Insecta in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae
Encyclopedia
In the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropod
s, including insect
s, arachnid
s and crustacean
s, among his class "Insecta". He described the Insect
a as:
Linnaean Characteristics
. He also provided a key
to the orders:
Despite this key, however, Linnaeus grouped insects together that shared other affinities. His genus Coccus, containing the scale insect
s, he placed among the 4-winged Hemiptera, along with aphid
s and other plant-attacking insects, even though females have no wings, and males have two wings. Similarly, the sheep ked Hippobosca ovina (now Melophagus ovinus
) was correctly placed among the Diptera, despite being wingless.
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s, including insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, arachnid
Arachnid
Arachnids are a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. All arachnids have eight legs, although in some species the front pair may convert to a sensory function. The term is derived from the Greek words , meaning "spider".Almost all extant arachnids are terrestrial...
s and crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, among his class "Insecta". He described the Insect
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
a as:
A very numerous and various class consisting of small animals, breathing through lateral spiracles, armed on all sides with a bony skin, or covered with hair; furnished with many feet, and moveable antennae (or horns), which project from the head, and are the probable instruments of sensation.
Linnaean Characteristics
- Heart: 1 auricle, 0 ventricles. Cold, puss-like blood.
- Spiracles: lateral pores
- Jaw: lateral
- Penis: penetrates
- Organs of Sense: tongue, eyes, antennae on head, no brain, no ears, no nostrils
- Covering: a bony coat of mail
- Supports: feet, and in some, wings. Skips on Dry Ground & Buzzes
Orders
Linnaeus divided the class Insecta into seven orders, based chiefly on the form of the wingsInsect wing
Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities. Even our understanding of the aerodynamics of flexible, flapping wings and how...
. He also provided a key
Identification key
In biology, an identification key is a printed or computer-aided device that aids the identification of biological entities, such as plants, animals, fossils, microorganisms, and pollen grains...
to the orders:
- 4 wings
- pairs dissimilar
-
-
- forewings fully hardened: ColeopteraColeoptera in the 10th edition of Systema NaturaeIn the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropods, including insects, arachnids and crustaceans, among his class "Insecta"...
- forewings partly hardened: HemipteraHemiptera in the 10th edition of Systema NaturaeIn the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropods, including insects, arachnids and crustaceans, among his class "Insecta"...
- pairs similar
- wings covered with flat scales: LepidopteraLepidoptera in the 10th edition of Systema NaturaeIn the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropods, including insects, arachnids and crustaceans, among his class "Insecta". Butterflies and moths were brought together under the name Lepidoptera. Linnaeus divided the group into three genera – Papilio, Sphinx and Phalaena...
- wings membranous
-
- Tail unarmed: NeuropteraNeuroptera in the 10th edition of Systema NaturaeIn the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropods, including insects, arachnids and crustaceans, among his class "Insecta"...
- Tail bearing a sting: HymenopteraHymenoptera in the 10th edition of Systema NaturaeIn the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropods, including insects, arachnids and crustaceans, among his class "Insecta"...
- 2 wings: DipteraDiptera in the 10th edition of Systema NaturaeIn the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropods, including insects, arachnids and crustaceans, among his class "Insecta"...
- 0 wings: ApteraAptera in the 10th edition of Systema NaturaeIn the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropods, including insects, arachnids and crustaceans, among his class "Insecta"...
- 2 wings: Diptera
- Tail unarmed: Neuroptera
- forewings fully hardened: Coleoptera
-
Despite this key, however, Linnaeus grouped insects together that shared other affinities. His genus Coccus, containing the scale insect
Scale insect
The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the superfamily Coccoidea. There are about 8,000 species of scale insects.-Ecology:...
s, he placed among the 4-winged Hemiptera, along with aphid
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
s and other plant-attacking insects, even though females have no wings, and males have two wings. Similarly, the sheep ked Hippobosca ovina (now Melophagus ovinus
Melophagus ovinus
Melophagus ovinus, or the sheep ked, is a brown, hairy fly that resembles a tick. This wingless fly is about 4 to 6 mm long and has a small head, is a fly from the family Hippoboscidae. They are blood-feeding parasites of sheep. The legs of the sheep ked are very strong and are tipped with...
) was correctly placed among the Diptera, despite being wingless.
Genera
- Coleoptera: Scarabaeus (scarab beetlesScarabaeidaeThe family Scarabaeidae as currently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide. The species in this large family are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family is fairly unstable, with numerous competing theories, and new proposals appearing quite...
), Dermestes (larder beetles), Hister (clown beetles), Attelabus (leaf-rolling weevilsAttelabidaeThe Attelabidae or leaf-rolling weevils are a widespread family of weevils. There are more than 2000 species. They are included within the primitive weevils, because of their straight antennae, which are inserted near the base of the rostrum...
), Curculio (true weevilsCurculionidaeCurculionidae is the family of the "true" weevils . It was formerly recognized in 1998 as the largest of any animal family, with over 40,000 species described worldwide at that time...
