Insects have survived and evolved over time in every kind of atmospheric circumstance.There are lots of different insect species that are all unique in their own way. Insects came from the word ‘insectum’.Iinsects dominate with over 10 million beings, making up 90% of earth’s living creatures. There are two types of insects, Entognatha and Ectognatha. There are other insects types as well, Collembola, Protura, Pterygota, Diplura, Zygentoma, and Archaeognatha. On the basis of adaptations, insects are usually two types, millipedes and centipedes. The most described insects are beetles that were on earth 300 million years ago, flies that existed 250 million years ago, wasps and moths that have been around for 150 million years. These insects came from Mecoptera. Hymenoptera arrived during the Triassic era and there was a lot of diversity during the Cenozoic era. We can clarify these facts from paleoentomology.If you enjoyed this article, why not check out these bug facts and insectivore facts here on Kidadl!The Primary Insect Body PartsInsect mouthparts are divided into five parts. These parts are the labrum (upper lip part), mandibles (hard jaws), maxillae (five segmented palps, helps to taste), labium (lower lip part), and hypopharynx (discharges saliva).Maxillae have stylets that help to penetrate skin and hypopharynx that discharges saliva. They have anticoagulants to stop blood clotting. In the thorax, insect legs are separated into three pairs, divided into coxa, femur, trochanter, tibia, tarsus, ischium, metatarsus, carpus, dactylus, and patella. The end of the coxa has basicostal suture that strengthens the coxa of insect legs.In an incomplete life cycle for developed insects, an insects goes from an egg, to a nymph to adult stage. In the complete life cycle, it goes from egg, larva, pupa (resting stage) to adult stage. This happens in an exoskeleton. The respiratory system of insects works on tracheae, where gases move through diffusion. In the abdomen, the digestion process of insects runs through the alimentary canal, a way from the mouth to anus (law of gut). This helps to grind and store food, produce enzymes, and absorb nutrients from food. It is divided into anterior stomodaeum, middle midgut, posterior hindgut. Insects can digest complex molecules like protein, lipid, and carbohydrates. The digestive system of insects has evolved morphologically to acclimatize with different foods.An insect’s blood is not similar to vertebrates. Vertebrates have red blood cells and parts of an insect carry hemolympha heterogenous fluid. This fluid is water with ions, carbs, lipids, glycerol, amino acids, hormones, cells, pigments, inorganic salts, and hemocyanin. The concentration of amino acids may differ during the development stages. There are also proteins named chroma protein, vitellogenins, lipid transport, enzymes, and protease inhibitors. There can be other organic constituents, ammonia, allantoin, uric acid, urea and carbohydrates as, inositol, sugar alcohol, hexosamines, mannitol, and glycerol. Insects have hearts with fewer arteries and veins to pump hemolymph and help circulate fluid freely throughout tissues. Hemolymph contains nucleating agents that resist extracellular freezing. Within hemolymph there are hemocytes, responsible for their immunity. Some insect species use hemolymph hydraulically to assist movements, some use it as adhesive while attacking.In insect reproduction, there are developmental stages, haplodiploidy (sex-determination system), polymorphism, peramorphosis, parthenogenesis (reproduction is possible despite not having fertilized eggs), sexual dimorphism, and hermaphroditism. Some insects can detect ultraviolet wavelengths, polarized light, pheromones, hear up to 50 kHz, and sense ultrasonic and infrared emissions. Insects can make sound with the help of mechanical action of appendages. Cicadas are the loudest. Some use surface-borne vibrations to communicate. Chemoreception in insects can regulate the activity of a cell. Pheromones and kairomones are message-carrying semiochemicals, used for communication.An insect’s wings are muscles, attached with pterothorax to the thorax area. The fore-wings are between the mesonotum and mesopleuron. The hindwing is in between the metanotum and metapleuron. An insect’s wings venation is the upper cuticle, wing membrane and veins, as costa, subcosta, radius, media, cubitus, anal veins (A1, A2, A3). According to wing venation in an insect wing, between costa and subcosta there are C-Sc cross-veins, R cross veins on adjacent branches of radius, between radius and media there is R-M cross-veins, between