Dichotomous Key To Orders
Dichotomous Key To Orders
Dichotomous Key To Orders
Note: there are over 30 insect orders, some of which you will never encounter. The following
key includes only 24 of the more common orders.
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1 a. Without wings; all of the abdominal segments visible in a top view of the insect..............................2
b. With wings; wings may be difficult to see because they are hidden by hard wing covers (as with
beetles). In these cases, the wing covers lie over the back and hide all or parts of the abdomen......17
2 a. Without legs, eyes, or antennae; living under a waxy or cottony covering and occurring in colonies
firmly attached to tree twigs, fruit, or leaves (e.g. scale insects).................................. HEMIPTERA
(suborder STERNORRHYNCHA)
b. Legs, antennae, and (usually) eyes present...........................................................................................3
4 a. Antennae are shorter than the head, and not easily seen; body flattened from side-to-side or from
top-to-bottom; parasites on animals.....................................................................................................5
b. Antennae longer than the head, easily seen; not usually parasites.......................................................7
5 a. Body flattened from side-to-side; legs long and able to jump; with siphoning mouthparts.
……………………………………………………………………………………..SIPHONAPTERA
b. Body flattened from top-to-bottom; legs short and not able to jump...................................................6
6 a. Abdomen sac-like and without distinct segments; eyes clearly visible; tarsi 5-segmented; about 1
cm long; sheep parasites.......................................…………………………………………DIPTERA
b. Abdominal segments distinct; eyes small or absent; tarsi 1- to 2-segmented; less than 3 millimeters
long..........................................................................................................................PHTHIRAPTERA
8 a. Body scaly; a coiled tongue sometimes visible; usually found on tree trunk.............LEPIDOPTERA
b. Body not scaly......................................................................................................................................9
9 a. With a sucking beak; the beak of some may seem to come from between the front legs…………..10
b. Beak absent, chewing mouthparts......................................................................................................11
10 a. With 2 tube-like projections near the end of the abdomen; soft-bodied and living in colonies on
plants; antennae long; beak arises near the front legs……………………………........ HEMIPTERA
(suborder STERNORRHYNCHA)
b. Without tube-like projections on abdomen; beak arises from front of head...................HEMIPTERA
(suborder HETEROPTERA)
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14 a. Ant-like appearance, except with soft, white bodies; 4-segmented tarsi; eyeless; antennae resemble
a string of round beads; thorax and abdomen are broadly joined.......................................ISOPTERA
b. Not fitting the description of 14a; eyes usually well-developed........................................................15
15 a. With a forked tail near the end of the body used for jumping; this tail may be folded under the
body.............................................................................................................................COLLEMBOLA
b. Without a forked tail...........................................................................................................................16
17 a. With only one pair of wings, the hind pair reduced to small structures that resemble golf tees
(halteres)............…................................................................................................................DIPTERA
b. With two pairs of wings, although the first pair may be hardened and do not function in flight (as
with beetles).......................................................................................................................................18
18 a. Front wings thicker in texture than hind wings for all or part of area...............................................19
b. Front and hind wings both of the same texture throughout......................................….....................24
19 a. Front wings hard or leathery in texture throughout and almost always meeting in a straight line
down the center of the back...............................................................................................................20
b. Front wings parchment-like or leathery throughout or on the basal half only - they do not meet in a
straight line down the center of the back. In the lace bugs (HEMIPTERA), the entire top of the
insect resembles lace………………………………………………………………………………..21
20 a. Front wings short, leaving much of the abdomen exposed; a pair of pincher-like appendages extend
from the end of the abdomen………………………………………………………...DERMAPTERA
b. Front wings usually cover all of the abdomen; never with abdominal appendages.....COLEOPTERA
21 a. With a jointed beak; basal part of the wing thickened and the tip membranous. Antennae with 5 or
less segments............................................................................................................…...HEMIPTERA
(suborder HETEROPTERA)
b. With chewing mouthparts; front wings parchment-like throughout; antennae with many
segments…………………………………………………………………………………………….22
24 a. Wings with scales on all or part of their area; siphoning mouthparts in the form of a coiled
“tongue”……………………………………………………………………………...LEPIDOPTERA
