insect

Table of Contents

Introduction
General features
- Appearance and habits
- Distribution and abundance
Importance
- Role in nature
- Commercial significance
  - Insects as a source of raw materials
  - Insect damage to commercial products
- Agricultural significance
  - Ecological factors
  - Damage to growing crops
- Medical significance
- Control of insect damage
Natural history
- Life cycle
  - Egg
  - Types of metamorphosis
  - Types of larvae
  - Role of hormones
  - Reproduction
- Sensory perception and reception
  - Touch
  - Sound
  - Chemicals
  - Sight
- Behaviour
  - Instincts
  - Insect societies
- Ecology
  - Terrestrial insects
  - Aquatic insects
  - Protection from enemies
  - Population regulation
Form and function
- External features
  - Cuticle
  - Head
  - Thorax
  - Abdomen
- Internal features
  - Digestive system
  - Circulatory system
  - Respiratory system
  - Reproductive system
  - Nervous system
  - Eyes
Evolution and paleontology
- Origin of insects
- Insect fossil record
- Insect phylogeny
- Evolution
  - Wings and flight
  - Metamorphosis
  - Feeding methods
  - Continuing evolution
Classification
- Distinguishing taxonomic features
- Annotated classification
- Critical appraisal

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insect: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Insecta

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insect diversity

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Topics

Pterygota heteropteran coleopteran apterygote ant wasp bee grasshopper butterfly moth reptile fish bird mammal crustacean amphibian mollusk arachnid millipede centipede

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Key People

Anna Botsford Comstock.

Anna Botsford Comstock

American illustrator and writer

Sir Vincent Wigglesworth

British entomologist

Swammerdam, Jan

Jan Swammerdam

Dutch naturalist

Leland Ossian Howard

American entomologist

Bates, H.W.

H.W. Bates

British naturalist and explorer

William Morton Wheeler

American entomologist

Lyonnet, detail of an oil painting by Hendrik van Limborch, 1742; in a private collection

Pierre Lyonnet

Dutch naturalist and engraver

Réaumur, detail of an engraving by J. Blanchon

René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur

French entomologist

Charles Valentine Riley

American entomologist

Latreille, detail of an engraving after a portrait, 1823

Pierre-André Latreille

French zoologist

Johann Christian Fabricius, engraving by G.L. Lahde, 1805

Johann Christian Fabricius

Danish entomologist

Say, Thomas

Thomas Say

American naturalist

Fabre, Jean Henri

Jean Henri Fabre

French entomologist

John Henry Comstock

American entomologist

Charles De Geer

Swedish entomologist

Merian, Maria Sibylla

Maria Sibylla Merian

German-born naturalist and artist

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Demystified

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