Butterfly

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Butterfly (disambiguation).

Butterflies
Temporal range: Palaeocene-

Recent, 560 Ma

Pre

Pg

Papilio machaon
 Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Suborder: Rhopalocera

Subgroups

Superfamily Hedyloidea:

Hedylidae

Superfamily Hesperioide
a:

Hesperiidae

Superfamily Papilionoide
a:

Papilionidae

Pieridae

Nymphalidae

Lycaenidae

Riodinidae

Butterflies are insects in the clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also
includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous,
fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea, along with two smaller
groups, the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea).
Butterfly fossils date to the Palaeocene, about 56 million years ago.
Butterflies have the typical four-stage insect life cycle. Winged adults lay eggs on the food plant on
which their larvae, known as caterpillars, will feed. The caterpillars grow, sometimes very rapidly, and
when fully developed, pupate in a chrysalis. When metamorphosis is complete, the pupal skin splits,
the adult insect climbs out, and after its wings have expanded and dried, it flies off. Some butterflies,
especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation,
and a few in cold locations may take several years to pass through their whole life cycle.
Butterflies are often polymorphic, and many species make use
of camouflage, mimicry and aposematism to evade their predators. Some, like the monarch and
the painted lady, migrate over long distances. Many butterflies are attacked
by parasites or parasitoids, including wasps, protozoans, flies, and other invertebrates, or are preyed
upon by other organisms. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage
domestic crops or trees; other species are agents of pollination of some plants. Larvae of a few
butterflies (e.g., harvesters) eat harmful insects, and a few are predators of ants, while others live
as mutualists in association with ants. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and
literary arts.

Termite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Termit, Thermite, or Turmite.
This article is about social insects. For other uses, see Termite (disambiguation).

Termite
Temporal range: 2510 Ma

Pre

Pg
 N

Late Permian Recent

Formosan subterranean

termite (Coptotermes formosanus)

Soldiers (red-coloured heads)

Workers (pale-coloured heads)

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Blattodea

Infraorder: Isoptera
 Families

Cratomastotermitidae
Mastotermitidae
Termopsidae
Archotermopsidae
Hodotermitidae
Stolotermitidae
Kalotermitidae
Archeorhinotermitidae
Stylotermitidae
Rhinotermitidae
Serritermitidae
Termitidae

Termites are eusocial insects that are classified at the taxonomic rank of infraorder Isoptera, or
as epifamily Termitoidae within the cockroach order Blattodea. Termites were once classified in a
separate order from cockroaches, but recent phylogenetic studies indicate that they evolved from
close ancestors of cockroaches during the Jurassic or Triassic. However, the first termites possibly
emerged during the Permian or even the Carboniferous. About 3,106 species are currently
described, with a few hundred more left to be described. Although these insects are often called
white ants, they are not ants.
Like ants and some bees and wasps from the separate order Hymenoptera, termites divide labour
among castes consisting of sterile male and female "workers" and "soldiers". All colonies have fertile
males called "kings" and one or more fertile females called "queens". Termites mostly feed on dead
plant material and cellulose, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung. Termites
are major detritivores, particularly in the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood
and plant matter is of considerable ecological importance.
Termites are among the most successful groups of insects on Earth, colonising most landmasses
except for Antarctica. Their colonies range in size from a few hundred individuals to enormous
societies with several million individuals. Termite queens have the longest lifespan of any insect in
the world, with some queens reportedly living up to 30 to 50 years. Unlike ants, which undergo a
complete metamorphosis, each individual termite goes through an incomplete metamorphosis that
proceeds through egg, nymph, and adult stages. Colonies are described
as superorganisms because the termites form part of a self-regulating entity: the colony itself. [1]
Termites are a delicacy in the diet of some human cultures and are used in many traditional
medicines. Several hundred species are economically significant as pests that can cause serious
damage to buildings, crops, or plantation forests. Some species, such as the West Indian drywood
termite (Cryptotermes brevis), are regarded as invasive species.

Contents
[hide]

1Etymology
 2Taxonomy and evolution

3Distribution and diversity

4Description

o 4.1Caste system

5Life cycle

o 5.1Reproduction

6Behaviour and ecology

o 6.1Diet

o 6.2Predators

o 6.3Parasites, pathogens and viruses

o 6.4Locomotion and foraging

o 6.5Competition

o 6.6Communication

o 6.7Defence

o 6.8Relationship with other organisms

7Nests

o 7.1Mounds

o 7.2Shelter tubes

8Relationship with humans

o 8.1As pests

o 8.2As food

o 8.3In agriculture

o 8.4In science and technology

o 8.5In culture
 9See also

10Notes

11References

o 11.1Cited literature

12External links

Ant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Ant (disambiguation).