b. Wings without scales, although they may have hairs.........................................................................25
25 a. Wings long, narrow, veinless, and all 4 are of equal size and have fringes with long hairs; small
insects about 2 mm long; tarsi 1- or 2 segmented……...…....................................THYSANOPTERA
b. Not fitting the description in 25a........................................................................................................26
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26 a. Mouthparts composed of a beak arising far back on the underside of the head near the front legs;
wings held roof-like over the body, the hind pair smaller than the front pair...............HEMIPTERA
(suborder AUCHENORRHYNCHA)
b. Mouthparts not in the form of a piercing beak, although the front of the head may be prolonged into
a long snout; wings not held roof-like over the body; usually the hind pair of wings are about the
same size as the front pair OR the abdomen has 2 or 3 long, thread-like tails..................................27
29 a. Hind wings much smaller than front wings; occasionally, hind wings absent; abdomen ending in 2
or 3 long, thread-like tails.........................………………………………….......EPHEMEROPTERA
b. Front and hind wings nearly equal in size; no abdominal tails..........................................ODONATA
31 a. Head prolonged into a snout; the tip of the abdomen sometimes resembles a scorpion
tail..................................................................................................................................MECOPTERA
b. Head not prolonged into a snout..................................................................................NEUROPTERA
32 a. All four wings long, narrow, equal-sized, without distinct veins; wings about twice the body
length....................................................................................……………………...............ISOPTERA
b. Not fitting the description in 32a........................................................................................................33
33 a. Wings hairy; antennae thread-like and usually as long as or longer than the body; mouthparts
indistinct; front and hind wings nearly equal in size....................................……......TRICHOPTERA
b. Wings not hairy; chewing mouthparts present; hind wings noticeably smaller than the front
wings..................................................................................................................................................34
34 a. Tarsi 2- or 3-segmented; small insects less than 3mm long. Never constricted between the thorax
and the abdomen...................................................……………………………………PSOCOPTERA
b. Tarsi 4 or 5 segmented; size variable; most are constricted between the thorax and the
abdomen...................................................................................................................HYMENOPTERA
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1. Collembola: Springtails
(colla = glue + embolon = wedge or peg)
Collembola are tiny, wingless insects with chewing mouthparts and
incomplete metamorphosis (hemimetabolous). The antennae are
usually conspicuous. The scientific name comes from the fact that on
the first abdominal segment there is a short tube (called a
“collophore”) with which springtails can stick to smooth surfaces. The
common name, springtail, refers to the springing structure (furcula)
near the tip of the abdomen. Some Collembola can spring several
inches, and because of their tiny size seem to disappear when they
jump. One species is dark colored, and on warm winter days large
numbers of them will come out of hibernation to bask in the sun on the
surface of the snow. These are often called “snowfleas”. The
Collembola are of no economic importance, but they are plentiful and
can be found in many kinds of habitats under loose bark, logs, stones,
and in damp leaf litter where they feed on decaying organic material.
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8. Blattodea: Cockroaches
(blatta = cockroach)
Cockroaches are flattened insects with 2 pairs of wings, chewing mouthparts,
and incomplete metamorphosis. Cockroaches, like crickets and grasshoppers,
have thickened front wings called “tegmina.” Cockroaches are fast runners,
and their flat shape allows them to fit under rocks, logs, and other tight places.
They are omnivores, feeding on virtually anything organic. Several species are
pests, including German and American cockroaches, which commonly infest
buildings. Other species, such as the wood roach, rarely enter homes and are
important scavengers.
9. Isoptera: Termites
(isos = equal + ptera = wings)
Termites are small soft-bodied, social insects with incomplete metamorphosis, chewing mouthparts and
“beaded” antennae composed of a series of round segments. They nest in colonies and stay underground at
all times, except for the kings and queens, which are active during the swarming season. The colony is
made up of castes, including many workers, some soldiers, and a queen. Termites either feed on wood that
is beneath the soil or they build hollow, mud-like, shelter tubes from the ground to reach wood not in
contact with the soil. The shelter tubes protect the termites from being exposed to light, dry air, and
predators. In nature, termites are an essential part of the ecosystem, but when termites attack homes and
other structures, they are serious pests. Ants that nest or swarm around homes are often confused with
termites. (Note: some taxonomists include Isoptera within Blattodea).
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predators.
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