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Wing structure of a dragonfly (family Gomphidae)
Wing structure of a dragonfly (family Gomphidae)
Close up detail of a Butterfly wing
Close up detail of a Butterfly wing

Insect wings are outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. Anisoptera redirects here For the genus of trees see Anisoptera (tree. Gomphidae is an Odonata family that contains about 90 genera and 900 species A butterfly is an Insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described An exoskeleton is an external Skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body in contrast to the internal Endoskeleton of for example a Human. Insects are the only group of Invertebrates known to have evolved flight They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwings, respectively, though a few insects lack hindwings, even rudiments. The thorax is a division of an Animal 's body that lies between the head and the Abdomen. The mesothorax is the middle of the three segments in the Thorax of an Insect, and bears the second pair of legs The metathorax is the posterior of the three segments in the Thorax of an Insect, and bears the third pair of legs. Insect wings do not constitute appendages in technical parlance, as insects only have one pair of appendages per segment. An appendage in the broadest sense is an additional or subsidiary part existing on or added to something which can generally still function if the appendage has never existed or Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Segmentation in biology refers to the division of some Metazoan bodies and Plant body plans into a series of semi-repetitive segments and the question of The wings are strengthened by a number of longitudinal veins, which often have cross-connections that form closed "cells" in the membrane (extreme examples include Odonata and Neuroptera). Odonata is an order of Insects encompassing dragonflies (Anisoptera and damselflies (Zygoptera For the obsolete concept of the Neuroptera including Alderflies, Dobsonflies, Fishflies and Snakeflies, see Neuropterida. The patterns resulting from the fusion and cross-connection of the wing veins are often diagnostic for different evolutionary lineages and can be used for identification to the family or even genus level in many orders of insects. In Biological classification, family ( Latin A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used

Fully functional wings are present only in the adult stage, after the last moult. For the 2008 British film by Noel Clarke see Adulthood (film. Ecdysis is the Molting of the Cuticula in Arthropods and related groups ( Ecdysozoa) The one exception is the order Ephemeroptera, in which the penultimate instar (also called the subimago) possesses well-developed and functional wings, which are shed at the final moult. Mayflies are Insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek ephemeros = "short-lived" pteron An instar is a developmental stage of Arthropods, such as Insects, between each moult ( ecdysis) until sexual maturity is reached The subimago is the stage of development in an insect in which the insect is winged and capable of flight but not yet sexually mature Wings are only present in the subclass Pterygota, with members of the archaic Apterygota being wingless. A class is the Taxonomic rank in the Biological classification of organisms in Biology below phylum and above order. Pterygota is a subclass of Insects that includes the winged insects The name Apterygota is sometimes applied to a subclass of small agile Insects distinguished from other insects by their lack of wings in the present and in their Wings may also be lost in some pterygote clades, such as the fleas and lice. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor Flea is the Common name for any of the small wingless Insects of the order Siphonaptera (some authorities use the name Aphaniptera Lice (singular louse) ( order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 Species of wingless Insects three of which are classified

The wings may be present in only one sex (often the male) in some groups such as velvet ants and Strepsiptera, or selectively lost in "workers" of social insects such as ants and termites. Mutillidae, or velvet ants, are a family of Wasps whose wingless females resemble Ants though only distantly related The Strepsiptera (known in older literature as twisted-winged parasites) are an order of Insects with nine families making up about 600 species Eusociality ( Greek eu: "good" + "social" is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification Ants are social Insects of the family Formicidae and along with the related families of Wasps and Bees belong to the order The termites are a group of Social Insects usually classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera (but see also taxonomy Rarely, the female is winged but the male not, as in fig wasps. Fig wasps are Wasps of the family Agaonidae which pollinate Figs or are otherwise associated with figs In some cases, wings are produced only at particular times in the life cycle, such as in the dispersal phase of aphids. Beyond the mere presence/absence of wings, the structure and colouration will often vary with morphs, such as in the aphids, migratory phases of locusts and in polymorphic butterflies. Locust is the Swarming phase of short-horned Grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. A butterfly is an Insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a

At rest, the wings may be held flat, or folded a number of times along specific patterns; most typically, it is the hindwings which are folded, but in a very few groups such as vespid wasps, it is the forewings. The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species diverse cosmopolitan family of Wasps including nearly all the known Eusocial wasps and many Solitary

How and why insect wings evolved is not well understood. Two main theories on the origins of insect flight are that wings developed from paranotal lobes, extensions of the thoracic terga; and that they are modifications of movable abdominal gills as found on aquatic naiads of mayflies. The thorax is a division of an Animal 's body that lies between the head and the Abdomen. A tergum (plural terga, associated adjective tergal) is the dorsal portion of an Arthropod segment other than the head In Vertebrates such as Mammals the abdomen (belly constitutes the part of the body between the Thorax (chest and Pelvis. A gill is an anatomical structure found in many aquatic organisms In Biology, a nymph is the immature form of some Insects which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis ( Hemimetabolism) before reaching its adult Mayflies are Insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek ephemeros = "short-lived" pteron [1]

Contents

Flight

Insect flight can be extremely fast, manoeuverable and versatile. This flight is possible due to the changing shape, extraordinary control and variable motion of the insect wing. Insect orders use different flight mechanisms, for example, the flight of a butterfly can be explained using steady-state, non-transitory aerodynamics and thin aerofoil theory. An airfoil (in American English) or aerofoil (in British English) is the shape of a Wing or blade (of a Propeller, rotor For a more detailed description, see insect flight. Insects are the only group of Invertebrates known to have evolved flight

Adaptations

Several orders of insects have specially-adapted wings. An adaptation is a characteristic of an Organism that has been favored by Natural selection and

For orientation

For protection

Cockchafer (Order Coleoptera) opening its elytra and spreading its wings
Cockchafer (Order Coleoptera) opening its elytra and spreading its wings


Other adaptations

Damselfly's wings
Damselfly's wings

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Grimaldi, David (2005). An appendage in the broadest sense is an additional or subsidiary part existing on or added to something which can generally still function if the appendage has never existed or The Comstock-Needham system is a naming system for Insect wing veins, devised by John Comstock and George Needham in 1898. Insects are the only group of Invertebrates known to have evolved flight WING "ESPN 1410" is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton Ohio operating with 5000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios offices and transmitter located on David Evolution of the Insects. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.  

References

External links

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