Endopterygota: Coleoptera & Neuroptera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28YOYPK4qqE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zECnVZyYDI&t=48s

Endopterygota (Holometabola)

Order COLEOPTERA

Beetles

            Coleo – Stony

            Ptera – Wings

•       Largest order in animal kingdom comprising 25% of all animal species

•       40% of known insects are beetles

•       Predatory, phytophagous, saprophagous

1. Chewing mouth parts, well developed mandibles

2. Fore wings – elytra, not used in for flying, hind wings-membranous, folded beneath elytra

3. Larval stages called as grubs

4. In most species, abdominal tip not covered by elytra and is called pygidium

Sub-order: Adephaga

1. Family: Carabidae

            Ground beetles

•       Shiny, flat, black beetles with slender, long legs

•       Antennae arise laterally on the sides of the head between eyes &              mandibles

•       Head narrower than pronotum

•       Elytra with grooves or lines

2. Family: Cicindelidae

            Tiger beetles

•       Adults and grubs with sharp mandibles & long legs

•       Antenna arise from the anterior part of head, above mandibles

•       Head broader than pronotum

•       Elytra – brightly spotted or striped

3. Family: Dytiscidae

            Predaceous diving beetles

•       Smooth, oval, shiny, aquatic beetles with long, filiform antenna

•       Hind legs flat, fringed with long hairs, oar like, swimming type (natatorial)

•       Plastron respiration by chamber under elytra.

Sub-order: Polyphaga

4. Family: Hydrophilidae

            Water scavengers

•       Oval, smooth, shiny, convex

•       Short, clubbed antenna

•       Metasternum – sharp spine like

•       Hind legs – natatorial (swimming)

•       Plastron respiration by chamber under abdomen

5. Family: Scarabaeidae

            Scarab beetles, Dung rollers

• Lamellate antenna

• Exposed Pygidium

• Spines or horns on  head or prothorax

6. Family: Melolonthidae

            June beetles, chaffers

• Stout with shiny elytra

• Adults attracted to light

• Larvae – scarabeiform

• White coloured with brown head, thus called white grubs

• Feed on roots, thus called root grubs

7. Family: Dynastidae

            Rhinoceros beetles, Hercules beetle, Atlas beetle

•       Largest of all beetles

•       Most species with horn on head

•       Sexual dimorphism

•       Scarabaeiform larvae

8. Family: Lucanidae

            Stag beetles

•       Large, brown or black

•       Geniculate antenna

•       Males larger than females

•       Males with long, branched horn like growth

9. Family: Rutelidae

            Shining leaf chaffers

•       Metallic, shiny

•       Blue, green, brown, yellow or red

•       Pests of forest trees and other plants

•       Grubs feed on roots while adults on foliage

10. Family: Staphylinidae

            Rove beetles

•       Slender, elongate, very short elytra

•       Abdomen flexible, moved up and down

•       Resemble earwigs but lack cerci

11. Family: Buprestidae

            Jewel beetles, metallic wood boring beetles, flat headed borers

•       Metallic, shiny elytra and body

•       Small head, sunken into thorax

•       Prothorax expanded

•       Grubs – legless with flat head bore beneath tree bark

12. Family: Elateridae

            Click beetles

•       Elongate, cylindrical

•       Pronotum with sharp spines at the bottom

•       Jump into air with “clicking” noise, when placed upside down

•       Grubs – slender, resembling rusted wire, called wire worms

13. Family: Lampyridae

            Fireflies, Glow worms

• Flat, elongate, nocturnal

• Males – winged, well developed eyes

• Females – wingless, larviform, reduced eyes

 Light production by Luciferin, when oxidized in the presence of luciferase 

14. Family: Coccinellidae

            Lady beetles, Lady bird beetles

• Hemispherical, convex

• Head – small, inside a notch in prothorax

• Elytra – spotted or banded with bright colours

• Grubs – campodeiform

• Predaceous except one species on eggplant 

15. Family: Meloidae

            Blister beetles

•       Deflexed head

•       Narrow neck, long legs

•       Reflex bleeding through various joints

•       Haemolymph has cantharidin that causes blisters on skin

16. Family: Chrysomelidae

            Leaf beetles

•      Elongate or oval

•      Short clavate antenna

•      Tortoise beetles (Cassidae)

•      Leaf beetles (Galerucidae)

•      Flea beetles (Alticidae)

17. Family: Cerambycidae

            Long horned beetles / Longicorns

•       Cylindrical, very long serrate antennae

•       Compound eyes – notched

•       Pronotum with lateral spines

•       Grubs – elongate, apodous, called round headed borers

18. Family: Bruchidae

            Pulse beetles, Seed beetles

•       Small, short, egg shaped

•       Serrate antenna

 Short elytra, do not cover abdomen.

19. Family: Cetoniidae

            Flower chaffers

•       Brightly coloured

•       Lamellate antenna

•       Larvae – scavengers

•       Goliath beetle – Heaviest insect

20. Family: Curculionidae

            Weevils, Snout beetles

•       Head prolonged into snout or beak

•       Mandibles at the tip of the snout

•       Geniculate antennae

Other important families

•      Tenebrionidae          – Red flour beetle

•      Bostrychidae             – Lesser grain borer

•      Anobiidae                  – Cigarette beetle

•      Dermestidae              – Carpet beetle

•      Lyctidae                     – Powder post beetle.

Order Neuroptera

Lacewings, antlions, owlflies, alderflies, snakeflies, dobsonflies

            Neuro – Nerve

            Ptera – wings

•       Both larvae & adults - Predaceous

•       Mouth parts – chewing or mandibulo - suctorial

•       Compound eyes - Large

•       Wings – similar, membranous with extensive venation

•       Larvae – campodeiform with sickle like mandibles

1.    Suborder Raphidioidea  (Snakeflies)

2.    Suborder Megaloptera (Dobsonflies)

3.    Suborder Planipennia (Antlionflies, Lacewings, Owlflies)

Family Raphidiidae

Snakeflies

•       Elongate, slender, neck like thorax

•       Membranous wings with pterostigma

•       Larvae with strong mandibles

Family Corydalidae

Dobsonflies, fishflies

•       Aquatic, large

•       Hind wings broader than fore wings

•       Larvae as fish baits.

Family Chrysopidae

Aphid lions, green lace wings, golden eyes

•       Metallic green body and lace like wings

•       Golden yellow coloured eyes

•       Few emit bad smell, thus called stink flies

•       Pedicellate eggs

Family Hemerobiidae

Brown lace wings

•       Brown coloured, smaller than gree lace wings

•       Moniliform antenna

Family Myrmeliontidae

Antlionflies

•       Long, narrow, spotted wings

•       Resemble damselflies

•       Short, thick, knobbed antenna

•       Grubs – in conical pits, sickle like mandibles (mandibulo-suctorial mouth parts) 

Family Mantispidae

Mantispidflies

•       Resemble praying mantids

•       Elongated prothorax

•       Raptorial fore legs

Family Ascalaphidae

Owlflies

•       Resemble dragonflies

•       Clubbed antenna

•       Long fine hairs on head

•       Pterostigma

Order Mecoptera

Scorpionflies

            Meco – long

            Ptera - wing

• Predaceous, terrestrial

• Head prolonged, beak like

• Filiform antenna

• Short cerci

• Long, slender male genitalia, resembling sting of scorpion