The Study of the Insect World - 1 Minute to Know Insects Every Day (6)

I remember 80's, when I was young, and I often had friends ask, "What is an insect?" In answering this question, I can only make a rough description, "Insects are small animals with six legs and four wings" The answer is basically satisfactory. If we study insects as a science and define "insects" accurately and concretely, it is not so easy. As Lao Tzu said, "Name, name, very famous." Whether it is "insect" in Chinese or "insect" in English, their categories are changing at any time and will be interpreted differently by different entomologists. For most people, there are three main definitions adopted in various textbooks:

(1) Insects in a broad sense include all species of the order Echinoderus or Flextails, Protocopods or Protocephalus, Bi-tailed Insects of the Order Bi-tailed, Lithopods, Clothed Fishes, and all species in the winged suborder, in this sense, insects = Hexapods.

(2) Insects in the narrow sense include all species of lithopods, hooded fishes and winged subclasses, but do not include the species of bullettails, protocerygas, and bi-tailed orders. In this sense, insects = outer-mouthed suborders.

(3) Insects in the narrowest sense include only the species of the winged subclass, and do not include other species in the hexapods. In general, people have traditionally agreed with a broad category of definitions, on the basis of which all the total classes of the hexapods are classified as insects, defined as insects. Insects are divided into subclass anonyloids and winged subclasses. The wingless suborder consists of five orders , namely Flexion , Protocerycer , Dichocchi , Lithomorphs , and Hoodedoptera.

The continuous progress in the study of the phylogenesis of biological species, from the understanding of evolutionary kinship, the formation of various taxonomic opinions, is an academically normal phenomenon. However, in the practical research and application of entomology, people not only take the generalized insect class as the object of understanding, but also often include some species of other taxa in the production practice into the field of entomology. Such as some species of arachnids, and even slugs of the gastropod order.

Terminology in this section is compared between Chinese and English:

Hexapoda

Insecta

【Broadly defined】 sensu lato

Sensu stricto

Sensu strictissimo

Collembola

【Bouncer/Bullettail】 Springtails

Protura

【Pinnacle/Protozoa】 coneheads

Diplura

Two-pronged bristletails

Archaeognatha

Jumping bristletails

Zygentoma

Silverfish

Pterygota

Ectognatha

Apterygota

[Systemic] phylogenetic

Arachnida

Gastropoda

Slug, Agriolimax agrestis