The Insect Collector’s Guide

Entomological Society of Alberta

R.D. McMullen (1965)

T.J. Lysyk (1995, revision)

This publication can be found on-line at www.biology.ualberta.ca/courses.hp/esa/esa.htm

INTRODUCTION

Entomology is the study of insects.Collecting and preserving insects is abasic part of this study and is one of thebest ways to learn about insects, howthey live and how they affect humans.People often start collecting insects forthe fun of it and then want to know moreabout the insects collected, their correctscientific and common names, and howthey spend their lives.

Importance of Insects

Insects are the most numerous anddiverse group of animals. Over 790,000species have been described, far morethan for any other animal or plant group.For example, there are about 80,000species of molluscs (clams, snails andsquids), 55,000 species of Arachnids(spiders, scorpions, ticks) and 54,000species of vertebrates (birds, mammals,fish, reptiles and amphibians). Theorder Coleoptera (beetles) has 350,000species, Diptera (flies) has 120,000species, Lepidoptera (moths andbutterflies) has 112,000 species andHymenoptera (bees and wasps) has108,000 species.

With such large numbers, it is notsurprising that insects play a number ofimportant ecological roles. Insects occurat all levels of the food web, (except asprimary producers) and play importantroles as detritivores (scavengers),herbivores (plant feeders), predators,and parasites.

Insects can be important pests inagriculture, forestry and homes, and canthreaten human health. Populations ofinsects can reach high numbers andcause a significant amount of damageunless control measures are takenagainst them. Insects also have a

variety of beneficial roles. They arenecessary for pollinating many plants,including important fruit and vegetablecrops. Insects can also feed on otherinsects and provide checks on thepopulations of pest insects, preventingthem from reaching damaging levels.Biological control agents can bepurchased and used in agriculture andthe home garden to reduce pesticide use.

Insects themselves are the basic foodfor many other organisms such as birds,fish, and mammals. Trout sportsfisheries depend heavily on populationsinsects. Caddisflies, stoneflies,mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies,mosquitoes, midges, and beetles are allprey for trout. Insects are also sourcesof human food in many areas. Locustsand grasshoppers are eaten in Orientalcountries, giant skipper larvae (65 mmlong) are eaten in Mexico and beetles,ants, termites and caterpillars are eatenin Africa and Australia. In addition tofood, insects also provide a largenumber of commercial products such ashoney, beeswax, shellac, silk and dyes.

Insects directly affect human healthby transmitting important diseases suchas malaria, typhus, plague and yellowfever. Stinging and biting insects cancause annoyance, parasitize humans,inject venom and produce allergens.

It is important to remember that thereare only a few thousand different speciesof insects that warrant a reputation asdestructive insects which are so harmfulto humans, crops, stored foods anddomestic animals that steps are taken tocontrol them. Several thousand speciesof insects can be considered beneficial,but the majority of insects do neitherappreciable harm nor good, and can beconsidered indifferent insects. Usefulinsects can become destructive orindifferent, or vice versa, by a change in

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the balance of nature. Sometimes thisresults from human activities such asclearing forests and breaking farm landor from nature's changing climate cycle.We must always remember to be onguard by knowing all we can aboutinsects to be ready when an indifferentinsect or a good insect becomesdestructive.

DEVELOPMENT AND STRUCTURE

Almost all insects start life as an egg,although a few species bear live young.Insect eggs are usually as small as orsmaller than the head of a pin. Theirshape is various among species as arethe color and texture of the egg shell.Cockroaches and related insects enclosea number of eggs within one egg case.Lacewings lay their eggs on long stalksso the first larva cannot eat the othereggs before they hatch. Some specieslay only a few eggs and others manythousands. Ordinarily, only one insecthatches from one egg but severalthousand insects may develop from asingle egg of some parasites. Most eggsare laid close to or on the food theyoung require, but some are scatteredrandomly throughout the environment.The larva hatches from an egg anddevelops into the adult.

The skin of an insect is somewhatrigid and acts as its skeleton, but alsolimits the amount of growth that canoccur. As the insect feeds, it grows untilits skin can no longer stretch. It thenstops feeding for a short period andcompletes the development of a new andlarger (looser) skin underneath the oldone. It swells its body by swallowing airor water and also by flexing its muscles.This splits the old skin and the insectcrawls out. This process is calledmolting. Every time an immature insect

molts it may change its appearanceslightly as well as becoming larger. Theform of an insect between molts is calledan instar. All immatures of a certaininstar of a species will look the same.The number of instars that insects mustgo through before it reaching maturity(adult stage), varies among species, butis commonly three to five.

Immature insects undergo changes inform before reaching the adult stage.This process is called metamorphosis,which in Greek means change of form.Metamorphosis has three basic types.The first type is found in the mostprimitive insects and is calledametablous metamorphosis becausethere is no metamorphosis. The newlyhatched insect looks almost exactly likethe adult insect except that it is smaller.Silverfish are ametabolous insects.

