae are generally hairlike.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Arctiidae

Common Name; Tiger moths

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits;
• Id traits; Small to medium in size. Many have bright warning colour patterns, which are spotted in red, orange, black or white. Their stout abdomen usually striped with black and yellow-red color. The stripes give rise to the name Tiger moths./
  They are either distasteful or to predator or are mimic of distasteful species. Some even produce foul chemicals.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Danaidae

Common Name: Milkweed butterflies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; caterpillars feed on milkweed.
• Id traits; Brightly colored butterflies, usually brownish with black ans white markings.
  The front legs are very small, without claws, and are not used in walking.
  The butterflies are protected by distasteful body fluids and are seldom attacked by predators.

• Reduced hind wings-halters. One pair of functional membranous wings. Few species have lost their wings and halters altogether.
• Halters are small, club-like structures that function as balancing organs during flight.
• Enlarged mesothorax to contain the enormous flight muscles and the pro and metathorax are correspondingly reduced.
• In many families the proboscis is adapted for sponging and/or lapping, in other families the proboscis is adapted for cutting or piercing the tissues of a host.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Tipulidae

Common Name: Crane flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Larvae often referred as leatherjackets are scavenger, adults lap nectar and other fluids.
• Id traits; Many crane flies are only mosquito-sized, but all can be recognized by the V shaped suture on the thorax together with a lack of ocelli.
  Larger species generally rest with the wings extended.
  Smaller species generally fold their wings flat over the body and often bob up and down on their legs when at rets, hence their alternative name of 'bobbing gnats".
  The female abdomen is pointed for laying eggs into the ground or other materials. Some females are wingless and can be seen on house walls in late fall.
  
  

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Chironomidae
Common Name: Midges

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Most larvae feed on algae or small aquatic plants.
• Id traits; non-biting, small, delicate, mosquito-like but lack scales on their wings.
  Adults are humpbacked, brown, black, orange or gray lack a long beak(proboscis) and males have very feathery antennae.
  Larvae are often whitish, cylindrical-like, elongate or wormlike, usually with paired prolegs and have dark head. Some are known as "bloodworms" or "red worms" due to the presence of hemoglobin in the blood. Other have a greenish color.
  Most live in fresh water while other are found in very moist soil, in wet moss, and under damp bark.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Culicidae

Common Name: Mosquitoes

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Most larvae feed on algae, protozoans and organic debris, a few speces are predaceous on other mosquito larvae. Adults feed on nectar and plant juices. ONLY females feed on blood.
• Id traits; Wings with scales on veins and along the margins.
  Long proboscis
  Antennae with 6 or more segments. Plumose on males and short-haired on females.
• Females are vectors of pathogens of major diseases including malaria(protozoan), filariasis(nematode), yellow fever, dengue, west nile virus and certain types of encephalitis(virus).

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Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Tabanidae
Common Names: Horse flies, deer flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits;
• Id traits; Horse flies are considerably larger than deer flies, heavy bodies with huge heads(large eyes in males) and from 3/4in to over an inch long. Smaller species are brown, black or gray and often have brilliant green eyes. Antennae is divided in 3 parts, the 3rd being long and composed of five to eight rings. Horse flies usually have clear wings whereas deer flies have wings with dark markings.
  Deer flies are slightly larger than house flies, and mostly yellow or black with darker stripes on the abdomen and dark marking or patterns on the wings. Deer flies frequently attack humans, whereas horse flies usually attack livestock.

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Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Stratiomyidae

Common Name: Soldier flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Aquatic larvae feed on algae, decaying organic matter or on other aquatic organisms.
• Id traits; Stocky, large 3/8 to 1/2 inch long. Adults are often found on flowers and resemble wasps. They closely resemble hover flies or wasps. Lack bristles on the body which is covered with short fine hair.
  The coloration varies from black, metallic blue, green or purple to brightly colored black and yellow patterns.
  Soldie fly thorax is usually black above, yellow to yellowish green on the sides.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Asilidae

Common Name: Robber flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; predaceous
• Id traits; Long-legged, medium to large sized, usually with stout thorax, tapering abdomen.
  Face usually "bearded". Top of head hollowed out between eyes.
  3 ocelli.
  3rd antennal segment enlongated, often with terminal style.
  Fast flying predators.
  
  

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Syrphidae

Common Names: Flower flies, hover flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Larvae may feed on decaying vegetation, aquatic detritus, wet wood, bulbs of forbs of living plants, but most are predators feeding on aphids. Adults often feed on nectar and/or pollen
• Id traits; Often resemble bees, wasps or black with brown in wings. Hover at flowers.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Calliphoridae

Common Name: Blow flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; scavengers (larvae in carrion, excrement, etc.) or parasites.
• Id traits; Usually metallic.
  Aristata plumose at least 2/3 of length
  2-3 notopleural bristles.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Muscidae

Common Name: House flies, stable flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Larvae in dung, carrion, soil, nests, decaying vegetation
• Id traits; Thorax lightly striped.
  Arista plumose for entire length.
  Hypopleuron without bristles.
  More than one sternopleural bristle.
• Adults of some species bite or passively vector pathogens for diseases such as typhoid fever, dysentery, anthrax, and African sleeping sickness. The house fly overwinters in either the larval or pupal stage under manure piles or in other protected locations. Warm summer conditions are generally optimum for the development of the house fly, and it can complete its life cycle in as little as seven to ten days, and as many as 10 to 12 generations may occur in one summer.

Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Sarcophagidae

Common Name: Flesh flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Larvae: many species are necrophagous, but some feed in mammalian tissues or parasitize other arthropods (bees, cicadas, termites, grasshoppers/locusts, millipedes), earthworms, or snails. Adults feed on various sugar-containing materials such as nectar, sap, fruit juices and honeydew.
• Id traits; Medium-sized flies with black and gray longitudinal stripes on the thoras, checkering on the abdomen.
  Arista commonly plumose on basal half; bare in a few species.
  4 notopleural bristles(short, long, short, long from the rear).
  Hindmost posthumeral bristle located even with or toward midline from presutural bristle.

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Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Tachinidae
Common Name: Tachinid flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; larvae parasitize insects (and a few other arthropods, incl. millipedes, spiders, scorpions). Some species stick eggs directly on the host, other species deposit eggs on foliafe of host food plants to be ingested by the host. Some species lay their eggs to the host, when hatch, those larvae move towards their host and get into their body through the soft part of the host skin. Adults may take nectar.
• Id traits; May resemble house flies, but are usually larger and hairirer.
  Tachinid flies are relatively soft bodied, from small to large size.
  They may be drab, brightly colored, or mimics wasps.
  Extremely diverse in appearance and many do not have the typical grey-black bristly faces.
  Females of some other species that attack bugs and adult beetles have piercing ovipositors that insert their eggs into the body of their hosts.
• Some species, instead of laying eggs, they lay live larvae and apply them onto the host.

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Class: Hexapoda

Order: Diptera

Family: Tephritidae

Common Name: Fruit flies

• Metamorphosis; complete
• Feeding habits; Larvae of most species develop in the seed-bearing organs of plants, and about 35% of species attack soft fruits, including many commercial fruits. Adults are found on flowers or vegetation.
• Id traits; The subcosta apically bends forward at almost a right angle and then fades out.
  In most species the anal cell has an acute distal projection posteriorly.