media and cubitus M-Cu cross veins. Wings can be operated by flexor muscle, joints as humeral plates, first axillary, second axillary, third axillary, fourth axillary, and median plates- m, m1.Does a fly have three body parts?Typical housefly body parts have three segments. They have head, thorax, and abdomen.Flies, even house flies, have specific insect mouthparts that conclude certain muscles, which are for a liquid diet. Mandibles and maxillae aren’t functional here.Mosquito mouthparts are a little different. It is called proboscis and the visible part is labium and there are two mandibles, two maxillae, hypopharynx, and labrum. On the head part, there are compound eyes made of ommatidia, arista, antenna, maxillary palps, lebellum, and labium. In major regions, the thoracic segment covers the prescutum, anterior spiracle, scutum, mesopleuron, calypters, and scuttelum.The abdomen part includes wings, abdominal segment, haltere, posterior spiracle, femur, tibia, spur, and tarsus.The insect wing part is divided into an axillary area, jugal area, and anal area. In the axillary area, both remigiums are separated by median-flexion line, then we got jugal fold in ugal area and in the anal area, there is claval furrow and anal (vannal).An insect’s head consists of two parts front and back. In the front portion, there is a vertex, ocelli, ecdysial cleavage, antenna, compound eye, fronto-genal sulcus, fronto-clypeal suture, mandibules, frons, gena, clypeus, and labrum. Back is divided into vertex, occiput, postgena, occipital suture, occipital foramen, posterior tentorial pit, hypostomal bridge, mandible, maxilla, hypostomal suture, and labrum.Do insects have brains?Yes, insects have brains, named ganglia, consisting of around 1 million neurons, which helps them to sense things around them.The brain is divided into three parts, protocerebrum, deutocerebrum, tritocerebrum, which concludes the supraesophageal ganglion. There are subesophageal ganglion, thoracic ganglia, connectives, and abdominal ganglia. They have tiny neurons which help them to carry sensory information. These neurons are divided into three parts. These parts are calices, peduncle, third region. The calices part inputs incoming information, the peduncle part transfers information to the alpha and beta lobe, and the third region broadcasts the output. The antennae use nerves to sense smells, temperature, and humidity. The third lobe is connected to the stomodaeal nervous system, which helps an insect to survive without a head.Antennae are feelers. They can feel things because of setae. Sensory structures can sense environmental sensations. For some insects, their antennae can even detect sound. There are different types of antennae, ranging from aristate, capitate, clavate, filiform, flabellate, geniculate, lamellate, moniliform, pectinate, plumose, serrate, stylate, and setaceous.Do insects feel fear?Insects skin refers to the cuticle and has two parts. The two parts are the epicuticle (outer layer) and procuticle (underlayer). They have a rigid body, including exocuticle and endocuticle (made from chitin & protein).In the embryonic stage, cuboidal epithelial cells help to build an external cuticle (concludes muscular support by forming a protective shield) and internal membrane. Due to the exocuticle’s lack of ability to grow, it eventually sheds. This is called the molting process. This region can be divided into tergum, sternum, and two pleura. Insects’ eyes are made of ommatidia, with around 30,000 in each compound eye. Their eyes may have fewer resolutions but they have the accurate ability to catch movements, UV, and green sensitivity. They have some additional ocelli to help see in low light.Despite having sensory mechanisms, insects may not feel the way we are. However, there is no evidence so far, but Professor Elwood studied this. We do know pain in the body requires a network compound from the brain that transfers sensory information, emotion, memory, perception. Insects may not have this relevant structure. Around the world, people consume deep-fried cicadas and beetles, as a delicacy and for their high protein content. These insects might be the staple diet for many people. Food safety laws limit this, but have not placed a ban on eating insects.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Explore main insect body parts facts about most insects for kids! then why not take a look at How is copper made? Cool metal facts for kids to explore! or How is glitter made? Fun facts for kids that are full of sparkle!
Insects have survived and evolved over time in every kind of atmospheric circumstance.