The second type is hemimetabolousmetamorphosis. The newly hatchedinsect is called a nymph which closelyresembles the adult insect, except it doesnot have wings. The wings appear assmall pads on the back of the nymph andget larger at each moult. When thenymph reaches the size of an adult, itmolts to the adult form with fully grownwings. Grasshoppers, lice and bugs arehemimetabolous insects.

The third type of metamorphosis isholometabolous metamorphosis orcomplete metamorphosis. The insecthatches from the egg as a larva, whichdoes not resemble the adult insect. Someexamples of larvae are caterpillars, flymaggots, wireworms, and mosquitowrigglers. After a larva reaches full sizeit turns into a pupa. The pupa is oftenenclosed in a bundle of silk or awrapping of leaves or ground trash,which is called the cocoon. Usually themature larva crawls to a protected placeor burrows into the ground before it

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turns into a pupa. Inside the pupal casethe insect turns into the adult whichemerges to complete the life cycle.Examples of adult holometabolous in-sects are beetles, butterflies, moths,mosquitoes, bees, and flies.

Adult insects have common basicstructures. The insect body has threemain parts (Figure 1), the head, thorax,and abdomen. Each of these bearsappendages (e.g., antennae, mouthparts,and legs) common to all adult insects,although they vary among differentspecies. The shape and size of theappendages depends upon their use.

Appendages on the head are antennaeand mouthparts. Antennae of differentspecies of insects vary greatly in shape

and size as do the shapes of the mouth-parts. Also on the head of adult insectsare a pair of large compound eyes andusually two or three ocelli or simpleeyes.

The thorax is made up of threesegments and has three pairs of legs(one pair on each segment) and usuallytwo pairs of wings (one pair on each ofthe last two segments). Wings, whichare variously modified among groups ofinsects, are important for classification.The hard shell covering the back of abeetle's body is the front pair of wings.These are called elytra and are modifiedto protect the hind wings. In flies(Diptera), the hind wings are tiny andresemble small drum sticks.

Figure 1

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The abdomen of an insect iscomposed of up to twelve segments.The number showing on various speciesmay be as few as four or as many asnine or ten. The appendages on theabdomen of adult insects are mostlyconfined to the last few segments. Theseappendages on females are concernedwith laying eggs and, collectively, arecalled the ovipositor. An example of aninsect with a large ovipositor is the fieldcricket. Many insects have no ovipositorvisible because it is withdrawn insidethe abdomen. The sting of a bee or waspis a modified ovipositor. The abdominalappendages of males are concerned withmating. Both sexes may have additionalappendages, which often resemble theantennae in both form and function.

COLLECTING INSECTS

There are several ways to make aninsect collection. Most often, peoplemake collections of every kind of insectthey can catch. This allows the collectorto learn to recognize the various insectgroups. Another type of collectionconsists of only one kind of insect suchas only butterflies or only beetles. Thismakes a nice collection for someonewho wants to specialize, but first acollector should know something aboutall kinds of insects. A locality collectioncontains only those insects caught in acertain locality such as your own backyard, town or farm, or home province.In New York City, one man caught andidentified about two thousand differentspecies in his own back yard.

A life history collection shows allstages of an insect species and examplesof what they feed on and can show thedamage they do. Each species and itsfood sample are mounted in a singlebox.

Insect larvae are best preserved inbottles or vials of alcohol (70% ethanol).Almost any insect can be preserved inthis way but they do not appear as neatas when pinned and dried and mountedin a box. Alcohol collections of insectsare quite important for larvae and small,soft-bodied insects such as aphids, aswell as for related animals such asspiders.

COLLECTING EQUIPMENT

The equipment needed to startcollecting is fairly simple andinexpensive. Most equipment can bemade at home, or purchased from naturesupply stores. Essential equipmentincludes a collecting net, killing bottles,insect pins, pinning block, forceps ortweezers, scissors, pinning forceps orpliers, spreading board for butterfliesand moths, insect labels, specimenboxes, a fine pen and India ink.

Insect Collecting Nets.

Insect collecting nets make thecapture of a great many insects mucheasier and when used properly, preventsdamaging the captured insect. Nets canbe made with a broom handle, 150 cm ofthick stiff wire bent into a hoop, cord orsoft wire or 10 cm of tubing to fasten thehoop to the broom handle, and a piece offine mesh cloth (mosquito netting, nylonorgandy or marquisette). The details ofconstruction of the net are illustrated inFigure 2.

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Killing Bottles.