Ants
Temporal range: 1000 Ma

Pre

Pg

Cenomanian Recent
 A group of Fire ants.

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Superfamily: Vespoidea

Family: Formicidae
Latreille, 1809

Type species
 Formica rufa
Linnaeus, 1761

Subfamilies

Agroecomyrmecinae

Amblyoponinae (incl.
"Apomyrminae")

Aneuretinae

Brownimeciinae

Dolichoderinae

Dorylinae

Ectatomminae

Formiciinae

Formicinae

Heteroponerinae

Leptanillinae

Martialinae

Myrmeciinae (incl.
"Nothomyrmeciinae")

Myrmicinae

Paraponerinae

Ponerinae
 Proceratiinae

Pseudomyrmecinae

Sphecomyrminae

Cladogram of
subfamilies [show]

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees,
belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period,
about 99 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an
estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified.[4][5] They are easily identified by their elbowed
antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.
Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural
cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories and consist of millions of
individuals. Larger colonies consist mostly of sterile, wingless females forming castes of "workers",
"soldiers", or other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called
"drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens". The colonies are described
as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working
together to support the colony.[6][7]

(video) Ants gathering food

Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants
are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in most ecosystems and may
form 1525% of the terrestrial animal biomass.[8] Their success in so many environments has been
attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend
themselves. Their long co-evolution with other species has led to mimetic, commensal, parasitic,
and mutualistic relationships.[9]
Ant societies have division of labour, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve
complex problems.[10] These parallels with human societies have long been an inspiration and subject
of study. Many human cultures make use of ants in cuisine, medication, and rituals. Some species
are valued in their role as biological pest control agents.[11] Their ability to exploit resources may bring
ants into conflict with humans, however, as they can damage crops and invade buildings. Some
species, such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), are regarded as invasive species,
establishing themselves in areas where they have been introduced accidentally.[12]

Contents
[hide]
 1Etymology

2Taxonomy and evolution

3Distribution and diversity

4Morphology

o 4.1Head

o 4.2Legs

o 4.3Wings

o 4.4Metasoma

o 4.5Polymorphism

5Life cycle

o 5.1Reproduction

6Behaviour and ecology

o 6.1Communication

o 6.2Defence

o 6.3Learning

o 6.4Nest construction

o 6.5Cultivation of food

o 6.6Navigation

o 6.7Locomotion

o 6.8Cooperation and competition

o 6.9Relationships with other organisms

7Relationship with humans

o 7.1As food

o 7.2As pests
 o 7.3In science and technology

o 7.4In culture

8See also

9References

o 9.1Cited texts

10Further reading

11External links

Etymology
The word "ant" is derived from ante, emete of Middle English which are derived from mette of Old
English, and is related to the dialectal Dutch emt and the Old High German meiza, hence the
modern German Ameise. All of these words come from West Germanic *maitij, and the original
meaning of the word was "the biter" (from Proto-Germanic *ai-, "off, away" + *mait- "cut").[13][14] The
family name Formicidae is derived from the Latin formca ("ant")[15] from which the words in
other Romance languages, such as the Portuguese formiga, Italian formica, Spanish hormiga,
Romanian furnic, and French fourmi are derived. It has been hypothesised that a Proto-Indo-
European word *morwi- was used, cf. Sanskrit vamrah, Latin formca, Greek mrmx, Old
Church Slavonic mraviji, Old Irish moirb, Old Norse maurr, Dutch mier.[16]

Taxonomy and evolution

Ants fossilised in Baltic amber

Aculeata
Chrysidoidea

Vespidae

Rhopalosomatidae

Pompilidae

Tiphiidae
 Phylogenetic position of the Formicidae.[17]