), Silpha (carrion beetles), Coccinella (ladybirds or ladybugsCoccinellidaeCoccinellidae is a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds , or ladybugs . Scientists increasingly prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as these insects are not true bugs...
), Cassida (tortoise beetleTortoise beetleThe tortoise beetles are an artificial grouping of tribes within the leaf beetle subfamily Hispinae. In past classifications, they have been variously placed as a family or a subfamily ; when it was recognized that this group was not monophyletic, it was split and the resulting tribes were...
s), Chrysomela (leaf beetleLeaf beetleBeetles in the family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles. This is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families....
s), Meloe (blister beetleBlister beetleBlister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. There are approximately 7,500 known species worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be...
s), Tenebrio (darkling beetleDarkling beetleDarkling beetles are a family of beetles found worldwide, estimated at more than 20,000 species. Many of the beetles have black elytra, leading to their common name...
s), Mordella (tumbling flower beetlesMordellidaeMordellidae is a family of beetles commonly known as tumbling flower beetles for the typical irregular movements they make when escaping predators, or as pintail beetles due to their abdominal tip which aids them in performing these tumbling movements...
), Staphylinus (rove beetleRove beetleThe rove beetles are a large family of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that leave more than half of their abdomens exposed. With over 46,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is the second largest family of beetles after the Curculionidae...
s), Cerambyx (longhorn beetleLonghorn beetleThe longhorn beetles are a cosmopolitan family of beetles, typically characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than the beetle's body...
s), Cantharis (soldier beetleSoldier beetleThe soldier beetles, Cantharidae, are relatively soft-bodied, straight-sided beetles, related to the Lampyridae or firefly family, but being unable to produce light. They are cosmopolitan in distribution. One common British species is bright red, reminding people of the red coats of soldiers, hence...
s), Elater (click beetleClick beetleThe family Elateridae is commonly called click beetles , elaters, snapping beetles, spring beetles or "skipjacks". They are a cosmopolitan beetle family characterized by the unusual click mechanism they possess...
s), Cicindela (ground beetleGround beetleGround beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, approximately 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe.-Description and ecology:...
s), Buprestis (jewel beetles), Dytiscus (DytiscidaeDytiscidaeDytiscidae – based on the Greek dytikos , "able to dive" – are the predaceous diving beetles, a family of water beetles. They are about 25 mm long on average, though there is much variation between species. Dytiscus latissimus, the largest, can grow up to 45 mm long...
), CarabusCarabusCarabus is a genus of beetle in family Carabidae.-Species:* Carabus aba Kalab, 2002* Carabus abbreviatus Brulle, 1835* Carabus absonus Cavazzuti & Rapuzzi, 2005* Carabus achilleanus Cavazzuti, 2002...
, Necydalis (necydaline beetlesNecydalinaeNecydalinae is a small subfamily of the longhorn beetle family , historically treated as a tribe within the subfamily Lepturinae, but recently recognized as a separate subfamily...
), Forficula (earwigEarwigEarwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera, found throughout the Americas, Africa, Eurasia, Australia and New Zealand. With 1,800 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders...
s), Blatta (cockroachCockroachCockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
es) & Gryllus (other orthopteroidOrthopteroidThe term orthopteroid is used to denote insects which historically would have been included in the order Orthoptera. When Carl Linnaeus started applying binomial names to animals in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae in 1758, there were few animals included in the scheme, and consequently few...
insects) - Hemiptera: Cicada (cicadaCicadaA cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha , in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and many of them remain unclassified...
s), Notonecta (backswimmersNotonectidaeNotonectidae is a cosmopolitan family of aquatic insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly called backswimmers because they swim upside down. They are all predators, up to nearly 2 cm in size. They are similar in appearance to Corixidae , but can be separated by differences in their...
), Nepa (water scorpionsNepidaeNepidae is a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, suborder Heteroptera. They are commonly called waterscorpions for their superficial resemblance to a scorpion, which is due to the raptorial forelegs and the presence of a long slender process at the posterior end of the abdomen, simulating a...
), Cimex (bedbugBedbugCimicidae are small parasitic insects. The most common type is Cimex lectularius. The term usually refers to species that prefer to feed on human blood...
s), Aphis (aphidAphidAphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
s), Chermes (woolly aphidsAdelgidaeThe Adelgidae is a small family of the Homoptera closely related to the aphids, and often traditionally included in the Aphidoidea with the Phylloxeridae. Adelgids are often known as "woolly conifer aphids". The family is composed of species associated with pine spruce or other conifers, known...
), Coccus (scale insectScale insectThe scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the superfamily Coccoidea. There are about 8,000 species of scale insects.-Ecology:...
s) & Thrips (thripsThripsThrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings . Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, and corn lice...
) - Lepidoptera: Papilio (butterfliesButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
), Sphinx (hawk mothsSphingidaeSphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...
), Phalaena (mothMothA moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s) - Neuroptera: Libellula (dragonfliesDragonflyA dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
& damselfliesDamselflyDamselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...
), Ephemera (mayfliesMayflyMayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera . They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies...