Insects must be killed before pinning.Killing bottles are quick and efficient,but must be properly made and used asthey contain poisonous materials. Avariety of chemicals can be used as thekilling agent, but many of the chemicalsrecommended in the earlier literature aretoxic to humans and should be avoided.Ethyl acetate is reasonably safe tohumans and will kill insects in less thanan hour. You should always avoidinhaling the fumes and use the killingbottle only in a well-ventilated area.Ethyl acetate is also inflammable andshould not be used near furnaces, flamesor other sources of heat.

Killing bottles are generally made byplacing an absorbent material on thebottom of a jar and adding a few dropsof ethyl acetate prior to use. Glassbottles or vials must be used as ethylacetate dissolves plastic. The bottlesshould have a tight-fitting lid and should

also be wrapped on the outside withelectrician’s tape to avoid injury in caseof breakage. You should have a numberof jars of various sizes to avoidovercrowding and reduce the possibilityof specimens damaging each other. Thesize of the killing bottle depends on thesize of the insect being killed. Mothsand butterflies, for example, requirelarger bottles than beetles and flies.

Butterflies can be killed withoutpoisons by pinching the under side ofthe thorax. Many insects can also bekilled by placing them in a freezer forseveral hours. However, freezing maynot be effective in the fall as manyinsects become cold-hardy inpreparation for the winter.

Insect Pins, Pinning Blocks, andForceps

Insect pins are fine steel pins, blue,black, or silver in color, with a smallround head, and are specifically made

Figure 2

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for pinning insects. They are available invarious thickness but are almost all thesame length. Ordinary pins are too shortand thick to be useful for pinning in-sects. The thickness of insect pins isindicated by numbers. The mostcommonly used size is No. 2 or 3. Eithersize will do for pinning almost anyinsect except very small ones. Figures 3and 4 show the correct places on variousinsects through which a pin should beput to pin them properly.

Small insects are pinned using specialmethods (Figure 5). Small triangles ofstiff cardboard about 1.0 cm long arecut. The insect pin is pushed throughthe broad end of the triangle and the

triangle raised to the proper height onthe pin. The tip of the triangle is thenbent downward to match the angle of theinsects’ thorax, and the insect is gluedonto this end of the triangle using aquick- drying glue. The point of the

Figure 4

Figure 3

Figure 5

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triangle should touch the right-hand sideof the insect's body just above the legs.This pinning method should be usedonly for small insects that would bedamaged by pushing a size 2 or 3 insectpin through the thorax. Some insectsmay be glued directly to the side of aNo. 2 pin.

A pinning block, (Figure 6) is anecessity for positioning insects andlabels at the correct height on the pins.The block measures 7.5 cm long and 2.5cm wide and consists of three steps. Thefirst step is 0.6 cm high, the second 1.2cm and the third 2.2 cm high. In thecentre of each step a small diameter hole(0.16 cm) is drilled .

The highest and lowest steps of thepinning block are used to positioninsects at the correct height on insectpins. Once the pin is properly insertedthrough the insect's body, the insect isplaced on the highest step of the pinningblock with the point of the pin in thesmall hole in the centre of the block.The pin is pushed through the insect tothe bottom of the hole. This moves theinsect up near the head of the pin almostat the height it should be. However, it isbetter to have the top of each insect astandard distance (usually 1.0 cm) fromthe top of each pin rather than the

bottom of each insect a standarddistance from the point of the pin. Use aruler to measure from the pin top to thetop of the insect. The middle step of thepinning block is used to locate theheight on the pin at which the localityand collector's label should be placed(Figure 5). Pierce the label in the centrewith the point of the insect pin (theinsect is already at the right place on thepin). Place the point of the pin in thehole through the middle step of theblock and push it to the bottom of thehole. The lowest step of the block maybe used similarly to place the identitylabel on the pin. Make sure that all yourlabels read in the same direction, withtheir length the same direction as thelength of the insect or width of a largebutterfly.

A small pair of scissors is handy forcutting out insect labels and for cuttingstiff pieces of smooth paper for spread-ing moths and butterflies on spreadingboards. A pair of fairly large, fine-pointed forceps and a pair of flat-pointedforceps are very useful for handlingsmaller insects and moths andbutterflies. Moths and butterflies shouldnever be handled with the fingersbecause the scales on the wings areeasily rubbed off and the specimenbecome damaged.

Spreading Boards and Relaxing Boxes

Spreading boards are used to mountmoths, butterflies, and other insects thatshould have their wings spread flat andevenly. Spreading the wings exposesmarkings and coloration useful inidentifying insects. All moths andbutterflies should be mounted with theirwings spread flat and in the correctposition. Grasshoppers are oftenmounted with only the right wings

Figure 6 All sizes in cm

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spread to show the color of theunderwing. Dragonflies and damsel flieslook neater if their wings are spread on aspreading board, but it is not arequirement

Materials used to make a spreadingboard are two strips of soft wood 30 cmlong, 5 cm wide, and 0.6 cm thick; twoblocks of wood 13 cm by 5 cm by 1.2cm, and a piece of thick compositioncork material or soft wall board 30 cmby 5 cm. The spreading board is madeby nailing the two larger wooden slats tothe smaller wooden blocks (one block ateach end), leaving an even 0.6 cmbetween the two long slats. The corkmaterial or wall board is nailed or gluedbeneath the crack between the two longwooden slats. The spreading boardshould look similar that in Figure 7.