The family Formicidae belongs to the order Hymenoptera, which also includes sawflies, bees,
and wasps. Ants evolved from a lineage within the aculeate wasps, and a 2013 study suggests that
they are a sister group of the Apoidea.[17] In 1966, E. O. Wilson and his colleagues identified
the fossil remains of an ant (Sphecomyrma) that lived in the Cretaceous period. The specimen,
trapped in amber dating back to around 92 million years ago, has features found in some wasps, but
not found in modern ants.[18] Sphecomyrma possibly was a ground forager,
while Haidomyrmex and Haidomyrmodes, related genera in subfamily Sphecomyrminae, are
reconstructed as active arboreal predators.[19] Older ants in the genus Sphecomyrmodes have been
found in 99 million year-old amber from Myanmar.[20][21] After the rise of flowering plants about
100 million years ago they diversified and assumed ecological dominance around 60 million years
ago.[22][23][24][25] Some groups, such as the Leptanillinae and Martialinae, are suggested to have
diversified from early primitive ants that were likely to have been predators underneath the surface of
the soil.[2][26]
During the Cretaceous period, a few species of primitive ants ranged widely on
the Laurasian supercontinent (the Northern Hemisphere). They were scarce in comparison to the
populations of other insects, representing only about 1% of the entire insect population. Ants
became dominant after adaptive radiation at the beginning of the Paleogene period. By
the Oligocene and Miocene, ants had come to represent 2040% of all insects found in major fossil
deposits. Of the species that lived in the Eocene epoch, around one in 10 genera survive to the
present. Genera surviving today comprise 56% of the genera in Baltic amber fossils (early
Oligocene), and 92% of the genera in Dominican amber fossils (apparently early Miocene).[22][27]
Termites, although sometimes called 'white ants', are not ants. They belong to the sub-
order Isoptera within the order Blattodea. Termites are more closely related
to cockroaches and mantids. Termites are eusocial, but differ greatly in the genetics of reproduction.
The similarity of their social structure to that of ants is attributed to convergent evolution.[28]Velvet
ants look like large ants, but are wingless female wasps.[29][30]

Distribution and diversity

Number of
Region
species [31]

Neotropics 2162

Nearctic 580

Europe 180

Africa 2500
 Number of
Region
species [31]

Asia 2080

Melanesia 275

Australia 985

Polynesia 42

Ants are found on all continents except Antarctica, and only a few large islands, such
as Greenland, Iceland, parts of Polynesia and the Hawaiian Islands lack native ant species.[32][33] Ants
occupy a wide range of ecological niches and exploit many different food resources as direct or
indirect herbivores, predators and scavengers. Most ant species are omnivorous generalists, but a
few are specialist feeders. Their ecological dominance is demonstrated by their biomass: ants are
estimated to contribute 1520 % (on average and nearly 25% in the tropics) of terrestrial animal
biomass, exceeding that of the vertebrates.[8]
Ants range in size from 0.75 to 52 millimetres (0.0302.0 in),[34][35] the largest species being the
fossil Titanomyrma giganteum, the queen of which was 6 centimetres (2.4 in) long with a wingspan
of 15 centimetres (5.9 in).[36] Ants vary in colour; most ants are red or black, but a few species are
green and some tropical species have a metallic lustre. More than 12,000 species are currently
known (with upper estimates of the potential existence of about 22,000) (see the article List of ant
genera), with the greatest diversity in the tropics. Taxonomic studies continue to resolve the
classification and systematics of ants. Online databases of ant species, including AntBase and the
Hymenoptera Name Server, help to keep track of the known and newly described species. [37] The
relative ease with which ants may be sampled and studied in ecosystems has made them useful
as indicator species in biodiversity studies.[38][39]

Morphology
Ants are distinct in their morphology from other insects in having elbowed antennae, metapleural
glands, and a strong constriction of their second abdominal segment into a node-like petiole. The
head, mesosoma, and metasoma are the three distinct body segments. The petiole forms a narrow
waist between their mesosoma (thorax plus the first abdominal segment, which is fused to it)
and gaster (abdomen less the abdominal segments in the petiole). The petiole may be formed by
one or two nodes (the second alone, or the second and third abdominal segments). [40]

Bull ant showing the powerful mandibles and the relatively large compound eyes that provide excellent vision
Like other insects, ants have an exoskeleton, an external covering that provides a protective casing
around the body and a point of attachment for muscles, in contrast to the internal skeletons of
humans and other vertebrates. Insects do not have lungs; oxygen and other gases, such as carbon
dioxide, pass through their exoskeleton via tiny valves called spiracles. Insects also lack closed
blood vessels; instead, they have a long, thin, perforated tube along the top of the body (called the
"dorsal aorta") that functions like a heart, and pumps haemolymph toward the head, thus driving the
circulation of the internal fluids. The nervous system consists of a ventral nerve cord that runs the
length of the body, with several ganglia and branches along the way reaching into the extremities of
the appendages.[4