), Phryganea (caddisflies), Hemerobius (lacewingsNeuropteraThe insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
), Panorpa (scorpionfliesMecopteraMecoptera are an order of insects with about 550 species in nine families worldwide. Mecoptera are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals that look similar to the stinger of a scorpion...
) & Raphidia (snakefliesSnakeflySnakeflies are a group of insects in the order Raphidioptera, consisting of about 210 extant species. Together with the Megaloptera they were formerly placed within the Neuroptera, but now these two are generally regarded as separate orders....
) - Hymenoptera: Cynips (Gall waspGall waspGall wasps , also called Gallflies, are a family of the order Hymenoptera and are classified with the Apocrita suborder of wasps in the superfamily Cynipoidea...
s), Tentheredo (sawfliesSawflySawfly is the common name for insects belonging to suborder Symphyta of the order Hymenoptera. Sawflies are distinguishable from most other Hymenoptera by the broad connection between the abdomen and the thorax, and by their caterpillar-like larvae...
, Ichneumon (ichneumon wasps), Sphex (digger waspDigger waspWasps of the genus Sphex are cosmopolitan predators of the family Sphecidae that sting and paralyze prey insects. There are over 130 known digger wasp species. In preparation for egg laying, they construct a protected "nest" and then stock it with captured insects...
s), Vespa (hornetHornetHornets are the largest eusocial wasps; some species can reach up to in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex , which is proportionally larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly rounded gasters .- Life cycle :In...
s), Apis (beeBeeBees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s), Formica (antAntAnts are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s) & Mutella (velvet antsMutillidaeMutillidae are a family of more than 3,000 species of wasp whose wingless females resemble ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their dense pile of hair which most often is bright scarlet or orange but may also be black, white, silver, or gold. Their bright colours serve as aposematic signals...
) - Diptera: Oesyrus (botfliesBotflyA botfly is any fly in the family Oestridae, which includes all the members of the former families Cuterebridae, Gasterophilidae, and Hypodermatidae. It is the only family of flies whose larvae live as obligate parasites within the bodies of mammals, with the exception of a few screwworm flies in...
), Tipula (crane fliesCrane flyA crane fly is an insect in the family Tipulidae. Adults are very slender, long-legged flies that may vary in length from though tropical species may exceed to ....
), Musca (house fliesHouseflyThe housefly , Musca domestica, is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha...
), Tabanus (horse fliesHorse-flyInsects in the order Diptera, family Tabanidae, are commonly called horse flies. Often considered pests for the bites that many inflict, they are among the world's largest true flies. They are known to be extremely noisy during flight. They are also important pollinators of flowers, especially in...
), Culex (mosquitoMosquitoMosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es), Empis (dance fliesEmpididaeEmpididae is a family of flies with over 3,000 described species occurring worldwide, but the majority are found in the Holarctic. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives in the Empidoidea, and exhibit a wide range of forms but are generally small to medium sized, non-metallic...
), Conops (thick-headed fliesConopidaeConopidae, usually known as the thick-headed flies, is a family of flies within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide except for the poles and many of the Pacific islands. About 800 species in 47 genera are described worldwide, approximately 70...
), Asilus (robber fliesAsilidaeInsects in the Diptera family Asilidae are commonly called robber flies. The family Asilidae contains about 7,100 described species worldwide....
), Bombylius (bee fliesBombyliidaeBombyliidae is a large family of flies with hundreds of genera, although their life cycles are not well known. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, thus are pollinators of flowers. They superficially resemble bees, thus are commonly called bee flies, and this may offer the adults some...
) & Hippobosca (louse fliesHippoboscidaeHippoboscidae, the louse flies or keds are obligate parasites of mammals and birds. In this family there are winged species which can fly at least reasonably well, as well as others with vestigial or no wings which are flightless and highly apomorphic...
) - Aptera: Lepisma (silverfishSilverfishLepisma saccharina, frequently called silverfish, fishmoths, carpet sharks or paramites, are small, wingless insects in the order Thysanura...
), Podura (springtailSpringtailSpringtails form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects...
s), Termes (termiteTermiteTermites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
)s, Pediculus (liceLouseLice is the common name for over 3,000 species of wingless insects of the order Phthiraptera; three of which are classified as human disease agents...
), Pulex (fleaFleaFlea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...
s), Acarus (miteMiteMites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
s & tickTickTicks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
s), Phalangium (harvestmenOpilionesOpiliones are an order of arachnids commonly known as harvestmen. , over 6,400 species of harvestmen have been discovered worldwide, although the real number of extant species may exceed 10,000. The order Opiliones can be divided into four suborders: Cyphophthalmi, Eupnoi, Dyspnoi and Laniatores...
), Aranea (spiderSpiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s), Scorpio (scorpionScorpionScorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s), Cancer (crabCrabTrue crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s, lobsterLobsterClawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
s and kin), Monoculus (water fleas & kin), Oniscus (woodliceWoodlouseA woodlouse is a crustacean with a rigid, segmented, long exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs...
), Scolopendra (centipedeCentipedeCentipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300. Centipedes have an odd number of pairs of...
s) & Julus (millipedeMillipedeMillipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...
s)