It is useful to have more than onespreading board so a number of insectscan be mounted at one time. At least sixinsects can be mounted at a time on oneboard. Spreading boards may also bemade with different sized-gaps betweenthe long wooden slats to accommodateinsects with various sizes of bodies.Professional spreading boards are oftenmade so the gap between the twowooden slats is adjustable.

To spread an insect’s wings, firstmount it on a pin as usual and set it atthe correct height using the pinningblock (Figure 8).

The pin with the insect on it is thenthrust through the cork material atslightly to the right of the centre of thespreading board. The pin must go

through this near centre line of the corkso that when the pin is pushed down, thebody of the insect will slip evenly intothe space between the two boards. Insertthe pin deep enough so the bases of theinsect’s wings are exactly level with thetop surface of the boards. If the insectwings are folded either upward ordownward they must be eased alonguntil they lie flat on the surface of thetwo side boards. Then, with the point ofan insect pin, and without tearing orputting any holes in the wings, carefullymove the front wings forward until rear

Figure 8

Figure 7

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margin edges of them are at right anglesto the insect's body. Then carefullymove the hind wings until about twothirds of the front margin of the rearwing is covered up. The wings mustthen be held in position and pressed flaton the board by pinning across thempieces of relatively stiff, smooth paper.The pins holding the paper down shouldnot go through the wings of the insect.Lace pins, with large glass heads arebest for this purpose as they are moreeasily pushed into the wood. Specimensshould be left on the board in a well-ventilated place protected from mice andcockroaches for a week to ten days todry. Experience and practice areimportant in spreading wings properly.

Often, some time elapses between thekilling of an insect and its mounting.Specimens can become dry and brittle,making it impossible to pin themwithout damaging them. Dried insectsshould be relaxed by placing it in adamp atmosphere for a few days. This iswhat relaxing boxes are for. Mostrelaxing boxes are made of large jars orplastic food containers with tight-fittinglids. A piece of soft wood that fitsinside the container is placed on thebottom. When the container is to beused, a little water is poured underneaththe wood (not enough to float the wood)and a few drops of ethyl acetate added tothe water. The water provides a dampatmosphere and the ethyl acetateprevents mold from growing on thewood or on the insects in the container.In three to four days, the insects shouldbe ready for mounting.

Labels and Specimen Boxes

Labels are one of the most importantthings about an insect collection as theyidentify where and when an insect was

captured. Several different type oflabels are used. The first and mostimportant label is the locality labelwhich bears the name of the nearestlocality (town, city or village) in whichthe insect was caught, the date on whichit was caught, and the name of theperson who caught it.

An identification label bears thescientific name of the insect, the date itwas identified, and the name of theperson who identified it. Sometimes athird label is on the pin. It has on itvarious information such as the food theinsect was eating when caught, or whenit emerged as an adult if it was caught asan immature form and reared.

Insect labels must be as small aspossible. The commonly used sizemeasures 0.6 cm by 1.6 cm. They maybe cut from good quality, stiff, whitewriting paper. The printing on the labelsshould be as small and as neat aspossible. Labels can be made using asize 000 drafting pen, but excellentresults can be obtained using a homecomputer, word-processing software anda laser printer. The following label wasproduced using the “Univers “ font witha point size of 5

CANADA:ALBERTA:Edmonton.670 m alt.28.III.1995.R.Leech

Computer printed labels for severallocalities can be printed on the samesheet. The collector then cuts the labelsfrom these sheets.

Insect specimens are quite easilydamaged, and specimen boxes areessential for preserving them. They alsoafford a neat and orderly method ofdisplaying the collection. Pasteboardboxes about 5 cm deep are ideal. Cut apiece of soft wall board to fit snugly intothe bottom of the box and glue it there.Instead of wall board, thin composition

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cork sheets obtainable from a hardwarestore, styrofoam from a florist or eventhick corrugated cardboard will do.Cigar boxes lined in the bottom with thiscork also make excellent specimenboxes. The soft wall board or cork iseasy to stick pinned insects into and yetholds them there firmly. If possible, it isbest to obtain students' specimen boxesor professional Schmitt boxes from anatural science supply house.

ORGANIZING A COLLECTION

There are many different kinds ofinsects. When this book was printedentomologists had classified and namedalmost one million different species ofinsects. It is believed that ten times thisnumber of species may exist. Thescience of naming and classifyingdifferent kinds of plants and animals iscalled taxonomy.

