Portal:Insects
The Insects Portal
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Insects (from Latin insectum) are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antennae. Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with more than a million described species; they represent more than half of all animal species. (Full article...)
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A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera (e.g., Calyptapis) are known from fossils. They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America, where a few lowland tropical species have been identified. European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals.
Most bumblebees are social insects that form colonies with a single queen. The colonies are smaller than those of honey bees, growing to as few as 50 individuals in a nest. Cuckoo bumblebees are brood parasitic and do not make nests or form colonies; their queens aggressively invade the nests of other bumblebee species, kill the resident queens and then lay their own eggs, which are cared for by the resident workers. Cuckoo bumblebees were previously classified as a separate genus, but are now usually treated as members of Bombus. (Full article...)Did you know -
- ... that the penis of the lesser water boatman Micronecta scholtzi creates mating calls of 99.2 decibels, making it the loudest animal on earth, scaled for its size?
- ... that when the extinct forester moth Neurosymploca? oligocenica was described, a second fossil was known but unavailable for study?
- ... that the fontanellar gun is a type of specialised weapon used by North American termites to ward off enemy insects?
- ... that the extinct Eocene butterfly Prodryas persephone from the Florissant Fossil Beds is the best preserved fossil lepidopteran discovered to date?
- ... that Hydriomena? protrita was the first geometer moth to be described from the American fossil record?
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Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities.
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