In organizing an insect collection, wemust first be able to decide what aninsect is. The Class Insecta makes upone of the five most important livingclasses of the Phylum Arthropoda. Theother four are the Arachnida (spiders,mites ticks, scorpions), the Crustacea(shrimps, crabs, lobsters, sowbugs,water fleas), the Chilopoda (centipedes)and the Diplopoda (millipedes). As longas you have a mature adult stage of anArthropod, you should be able to decidethe class to which it belongs by usingthe following key.

Key to Arthropod Classes - Adults

l. With five or more pairs of legs...........2

With three or four pairs of legs...........4

2. Body wormlike; head not fused withthe thorax and provided with one pairof antennae or none............................ 3

Body not wormlike; head mergedwith the thorax and provided withtwo pairs of antennae ..........Crustacea(crabs, lobsters, shrimp, sowbugs,etc.).

3. Body usually flattened, legs long, onepair of legs per segment, predatoryand fast moving.................. Chilopoda

Body usually round in section, twopairs of small legs on most segments,not predatory, slow moving Diplopoda

4. Body composed of one or two maindivisions, (fused head, thorax,abdomen); four pairs of legs and noantennae .............................Arachnida

Body composed of three maindivisions, the head, thorax andabdomen; only three pairs of jointedlegs; antennae present .............Insecta

The Class Insecta is further dividedinto groups called orders. It is theseorders of insects with which we shallmainly concern ourselves. However,note that orders are further subdividedinto families, genera, and species.

The following is a list of orders ofinsects and examples of common namesof insects belonging in those orders.This list will follow the order ofevolution of insects, that is, those be-lieved to be the most primitive typesfirst and the most highly developed last.

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AMETABOLA

Protura .........................no common nameThysanura................................. silverfishCollembola ...........springtails, snow fleas

HEMIMETABOLA

Orthoptera ............. grasshoppers, cricketsDermaptera................................... earwigsPlecoptera.................................. stonefliesIsoptera................... termites or white antsPscoptera .................book lice or bark licePhthiraptera .......... sucking and biting liceEphemeroptera ............................ mayfliesOdonata ..............dragonflies, damsel fliesThysanoptera ....................................thripsHemiptera.......................true bugs, aphids

HOLOMETABOLA

Neuroptera................. lacewings, ant lionsMecoptera............................ scorpion fliesTrichoptera ..............................caddis fliesLepidoptera ............. butterflies and mothsColeoptera ..................beetles and weevilsHymenoptera ................. bees, wasps, antsDiptera........................ flies, gnats, midgesSiphonaptera...................................... fleas

Several of the Orders are groupeddifferently in other books. For example,Orthoptera may be split into the OrdersBlattaria (cockroaches), Grylloblattaria(rock crawlers), Phasmida (walkingsticks and leaf insects), and Mantodea(Mantids). Hemiptera may be split intothe Hemiptera (true bugs) andHomoptera (cicadas, aphids, whiteflies).and Phthiraptera is sometimes split intoMallophaga and Anoplura.

It takes a lot of learning andexperience to be able to know to whichof these orders any insect belongs. Thefollowing key, modified from the 1952U. S. Department of Agriculture

Yearbook "Insects", will help you learnthe different orders of insects and enableyou to place most insects in the order towhich they belong. It will also enableyou to identify many commonspecimens to the next level ofclassification, the family, since itincludes about thirty of the larger andcommoner families. There are, ofcourse, many thousands of familiesaltogether.

When putting pinned insects intospecimen boxes it is best to put all thebutterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) inone section, all grasshoppers(Orthoptera) in another, all flies andmosquitoes (Diptera) in another, and soon. It helps, too, if you pin a label on thebottom of the box telling which sectionis which order. In fact, after collectinginsects for a while you will need severalspecimen boxes. Then for large orderssuch as Lepidoptera and Coleoptera youcan have a special box. Arranging yourcollection in this manner will make itlook much neater and more scientific.

Key to Major Groups ContainingCommon Insects

Note: you may need a 10X hand lens ora stereomicroscope to see some of thefeatures on the insects.

1. Wings present, the front wings oftenin the form of hard, leathery orhorny wing covers .......................... 2

Wings absent or represented only byminute pads or buds ...................... 43

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2. With only one pair of wings, thesealways membranous ..........................3

With two pairs of wings, the frontpair often represented by hard wingcovers beneath which the hind wingsare concealed in repose .................... 8

3. End of abdomen with two or threeslender but conspicuous, longprojecting filaments...........................4

End of abdomen without suchfilaments. Order Diptera(mosquitoes, midges, flies) ...............5

4. Wings with a network of veins, in-cluding many cross veins.......................Order Ephemeroptera(mayflies), in part (figure 9).

Wings with very few longitudinalveins and no cross veins......................Order Hemiptera in part (males ofscale insects or Coccidae)

5. Antenna very short, usually threesegmented, the last segment thelongest and provided with a con-spicuous, long bristle or with a

number of rings or annulations.Suborder Brachycera ..................... 6

Antenna longer and composed ofmany segments; body generallyslender wings narrow

...................... Suborder Nematocera(midges, crane flies, mosquitoes,figure 10)

6. Last segment of antenna ringed orannulated and without a conspicuouslong bristle (arista) at base................. Infraorder Orthorrhapha(bee flies, robber flies, horse flies)(figure 11)

Last segment of antenna with a longbristle (arista) on upper side at baseInfraorder Cyclorrhapha............... 7

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

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7. Calypter (scalelike structure behindbase of wing) large and conspicuous;mesonotal suture complete; largerflies..............Calypterate Muscoidea(house flies, blow flies, flesh fliesand their relatives) ( figure 12)

Calypter small and inconspicuous;mesonotal suture incomplete; mostlysmall flies, much smaller than housefly. ............. Acalypterate Muscoidea(eye gnats, pomace or vinegar flies,fruit flies) (figure l3)

8. Front wings horny, rigid, opaque,without veins, meeting in a line overmiddle of body and concealing themembranous hind wings ...................9

Front wings usually membranousalthough often covered with scalesor hairs; if leathery, with the veinsdistinct, and not meeting along a lineover middle of body ....................... 16

9. Tip of abdomen with a pair ofprominent forceps-like appendages;front wings (wing covers) very short.......... Order Dermaptera (earwigs) (figure 14)

Tip of abdomen without suchappendages;. front wings (wingcovers) usually covering most or allof abdomen although sometimesshort ......Order Coleoptera (beetles)........................................................ 10

10. Front of head produced into a beak........Family Curculionidae (weevils)(figure 15)

Figure 14

Figure 13

Figure 12

Figure 15

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Front of head not produced into abeak ................................................11

11. Wing covers very short, leaving lastfive or more of the abdominalsegments exposed........................Family Staphylinidae(rove beetles) (figure 16)

Wing covers extending to or near tipof abdomen, rarely leaving threesegments exposed............................12

12. Antennae enlarged toward tips........13

Antennae not enlarged toward tipsslender, sometimes longer than thebody.................................................15

13. Antennae lamellate (segments com-posing the club in the form ofleaflike plates).........................Family Scarabaeidae

(May beetles, Japanese beetle, rosechafer, etc.) (figure 17).

Antennae not lamellate................... 14

14. Tarsi apparently three-segmented .............................. Family Coccinellidae(lady beetles) (figure 18)

Tarsi four-segmented....................................................Family Dermestidae(larder beetles, carpet beetles)(figure 19)

15. Tarsi five-segmented, the third seg-ment not enlarged, antennae shorterthan body ............. Family Carabidae(ground beetles) (figure 20).

Tarsi apparently four-segmented, thethird segment greatly enlarged anddeeply cleft concealing the verysmall fourth segment; antennaeusually longer than body .......................................... Family Cerambycidae (long-horned beetles) (figure 21).

16. Front wings more or less leathery or

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18 Figure 19

Figure 20 Figure 21

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parchment-like ................................17

Front wings membranous................23

17. Mouth parts in the form of a piercingand sucking beak.................................Order Hemiptera, in part ..............18

Mouth parts fitted for chewing............Order Orthoptera...........................19

18. Front wings leathery only at base,the apical third or more abruptlymembranous and overlapping; beakarising from front part of head .................................. Suborder Heteroptera(true bugs) (figure 22).

Front wings of same thicknessthroughout and usually slopingrooflike over the body .................................... Suborder Homoptera, in part (leafhoppers and their allies) (figure23).

19. All legs slender, similar in form;body flattened from above. .................................................Family Blattidae(roaches) (figure 24)

Either the front legs or the hind leggreatly modified and very differentin form from the others.................. 20

20. Front legs greatly enlarged andspined, fitted for seizing and holdingprey; prothorax long and slender,head broad and capable of freemovement ..............Family Mantidae(mantids) (figure 25)

Figure 24

Figure 23

Figure 25

Figure 22

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Front legs normal; hind legs fittedfor jumping, the femora muchenlarged...........................................21

21. Antennae short, much shorter thanbody ......................Family Acrididae (grasshoppers) (figure 26).

Antennae longer than the body .......22

22. Tarsi four-segmented ........................ .........................Family Tettigoniidae

(long-horned grasshoppers, katydids,etc.) (figure 27).

Tarsi three-segmented ........................................................ Family Gryllidae(crickets) (figure 28).

23. Wings covered with overlappingscales, often in beautiful colorpatterns .............. Order Lepidoptera(moths and butterflies )................... 24

Wings not covered with scales ...... 26

24. Antennae usually threadlike orfeathery, not enlarged at tips wings,in repose, held rooflike over body,body very hairy. Mostly night-flyinginsects .....................moths (figure 29)

Antennae enlarged at tips; wings, inrepose, usually held in a verticalposition, or the forewings erect andthe hind wings more or lesshorizontal, body not especially hairy.Mostly day-flying ...................................................skippers and butterflies

Figure 29Figure 26

Figure 28

Figure 27Figure 30

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25. Extreme tips of antennae recurved orhooked. ..............Family Hesperiidae(skippers) (figure 30).

Extreme tips of antennae knobbed...........Family Papilionidae and allies(butterflies) (figure 31)

26. Wings very narrow, bladelike andfringed with long bristles; tarsusending in a large bladderlikestructure. ......... Order Thysanoptera(thrips) (figure 32)

Wings not bladelike; tarsus withoutsuch a bladderlike structure.............27

27. Mouth parts in the form of a beakfitted for piercing and suckingHemiptera, in part........................... 28

Mouth parts fitted for chewing....... 29

28. Front wings lacelike, horizontal andoverlapping in repose; small,flattened insects ..... Family Tingidae(lace bugs) (figure 33).

Front wings not lacelike, usuallysloping and not overlapping inrepose .................Families Cicadidae(cicadas) (figure 34),..............................................Aphidae(plantlice) (figure 35), and theirrelatives.

Figure 31

Figure 35Figure 32

Figure 33 Figure 34

18

29. Wings with numerous longitudinalveins and many cross veins forminga network.........................................30

Wings with few cross veins andusually with few longitudinal veins,not net-veined..................................35

30. Antennae very short andinconspicuous, composed of fewsegments..........................................31

Antennae conspicuous, composed ofmany segments ................................33

31. Hind wings very small, tip ofabdomen with two or three long thinfilaments......Order Ephemeroptera,in part (mayflies)

Front and hind wings of about equalsize; abdomen without terminalfilaments...................Order Odonata.........................................................32

32. Front and hind wings similar inshape, slender at bases, wings, inrepose, held in a vertical positionover abdomen ..Suborder Zygoptera(damselflies) (figure 36)

Hind wing much broadened at base,wings, in repose, horizontal,extended outward ...................................................... Suborder Anisoptera(dragonflies) (figure 37).

33. Wing veins mostly membranous andfaint, front and hind wings of samesize and shape, tarsi four-segmented

.................................. Order Isoptera(termites) (figure 38, winged form)

Wing veins strongly developed ...... 34

Figure 37

Figure 36Figure 38

19

34. Tarsi two-or three-segmented ............................................Order Plecoptera(stoneflies) (figure 39).

Tarsi five-segmented........................................................ Order Neuroptera(lacewings, (figure 40) dobsonflies(figure 41), etc.).

35. Tarsi five-segmented ...................... 36

Tarsi two- or three-segmented ...........................................Order Pscoptera(psocids or book lice)

36. Wings covered with fine long hairand held rooflike over abdomen, inrepose..................Order Trichoptera(caddisflies) (figure 42)

Wings membranous and transparent,not covered with long hairs, not heldrooflike over abdomen in repose. .......Order Hymenoptera .................... 37

37. Abdomen broadly joined to thethorax............... Suborder Symphyta(sawflies, wood wasps) (figure 43)

Abdomen more or less constricted atbase................................................. 38

38. Petiole of abdomen (basal part bywhich abdomen is attached tothorax) composed of a single verticalplatelike segment or of two narrowsegments that are conspicuously setoff from the remainder of theabdomen ...........Family Formicidae.(ants) (figure 44, winged form)

Petiole of abdomen not as above.... 39

Figure 39

Figure 40

Figure 43

Figure 42

Figure 41

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39. Front wing without a stigma (a moreor less triangular, opaque, oftendiscolored spot behind middle offront margin) ............................................... Superfamily Chalcidoidea, etc.(chalcid flies and their relatives)(figure 45).

Front wing with a stigma ................40

40. Body hairy, the hairs branched; firstsegment of tarsus often greatlybroadened and fitted for gatheringpollen ............. Superfamily Apoidea(bees) (figure 46)

Body usually not so hairy, the hairsnot branched ...................................41

41. Wings folded lengthwise when inrepose......................Family Vespidae(wasps and hornets) (figure 47)

Wings not folded lengthwise whenin repose ......................................... 42

42. Antennae short, composed of 12 orl3 segments; female without aprojecting ovipositor ............................................Superfamily Sphecoidea(thread-waisted wasps) (figure 48)

Figure 46

Figure 44

Figure 45

Figure 47

Figure 48

21

Antennae usually long and slender,composed of many segments, femaleusually with a projecting ovipositor..............Superfamily Ichneumonoidea

(ichneumon flies) (figure 49)

43. Tip of abdomen with two or threelong appendages directed backward.........................................................44

Tip of abdomen without suchappendages ......................................45

44. Abdominal appendages thick, rigid,in the form of forceps.....................................................Order Dermaptera,in part(earwigs)

Abdominal appendages delicateflexible, antenna-like......................................................... Order Thysanura (silverfish, etc.) (figure 50).

45. Tarsus composed of only one tothree segments ................................ 46

Tarsus composed of four or fivesegments ......................................... 50

46. Antennae conspicuous, projecting infront of head ................................... 47

Antennae very short, inconspicuousnot projecting in front of head........ 49

47. Antennae composed of three to sixsegments ......................................... 48

Antennae with more than six seg-ments; very tiny insects that some-times occur by the thousands indamp houses .........Order Psocoptera(psocids, book lice) (figure 51)

Figure 49

Figure 52

Figure 50

Figure 51

22

48. Mouth parts in the form of a distinctbeak; body greatly flattened ............................................ Order Hemiptera,Family Cimicidae (bed bugs)(figure 52)

Mouth parts not in the form of abeak; body not flattened................................................... Order Collembola(springtails and snowfleas) (figure53)

49. With biting or chewing mouth parts .............................Order Phthiraptera,Suborder Mallophaga (biting lice)(figure 54)

With piercing and sucking mouthparts ..................Order Phthiraptera....Suborder Anoplura (sucking lice)(figure 55)

50. Antennae prominent .......................51

Antennae inconspicuous, not pro-jecting ............................................. 52

51. Body noticeably constricted at baseof abdomen, antennae elbowed, thebasal segment very long, tarsus five-segmented........Order HymenopteraFamily Formicidae (ants) (figure56, wingless form)

Body not constricted at base ofabdomen; antennae not elbowed,basal segment short, tarsus four-segmented................. Order Isoptera(termites) (figure 57, wingless form)

52. Body strongly compressed from thesides; abdomen distinctly seg-mented; coxae very large andstrongly flattened; legs fitted forjumping........................................................................ Order Siphonaptera(fleas) (figure 58)

Figure 53

Figure 54

Figure 57Figure 56

Figure 55

Figure 58

23

Body flattened top to bottom;abdomen not distinctly segmented;legs not fitted for jumping......................................................Order Diptera,in part, wingless forms (sheep kedand its relatives )

REFERENCES ANDACKNOWLEDGMENT

This guide does not explaineverything you will want to know aboutinsects, It should merely serve as anintroduction to insect collecting. To findout more about insects ask your teachersfor information on reference booksabout insects, and also go to your publiclibrary and borrow the books that areavailable there. Local bookstores carry anumber of titles such as the PetersenField Guide series and Audubon SocietyField Guide Series, both of whichinclude a number of inset titles. Hereare the titles of some other useful books:

1. Bird, C.D., Hilchie, G.J., Kondla,N.G., Pike, E.M. and Sperling, F.A.H.1995. Alberta Butterflies. The ProvincialMuseum of Alberta, Edmonton. 347 pp.

2. Borror, D.J., Triplehorn, C.A., andJohnson, N.F. 1989. An Introduction tothe Study of Insects. 6th ed. 875 pp.

3. Clifford, H.F. 1991. AquaticInvertebrates of Alberta. University ofAlberta Press, Edmonton. 538 pp.

4. Ehrlich, P.R. and Ehrlich, A.H.1961. How to Know the Butterflies. Wm.C. Brown Company, Dubuque, Iowa.262 pages.

5. Evans, H.E. 1984. Insect BiologyAddison-Wesely, Reading,Massachusetts.

6. Martin, J.E.H. 1977. The Insectsand Arachnids of Canada. Part 1.Collecting, Preparing, and PreservingInsects, Mites, and Spiders. CanadaDepartment of Agriculture Publication1643. 182 pp.

7. Romoser, W.S. and Stoffolano,J.G., Jr. 1994. The Science ofEntomology. Wm. C. Brown, Dubuque,Iowa. 532 pp.

Persons who want to buy equipmentcan write to one of the natural historysupply houses whose addresses follow,and ask for their price lists of insectcollecting equipment. Also, local natureand science stores carry entomologicalequipment.

Ward's Natural Science Ltd.399 Vansickle RoadSt. Catherine’s, Ont.L25 3T5

BioQuip17803 LaSalle AvenueGardena, California90248-3602 USA.

We are indebted to the U.S.Department of Agriculture YearbookCommittee for permission to copy thepictures and keys of insects, figures, anddrawings of collecting equipment fromthe 1952 USDA Yearbook "Insects".Figures 2, 6, 7 and 8 were taken fromMartin, J.E.H. 1977. The Insects andArachnids of Canada. Part 1. Collecting,Preparing, and Preserving Insects,Mites, and Spiders. Canada Departmentof Agriculture Publication 1643. 182 pp.